Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) is a transmissible neurological disease that is always fatal to animals in the deer family. In Nevada, this includes mule deer, elk, and moose. In several states CWD has been linked to declines in mule deer populations. Currently, CWD is found in 33 states and 4 Canadian provinces. As of today, CWD has not been detected in Nevada. However, the disease has been confirmed in three of the five states that border Nevada including Idaho, Utah, and now California. Your help is needed to keep Nevada CWD free! Learn about CWD on national scale, find latest news, view maps and more here.
Important Update: Positive detections of Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) were discovered in California near Bishop and Yosemite by the California Department of Fish and Game. Thus, a Transportation Restriction Zone (TRZ) was created by the Nevada Department of Agriculture through Quarantine Order (Q-JG05232024) to improve surveillance and prevent movement of CWD. It is now mandatory that anyone who harvests a deer in the TRZ consisting of hunt units 192-196, 201-208, 211-213, and 291 submit a CWD sample. For more information about this TRZ, see our guidelines here.
CWD Background
What is CWD?
CWD is a transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSE) that is found in deer and elk. It is believed to be caused by a mutated protein, called a prion that attaches to, and transforms healthy brain proteins into disfigured mutations that lead to a deterioration of the brain, and ultimately death of the animal.
CWD is similar but different from scrapie (a disease found in domestic sheep), Bovine Spongiform Encephalitis (also referred to as “mad cow” disease) and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (a TSE found in humans.) While similar to these diseases, there is no known causal link between CWD and other TSEs of animals or people. There is currently no evidence to indicate that CWD can be transmitted from elk and deer to livestock or humans.
Signs of an Infected Animal & Annual Report
Clinical signs of CWD include stumbling, poor body condition, excessive drinking and salivation and difficulty running. If you observe such signs, please report the sighting to your nearest NDOW office or use our report form here.
How can I help prevent the spread of CWD?
If you are hunting out of state:
on what you can bring back into the state. This includes any species of deer, moose, elk, and caribou/reindeer and the full bill can be found in Senate Bill 85.
It is illegal for you, your agent, or employee to knowingly bring into Nevada or possess the carcass or any part of the carcass of any elk, mule deer, white-tailed deer, moose, reindeer, caribou, or fallow deer which were obtained in another state, territory, or country, EXCEPT
It is legal for you, your agent, or employee to bring into Nevada the following parts of the carcass of any of the animals listed above:
Wrapped meat or quarters, with no part of the spinal column, brain tissue, or head attached.
- The hide or cape with no part of the spinal column, brain tissue, or head attached.
- The clean skull plate with antlers attached and no brain tissue attached.
- The antlers with no meat or tissue other than antler velvet attached.
- The taxidermy mount with no meat or tissue other than antler velvet attached.
- The upper canine teeth including, without limitation, the bugler, whistler, and ivory teeth.
Please help us to keep Nevada CWD free by following these regulations.
If you are hunting in Nevada:
Positive detections of Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) were discovered in California near Bishop and Yosemite by the California Department of Fish and Game. Thus a Transportation Restriction Zone (TRZ) was created by the Nevada Department of Agriculture through Quarantine Order (Q-JG05232024) to improve surveillance and prevent movement of CWD. It is now mandatory that anyone who harvests a deer in the TRZ consisting of hunt units 192-196, 201-208, 211-213, and 291 submit a CWD sample. For more information about this TRZ, see our guidelines here.
Additionally, to ensure Nevada continues to be free of CWD we ask successful hunters of deer or elk in ALL units within the state submit a sample so their harvest can be tested for CWD.
Sample collection takes about 5 minutes and will not affects the antlers or meat. Every hunting season NDOW holds several check stations for CWD samples, you can find locations, times, and dates at the tab directly below. In addition, you can also take a CWD sample yourself. You can request a sampling kit here. Those who receive a self-sampling kit will be given a unique ID and can view the results of their sample below.
If you are planning to have a taxidermist mount your animal, you may ask the taxidermist to submit the sample for you.
If you are a taxidermist or meat processor you can get paid to submit samples. Find out more here.
2024 CWD Check Station Schedule
As mentioned above, NDOW holds check stations every hunting season. These are a great and quick way to sample your harvest without affecting the antlers or the meat!
| DATES | TIMES | LOCATION |
| Saturday, October 5 | 8 a.m. – 6 p.m. | Ely Loves |
| Sunday, October 6 | 8 a.m. – 6 p.m. | Ely Loves |
| Saturday, October 5 | 8 a.m. – 6 p.m. | Beowawe Rest Stop |
| Sunday, October 6 | 8 a.m. – 6 p.m. | Beowawe Rest Stop |
| Saturday, October 5 | 8 a.m. – 6 p.m. | Austin Pullout |
| Sunday, October 6 | 8 a.m. – 6 p.m. | Austin Pullout |
| Saturday, October 12 | 8 a.m. – 6 p.m. | Ely Loves |
| Sunday, October 13 | 8 a.m. – 6 p.m. | Ely Loves |
| Saturday, October 12 | 8 a.m. – 6 p.m. | Beowawe Rest Stop |
| Sunday, October 13 | 8 a.m. – 6 p.m. | Beowawe Rest Stop |
| Saturday, October 12 | 8 a.m. – 6 p.m. | Austin Pullout |
| Sunday, October 13 | 8 a.m. – 6 p.m. | Austin Pullout |
| Saturday, October 19 | 8 a.m. – 6 p.m. | Ely Loves |
| Sunday, October 20 | 8 a.m. – 6 p.m. | Ely Loves |
| Saturday, October 19 | 8 a.m. – 6 p.m. | Beowawe Rest Stop |
| Sunday, October 20 | 8 a.m. – 6 p.m. | Beowawe Rest Stop |
| Saturday, October 19 | 8 a.m. – 6 p.m. | Austin Pullout |
| Sunday, October 20 | 8 a.m. – 6 p.m. | Austin Pullout |
| Saturday, October 26 | 8 a.m. – 6 p.m. | Ely Loves |
| Sunday, October 27 | 8 a.m. – 6 p.m. | Ely Loves |
| Saturday, October 26 | 8 a.m. – 6 p.m. | Beowawe Rest Stop |
| Sunday, October 27 | 8 a.m. – 6 p.m. | Beowawe Rest Stop |
| Saturday, October 26 | 8 a.m. – 6 p.m. | Austin Pullout |
| Sunday, October 27 | 8 a.m. – 6 p.m. | Austin Pullout |
Sampling is also available at any regional office by appointment or stop by the Ruby National Wildlife Refuge Headquarters (40.2019, -115.4931 during business hours (7am – 3pm).
Carcass Disposal
As a preventative measure in Nevada, if the deer or elk carcass is brought out of the field, the best practice to dispose of the carcass is to bury the head and spinal cord or dispose of it at a commercial landfill closest to your location. If you harvest an animal in another state, please follow that state’s CWD disposal guidelines. If you accidentally bring your animal into Nevada please call the nearest NDOW office so we can arrange for disposal.
CWD is similar but different from scrapie (a disease found in domestic sheep), Bovine Spongiform Encephalitis (also referred to as “mad cow” disease) and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (a TSE found in humans.) While similar to these diseases, there is no known causal link between CWD and other TSEs of animals or people. There is currently no evidence to indicate that CWD can be transmitted from elk and deer to livestock or humans.
Contacts for Carcass Disposal and CWD sampling:
Operation Game Thief
1-800-992-3030
Elko
Nevada Department of Wildlife – Eastern Region
60 Youth Center Road
Elko, Nevada 89801
Phone (775) 777-2300
Ely
Nevada Department of Wildlife – Ely Field Office
1218 North Alpha Road
Ely, Nevada 89301
Phone (775) 289-1655 (Please call first)
Reno
Nevada Department of Wildlife
1100 Valley Road
Reno, Nevada 89512
Phone (775) 688-1500
Winnemucca
Nevada Department of Wildlife – Winnemucca Field Office
815 East Fourth Street
Winnemucca, Nevada 89445
Phone (775) 623-6565 (Please call first)
Panaca
Nevada Department of Wildlife – Panaca Field Office
333 Cathedral Gorge Road
Panaca, Nevada 89042
Phone (775) 728-4233 (Please call first)
Finally, if you notice any deer or elk with symptoms consistent with CWD please report it to NDOW.