A wild adult female white-tailed deer harvested in the Town of Sparta tested positive for chronic wasting disease, marking the first time the fatal neurological illness has been confirmed in a free-ranging deer in New York since 2005.
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation established a six-town containment area covering Conesus, Groveland, North Dansville, Sparta, Springwater, and West Sparta following the confirmatory results. State officials activated their interagency response plan alongside the Department of Agriculture and Markets.
Hunters operating within the containment zone must submit a tissue sample from every harvested deer. Movement of high-risk animal parts such as the brain, spinal cord, spleen, and eyes out of the area is prohibited under the emergency regulations. Authorities also banned deer and elk urine collection, the possession of vehicle-killed deer inside the zone, and the rehabilitation of wild white-tailed deer from the affected towns.
In addition to testing requirements, the containment area rules restrict the movement of deer from captive facilities out of the zone, limit the rehabilitation of deer from the area, and restrict the transportation of deer products, including urine-based lures, outside the containment boundaries.
A dedicated check station opened at the Livingston County Center for Emergency Operations building located at 3360 Gypsy Lane in Mount Morris to process hunter submissions. The facility operates daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. through Nov. 20, shifting to an 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. schedule starting Nov. 21 through Dec. 13.
The station will close for holidays including Thanksgiving, Dec. 23 through Dec. 25, and New Year’s Day. Hunters wishing to transport a carcass or head to a taxidermist or meat processor outside the containment perimeter must obtain a specific transport permit from the check station.
Hunters can submit samples at a DEC check station, a cooperating meat processor, a taxidermist, or a designated collection location, and may also submit just the deer’s head at a designated drop site.
The initial positive sample was identified through the state’s annual wild deer surveillance program and underwent testing at Cornell University’s veterinary diagnostic laboratory. A confirmatory sample was subsequently sent to a federal laboratory.
State wildlife biologists have tested more than 70,000 wild deer statewide since monitoring efforts began in 2002. The state’s only previous wild and captive detections occurred in Oneida County in 2005, alongside a subsequent captive red deer herd detection in Herkimer County in 2024.
“So, our first step is going to be to determine the extent of the outbreak and the prevalence of CWD within the wild deer,” said Brendan Quirion, the DEC Big Game Unit’s section head.
Quirion said that infected animals may appear completely healthy during the early stages of the transmissible neurological illness, potentially carrying the condition for months or years before showing clinical signs.
The good news here is hopefully our detection could have been early, and if it is early in detection, there are some chances that we can manage the disease or potentially even make it go away in the state.
Joe Payne, Payne’s Processing
While federal and state health authorities emphasize there is no established link between chronic wasting disease and human infections, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends not consuming venison from any deer known to have CWD.
Earlier coverage: First NY Chronic Wasting Disease in 21 Years Found in Livingston Co Deer
