Wisconsin DNR Holding Public Meeting with Jackson County Deer Advisory Council Regarding Chronic Wasting Disease

Sunday, January 21st, 2024 -- 11:01 AM

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) announced it will host a public meeting with the Jackson County Deer Advisory Council to provide information on chronic wasting disease (CWD) in Wisconsin, local testing efforts and disease surveillance options being considered.

The meeting will be held at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 30, 2024 in Black River Falls. In November, the DNR confirmed the first positive test result for CWD in a wild deer in Jackson County.

The deer was harvested in the town of Garfield, which is within 10 miles of the Eau Claire and Trempealeau county borders. In December, a second deer tested positive for CWD in Jackson County.

This second deer was harvested in the town of Franklin, which is within 10 miles of Trempealeau, La Crosse and Monroe county borders. CWD is a fatal, infectious nervous system disease of deer, moose, elk and reindeer/caribou.

It belongs to the family of diseases known as transmissible spongiform encephalopathies or prion diseases. The DNR began monitoring the state's wild white-tailed deer population for CWD in 1999. The first positive test results were found in 2002.

Each county in Wisconsin has a County Deer Advisory Council that provides input and recommendations to the department on deer management within their county. To learn more about CWD, visit the DNR’s webpage.

You can find more information on the public meeting on the DNR’s Hearings and Meetings Calendar.

Feel free to contact us with questions and/or comments.