Chronic wasting disease was first confirmed in North Carolina in 2022. Four seasons later, the numbers are still small, but they are growing, and they are concentrated in a handful of northwestern counties.
The numbers
According to the Elkin Tribune’s report on state data:
- 33 deer tested positive for CWD during the 2025-26 season.
- 67 deer have tested positive statewide since 2022.
- Surry County had 16 of this season’s 33 cases and 33 of the 67 total, nearly half of all cases.
- Yadkin County had 6 cases this season and 14 total.
- Wilkes County had 1 case last season and 2 total.
- Stokes County had no cases last season and 2 total.
- Edgecombe County, in the east, recorded 4 positives this season. It became a primary surveillance area, and Martin, Pitt and Halifax became secondary surveillance areas.
Officials say annual cases have risen each year since the disease was found.
Where it hasn’t been found
Some neighboring counties have come through intensive testing clean. The Tribune reported that Alleghany County has no confirmed cases, and that Davie County, which has had several years of surveillance without a positive, is no longer a secondary surveillance area. That is welcome news for hunters around Mocksville.
What CWD is
CWD is a contagious, always-fatal disease of the brain and nervous system in deer, elk and moose. It is caused by misfolded proteins called prions, which can persist in soil for years. Infected deer may look healthy for a long time before showing signs like weight loss and unusual behavior.
There is no known case of CWD infecting people. Still, the CDC and wildlife agencies advise not eating meat from an animal that tests positive or looks sick.
How the state is responding
For 2026-27, the NCWRC designated Cumberland, Forsyth, Sampson, Stokes, Surry, Wilkes and Yadkin as CWD Management Areas, added early hunting opportunities and earlier seasons in the northwest, and switched to a faster testing method. Testing is voluntary this season but strongly encouraged.
What hunters can do
- Test your deer if you hunt in or near affected counties. Testing is free at drop-off freezers and participating processors and taxidermists.
- Wait for results before eating the meat, and ask your processor to keep your deer separate.
- Dispose of carcass parts properly, using a lined landfill, burial at least 3 feet deep and 300 feet from water, or leaving them in the county where the deer was killed.
- Report sick deer to the NCWRC.
- Harvest does where allowed. Reducing deer density in affected areas helps slow transmission.
