Deer hunting has been a pastime, and for some even a necessity, in North Carolina, from the earliest settlers and Native Americans to modern sportsman and wild game enthusiasts. Countless memories have been made in the woods and fields of our great state as hunters share their passion with family and friends. But across North Carolina, there is a new threat emerging that will take both state officials and private citizens to solve.
This challenge is a disease known as CWD, or Chronic Wasting Disease, and is caused by the misfolding of proteins (called prions) in a deer’s brain. Deer infected with CWD are called “Zombie deer,” as the disease slowly reduces bodily function, prompting the deer to act disoriented and unaware (like a zombie). The deer may foam even at the mouth, along with appearing gaunt and malnourished.
CWD is in the same category of diseases as “Mad Cow Disease” (Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy) in bovine species, Scrapie in sheep/goats, and Creutzfeldt-Jakobs in humans — none of which have a known cure.
Since wild animals often contract illnesses, some may wonder why addressing CWD alone is so crucial.
With the rise of this disease, our most popular wild game resource is at stake. North Carolina’s hunters and wildlife officials must act to promote greater awareness and prevention measures in halting the spread of CWD.
Chronic Wasting Disease was first detected in North Carolina in 2021 and since then, 34 positive cases have been confirmed. While this is a relatively low number compared to the total deer population in the state, getting a firm head start on this disease will pay dividends in the future.
Furthermore, since hunting is a right enshrined in the North Carolina Constitution, it is the job of the state government to protect that right. NC General Statute 113-131 mandates public ownership of wildlife resources under the stewardship of the NC Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC).
Deer in North Carolina have faced challenges before, especially overhunting, and it took the combined effort of the state and individual hunters alike to resolve. While current herd numbers are around 1 million, that was not always the case as the state’s whitetail population dropped to around 10,000 around 1900. Conservation efforts that began in the 1940s brought the herd back to both a sustainable and growing status.
While CWD has not yet reached the same level of destruction that overhunting did, the likelihood of its expansion could disrupt deer populations at a similar level, especially given how the disease spreads. The transference of Chronic Wasting Disease occurs through direct deer-to-deer contact as well as contact through contaminated soil or plants. Symptoms of the disease go undetected for at least a year before a deer can be identified as infected, compounding the negative impact that CWD can have on a whitetail herd.
Currently, there are a few programs managed by the NCWRC to study and understand how CWD is spreading in North Carolina, but these efforts can and should be expanded. The Cervid Health Cooperators program is a partnership between taxidermists, game processors, and the Wildlife Resources Commission that incentivizes businesses to send in deer heads ($10) and lymph nodes ($20) for CWD testing and provides training to those enrolled. While this is an excellent program and has dozens of partnerships across the state, it can do more to promote membership to those taxidermy and processing businesses that have not yet joined. An increase of even a few dollars per category would show the genuine effort that the NCWRC is putting in to prevent CWD and maintaining positive relationships with private businesses.
In addition to the CHC program, North Carolina has two CWD survey zones that collected over 20,000 samples in the 2024-2025 season, and as of now, there is no mandatory sampling for the 2025-2026 season. Last season’s survey exceeded the goals of the commission, but it must be mentioned that CWD can very likely spread beyond the bounds of the survey areas.
Another strategy employed by the NCWRC, which has been used in other states, is awarding additional deer tags to hunters who submit CWD samples that come back positive. North Carolina has a similar active program, the Chronic Wasting Disease Management Assistance Program (CWDMAP), but it only applies to member landowners in the program survey areas or a 5-mile radius of a positive case. Again, like the CHC, the CWDMAP is a powerful and useful program, but its scale could be increased to attract more hunters to join the fight against CWD.
Several states like Wisconsin and Tennessee award everyday hunters an extra deer tag if they submit a deer sample that comes back positive for CWD, something that NC could take note of. Not only would this incentivize hunters to submit their kills for testing, bringing in more participation to stop the disease, but it will also help to manage the deer population by thinning out the herd to lessen the likelihood of the disease’s spread.
Implementing strategies like payment incentives and extra deer tags for CWD testing not only fosters awareness for the issue but encourages hunters to be meaningful partners in solving this problem. Along with individual hunters, private entities and nonprofits should recognize the issue and put themselves in a position to play a bigger role in the fight against CWD, especially with new and more attractive strategies in place.
The sounds of a woodland waking up, the eerie peace of fog slowly lifting off a soybean field, or the joy of harvesting a first whitetail buck are all experiences that deer hunters across North Carolina cherish and remember for a lifetime. It is these experiences that are under threat from CWD. And it is the duty of hunters, wildlife officials, and state government officials alike to work together to protect our state’s deer population, so that future generations of hunters can make memories and provide for their families for years to come.
