Georgia DNR confirms first chronic wasting disease case in wild deer; launches local sampling and outreach

Georgia Department of Natural Resources officials told a legislative committee that the state has confirmed its first positive test for chronic wasting disease, or CWD, in a hunter‑harvested deer and have activated a targeted response plan.

"We received our first positive confirmation from the US Department of Agriculture's National Veterinary Services Laboratory," the department's commissioner told the committee, saying the sample came from a deer harvested in late November near the Lanier–Berrien county line. The commissioner and DNR staff said routine, long‑term surveillance — conducted statewide since 2002 — caught the case.

The discovery prompted immediate outreach and localized sampling. Dr. Tina Johansson, assistant chief of game management in DNR's Wildlife Resources Division, said DNR notified the hunter and the landowner, contacted nearby landowners and local processors and taxidermists, and has staff on the ground collecting additional samples.

"This deer looked perfectly normal and was harvested by a hunter," Dr. Johansson said, describing the department's approach: a CWD management area that includes counties touching a five‑mile radius around the harvest site and a "cluster sampling" strategy focused on the small groups of deer most likely to have had contact with the positive animal.

Why it matters: CWD is a fatal prion disease that affects members of the deer family and can persist in the environment. Dr. Johansson told the committee the incubation period in deer is roughly 18 to 30 months and that infection is ultimately 100% fatal for affected animals. Because infected deer can shed prions before showing symptoms, DNR officials said early detection and targeted sampling are critical to slowing spread.

What DNR is doing now: Officials said they activated the agency's CWD response plan after federal confirmation and immediately launched communications, including a press release and a press conference in Tifton. Public meetings in the affected area and a virtual meeting are scheduled for next week. DNR will set up self‑serve freezer drop‑off locations inside the management area so hunters who field‑dress and process their own deer can submit skull caps or heads for testing; staff will pick up samples for the lab.

Sampling and testing details: DNR staff said the state collects about 1,800 surveillance samples annually; statewide deer harvest is roughly 280,000 animals per year and there are about 600,000 licensed hunters in Georgia. In the immediate vicinity of the positive, DNR expects to collect 20–30 targeted samples to estimate local prevalence and geographic extent. The agency's diagnostic lab at the University of Georgia performs routine testing; any positive result is sent to the USDA National Veterinary Services Laboratory in Ames, Iowa, for confirmation. Turnaround time at the lab is roughly two weeks, and DNR said it is currently absorbing testing costs estimated at about $25 per sample.

Response strategy and limits on policy action: DNR described a surgical, property‑level approach intended to identify and remove deer most likely to be infected rather than broad herd reductions. Dr. Johansson said some states have used aggressive herd reductions, but Georgia does not anticipate recommending significant statewide herd culling at this time. The department also said it does not plan mandatory check stations or bans on baiting in the affected counties.

Public health and hunter guidance: Officials pointed to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance that no human cases of CWD have been documented to date. "The CDC is a very conservative organization, and they have stated that it does not appear to affect people," Dr. Johansson told the committee while also relaying the CDC recommendation that hunters in known CWD zones consider testing deer before consuming the meat.

Questions from lawmakers: Committee members pressed DNR on sampling rates, the agency's ability to increase testing beyond existing surveillance (historically about 0.6% of harvested deer), and how the agency will maintain low prevalence. Representative Williams said he had never heard hunters routinely test meat and asked how frequently hunters participate in testing programs; DNR replied that processors and taxidermists submit heads for sampling and that DNR will expand drop‑off options within the management area.

Next steps: DNR officials said they will continue cluster sampling in cooperation with landowners and crop‑damage permit holders, collect road‑kill samples where feasible, notify hunters of test results, and update frequently asked questions and public materials. The department emphasized that managing CWD is a long‑term commitment and that hunters and landowners will be key partners in surveillance and response.

Ending: The agency told the committee it had already begun sample collection in the area and expected to meet immediate sampling targets within about a week if efforts continue apace. DNR encouraged legislators and the public to use the links provided in the department's packet for current information and updates.