Arkansas, Wisconsin, and Manitoba, Canada, have all confirmed first-time chronic wasting disease (CWD) detections in new counties or areas.

A fatal neurodegenerative disease affecting cervids, CWD is caused by infectious misfolded proteins called prions, which spread through direct physical contact and environmental contamination. It can take many months for animals to show signs of infection, such as weight loss, insatiable thirst, frequent salivation, and walking in repetitive patterns. There is no vaccine or treatment for the disease. 

Arkansas: 3 detections in Grant, Sevier counties

Last week, the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission (AGFC) reported initial CWD infections in three hunter-harvested white-tailed deer in Grant and Sevier counties. 

Grant County is in the south-central part of the state, while Sevier County is in southwest Arkansas on the Oklahoma border. The nearest previous positive case in the state was identified more than 80 miles away from these locations.

Of the two Grant County cases, one was a 2.5-year-old buck taken southwest of Sheridan, and one was a 3.5-year-old buck harvested near Grapevine. The Sevier County case was identified in a 4.5-year-old buck harvested in the De Queen Lake wildlife management area, roughly four miles from the Oklahoma border.

Arkansas has conducted surveillance for the disease since 1999, testing hunter-harvested animals as well as road-killed deer and elk. The disease was first detected in Arkansas in February 2016. Since then, the AGFC has tested more than 68,293 deer and elk samples, of which 2,218 deer and 60 elk tested positive, the news release said.

The cases prompted the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation to activate its CWD response plan, according to media reports. Oklahoma, which confirmed its first CWD case in a free-ranging Texas County deer in June 2023, will continue statewide disease-monitoring efforts and will release hunter guidance if precautions are needed.

Wisconsin: 1 case in La Crosse County

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR) has announced the first positive CWD test result in a free-ranging deer in La Crosse County, in the southwest part of the state, on the Minnesota border. A hunter harvested the buck within 10 miles of the Monroe and Vernon county borders.

In response, La Crosse County’s 2-year baiting and feeding ban has been extended for another 3 years.

In response, La Crosse County’s 2-year baiting and feeding ban has been extended for another 3 years, the WDNR said in the news release. Because Monroe and Vernon counties already had 3-year baiting and feeding bans for previous positive detections, this case will not affect them.

Manitoba: 5 infections in 2 additional game-hunt areas 

Yesterday, Manitoba Natural Resources and Indigenous Futures confirmed five new CWD cases, including those in areas with no previous detections: the rural municipalities of Swan Valley West, in the northwest part of the province, and Victoria, in south-central Manitoba, in Game Hunting Areas 13A and 30.

The areas were the rural municipalities of Swan Valley West and Victoria.

First detected in the province in 2021, a total of 35 CWD cases have been confirmed to date, including 26 mule deer (23 bucks and three does) and nine white-tailed deer (eight bucks and one doe).

The provincial testing program has processed more than 2,500 samples for CWD thus far in the 2025-26 hunting season. The new cases included three mule deer (two does and one buck) and two white-tailed bucks.