DNR sampling finds five new CWD cases in Oneida No new positives in Vilas

DNR sampling finds five new CWD cases in Oneida

No new positives in Vilas

Chronic wasting disease (CWD) sampling totals for 2025 completed through the Wisconsin DNR have been released, indicating five new cases of the prion disease in whitetail deer in Oneida County. No new cases were found in Vilas.

Vilas, Oneida, Lincoln and Langlade were some of the DNR’s priority testing areas to track the progression of CWD in whitetail deer populations. Hunters harvesting in those areas were asked to submit samples during the recent hunting season using kiosks located around the state.

The DNR said that prior to the hunting season, the 2025 priority areas were chosen by reviewing the CWD sampling data and determining areas where additional samples and information were most needed. These were areas where the disease was most recently discovered in wild and farm-raised deer in portions of central and northern Wisconsin.

Oneida’s five additional positives bring the total up to 13. One was in the northwestern part of the county, far removed from past detections. DNR data shows that 1,661 deer were tested during hunting season in the Northern Forest Zone, while 31 were tested outside of hunting season with zero positives found.

This year, one county within the priority sampling areas, La Crosse County, had its first wild CWD-positive detection.

Erin Larson, DNR deer herd health specialist, said CWD is not found uniformly across the landscape. 

“For Wisconsin, it was likely first introduced in the southwest part of the state and you can see a pattern of geographic spread if you look throughout the years,” she said. “It was first found in Lincoln County in the fall of 2017 — right on the border with Oneida County — and then was found for the first time in Oneida in the spring of 2018. We are now up to a total of 13 positives from Oneida. There could have been some sort of introduction in that area in the past which led to a small amount of disease spread.” 

Since the northern portion of the state was considered “priority,” Larson said it makes sense that sampling numbers would be higher in those counties. She also indicated the DNR has done concentrated sampling efforts throughout the entire north with the last effort taking place in 2019-2020, but staff has continued to sample in the area each year.

Larson added that CWD is not found everywhere in the state, adding that there are disease-free areas or very low levels of disease in parts of the northern forest.

“CWD remains a complex issue with no single solution for managing the disease,” Larson said. “However, the department remains committed to continuing CWD efforts, including providing services to hunters and creating partnerships with the people of Wisconsin to work towards the common goal of a healthy deer herd and outstanding hunting opportunities in our state.”

Testing locations

Across Wisconsin, the DNR provided a total of 242 CWD sampling locations to hunters, including 163 self-sampling kiosks and 46 staffed sites. Six of the kiosks were managed through the Adopt-a-Kiosk program.

In total, 17,759 deer were sampled throughout the state during the 2025 hunting seasons with 2,006 samples testing positive. Most of these detections (87%) were in the Southern Farmland Zone.

The DNR noted that the average number of days statewide from when a sample was dropped off at a sampling location to when the CWD result was emailed to the hunter and available online was 8.9 days. The diagnostic tests are completed at the Wisconsin Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory.

The agency also reminds the public that there have been no reported cases of CWD infection in humans to date. However, public health organizations recommend against consuming meat from deer that test positive for CWD and encourage testing deer prior to consumption, especially in areas prevalent with CWD mainly to the south. 

In addition to sampling resources, 127 deer carcass waste disposal dumpsters were available to offer an option for hunters to dispose of their deer carcass waste during the 2025 deer season. Partnerships with 60 different organizations or individuals through the Adopt-a-Dumpster program helped to manage 67 of those dumpsters.

The DNR offered its sincere thanks to all the hunters who submitted a sample for CWD, the business owners who managed a CWD sampling site, those who participated in the Adopt-a-Kiosk and Adopt-a-Dumpster partnerships and those who submitted a donation in support of a dumpster this year.

A full breakdown of sampled and positive totals by zone and full CWD year (April 1-March 31) is available on the DNR’s Summary of CWD Statewide Surveillance webpage. Results by county are also available on the DNR’s CWD Deer Testing Results by County webpage.