WYOMING — In 2025, the Wyoming Game and Fish Department’s (WGFD) Wildlife Health Laboratory tested over 5,300 samples from elk, deer and moose for chronic wasting disease (CWD).
WGFD released its 2025 CWD Surveillance Report recently, which stated that the agency tested 5,370 samples, and CWD was detected in 842 of the samples. CWD prevalence averaged 21.6% in hunter-harvested mule deer bucks, up from 19.4% in 2024. The percentage in hunter-harvested white-tailed deer bucks was 32.1% in 2025, an increase from 29.2% in 2024. In hunter-harvested elk, the percentage was 2.4% in 2025, just barely up from 2.3% in 2024. No CWD was detected in moose samples in 2025.
“Wyoming’s CWD surveillance would not be possible without the participation of our hunters,” WGFD Wildlife Health Lab Manager Jessica Jennings said in a statement. “We encourage hunters to check the Game and Fish website for the 2026 priority and mandatory testing areas, check current CWD prevalence on the interactive CWD map and no matter where you hunt, please consider having your animal tested for CWD.”
Last year, CWD was identified in three new deer hunt areas, six new elk hunt areas, and four elk feedgrounds. As of the end of 2025, CWD has been detected in 35 of 37 Wyoming mule deer herds, and in 24 of 34 designated elk herd units.
CWD is a fatal disease of the central nervous system in mule deer, white-tailed deer, elk and moose. According to WGFD, the disorder is caused by abnormally folded proteins called prions. There is no cure for CWD, and there have not been any human cases of CWD, nor any proof that humans can contract the disease. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization recommend not consuming animals that test positive for CWD. All testing of CWD is free for animals harvested in Wyoming. Read the full report here.
