There are 55 confirmed CWD-positive deer in the state. Here’s what hunters need to know ahead of next season.
Louisiana is tightening its response to chronic wasting disease. on 2 June Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission The declaration of emergency to establish formal CWD management zones in affected areas of the state was confirmed. This action follows the passage of Senate Concurrent Resolution 24 during the 2026 regular session.
The announcement was issued by Tyler Bosworth, Secretary of the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. It replaces the old CWD control zone framework with a new zone-based system that is directly linked to monitoring results.
where is the zone
Each CWD management zone is created at least 15 miles from a confirmed identification. The zone consists of an inner 5-mile ring and an outer 15-mile ring. The same rules apply to both rings. Zone boundaries follow roads, waterways, and other identifiable features.
Currently, most confirmed identities are concentrated in Tensas Parish. Single identifications have also been recorded in Ouachita, Catahoula and Concordia parishes. Louisiana confirmed its first CWD-positive deer in 2022. There are now 55 confirmed cases in the state.
Fodder is allowed this season, but with conditions
Feeding and feeding will be permitted within all existing CWD management areas from September 1 to March 31, 2027. That is not a permanent rule. The allowance is tied to whether LDWF meets its sampling targets from the previous monitoring season.
If CWD prevalence among sampled deer falls between 2.5 and 20 percent, baiting will be prohibited during the following monitoring season. The monitoring season runs from July 1 to June 30 each year. The results of one season determine what is allowed in the next season.
One exception remains regardless of zone status: bait not normally taken by deer may still be used to trap wild boar.
dead body export rules
Transportation of whole deer carcasses out of the CWD management area is not permitted. But most processed parts can leave the area without any restrictions. Permitted exports include:
- meat that has been cut and wrapped or deboned
- Quarters or parts that have no backbone or head attached
- Horns, skull plates cleared of horns, skull cleared without tissue
- Hats, tanned hides, and prepared taxidermy mounts
- cervical teeth cleaned
Deer heads may only be taken to Louisiana taxidermy businesses through electronic waivers and in compliance with waiver guidelines.
How to add or remove zones
If new CWD is detected beyond the inner 5-mile zone, the outer 15-mile boundary will be adjusted in the next monitoring season. Any detection outside an existing zone triggers a new declaration of emergency and a new zone, although containment restrictions will not be imposed immediately.
A CWD management zone can only be removed after three consecutive monitoring sessions with no detections and full sampling targets have been met.
What hunters should know about the disease
CWD is a prion disease. It is always fatal in deer and there is no cure. Infected animals develop neurological symptoms, excessive salivation, weight loss, and eventually death. The disease can persist in soil and vegetation even after an infected animal dies and can spread to healthy deer over time.
No human cases of CWD have been documented. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and this World Health Organization Both recommend not eating meat from deer known to be infected. Hunters taking deer in areas with confirmed CWD must have the animals tested before consumption.
LDWF offers free CWD testing for hunter-harvested deer. For zone maps and testing information, visit the LDWF CWD page at wlf.louisiana.gov.
sources say
to Mr
Tom is a former Navy corpsman who spent some time in the deserts of Iraq with a Marine Recon unit, kicking in tent flaps and tending sheep. Before that, he was a paramedic somewhere in DFW, also doing some executive security work between shifts. Now that those adventure days are behind him, he’s embraced his inner “warrior hippie” and tackles 14er in his sandals, taking on adventure challenges while drinking copious amounts of water. To finance these adventures, he writes all kinds of content (has also held editor positions at several publications) and teaches wilderness medicine and off-road skills. He hopes his post will help you find gear that will survive whatever you throw at it (and the training to use it). Learn from your mistakes – He is known (in some circles) for his curse…ahem, ability…to find the breaking point of anything. You can follow him here https://linktr.ee/docrader.
