CWD-positive deer found in Grant, Sevier counties

SHERIDAN — The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission Tuesday confirmed that white-tailed deer from Grant and Sevier counties have tested positive for chronic wasting disease.

Two hunter-harvested deer from Grant County were identified by the Arkansas Department of Agriculture’s Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory through the AGFC’s free CWD surveillance network and were confirmed positive for the disease after a more thorough test was performed by the Wisconsin Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory in Madison last week.

One of these deer, a 2½-year-old buck, was taken southwest of Sheridan. The second deer, a 3½-year-old buck, was killed by a hunter near Grapevine. Both were taken during the modern gun portion of the 2025-26 deer hunting season.

One hunter-harvested 4½-year-old buck tested positive in Sevier County. The deer was taken on the north side of De Queen Lake in De Queen Lake WMA, about 4 miles from the Oklahoma-Arkansas state line.

These are the first cases of CWD in Grant and Sevier counties, and the source of these infections is unknown. The nearest known positive case in Arkansas to these new cases is more than 80 miles away.

According to AJ Riggs, wildlife health biologist for the AGFC, 470 CWD samples were submitted in Grant County before these first positive cases, and 403 CWD samples were submitted in Sevier County before its first positive case.

According to Cory Gray, chief of the AGFC’s Research Division, all hunters who harvested these CWD-positive deer have been notified, and arrangements are being made to dispose of the meat.

“We are stepping up surveillance efforts in these two counties and are asking for hunters’ help by submitting any harvested deer in these areas to one of our CWD testing locations,” Gray said. “In keeping with the AGFC’s CWD Management and Response Plan, we will not change any regulations regarding these findings before the end of the 2025-26 deer hunting season.”

AGFC Director Doug Schoenrock says the agency will evaluate the need for any expansion of the CWD Management Zone and regulations concerning deer hunting during the hunting regulations-setting process once the season is over.

“The best way hunters can help is to get their deer tested for CWD each time they are successful in the woods,” Schoenrock said. “It’s 100 percent voluntary and 100 percent free. You just bring the animal’s head to one of our testing locations with about 6 inches of neck still attached and follow the instructions to label and bag it before placing it in the cooler. That’s it. We’re committed to getting in touch with any hunter whose deer tests positive for the disease and we can make arrangements to dispose of the meat for you.”

A list of CWD-testing facilities is available at www.agfc.com/hunting/deer/chronic-wasting-disease/cwd-testing-options.

CWD is a fatal neurological disease that affects deer, elk, caribou and moose. It was first detected in Arkansas Feb. 23, 2016. Since the first detection, AGFC has tested more than 68,293 deer and elk from across the state. To date, 2,218 deer and 60 elk have tested positive for the disease in Arkansas.

Research indicates that CWD is caused by a misfolded protein called a prion that is transmitted through feces, urine and saliva. Prions can survive for years in soil and plants. CWD can have an incubation period of at least 16 months, which means infected animals may not show immediate signs of disease. CWD prions accumulate throughout the body and affect an animal’s nervous system. The diseased prions cause normal cellular proteins to misfold into abnormal shapes, which accumulate until neural cells cease to function. Infected animals begin to lose weight, lose their appetite and develop an insatiable thirst. They may separate from their herds, walk in repetitive patterns, carry their head low, salivate, urinate frequently and grind their teeth. Research conducted in Arkansas has demonstrated that CWD can have a negative impact on white-tailed deer populations in areas with high disease prevalence.

Visit www.agfc.com/cwd for more information.

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CUTLINES:

LAB DATA
The AGFC has collected samples from more than 68,293 deer and elk since 2016 to track CWD and its prevalence throughout Arkansas. AGFC photo. 

MAP
CWD samples collected from Grant and Sevier counties in early December revealed new positive cases of the disease in those portions of the state. AGFC image.

CWD FREEZER
The AGFC encourages all hunters in the state to have their deer tested for CWD through one of the options available at www.agfc.com/cwd to help track the disease. AGFC photo.