CWD Zones

Valid Sep. 1, 2024 through Aug. 31, 2025.

CWD Regulations

CWD is a fatal disease that has been discovered in white-tailed deer, mule deer, elk, and red deer in localized portions of Texas. To detect and manage this disease, the department has designated CWD Zones.

If you harvest a deer in a CWD zone with mandatory testing, hunters are required to bring the deer to a CWD check station within 48 hours.

When mandatory sampling is required in a CWD zone hunters must check each animal harvested and receive a CWD receipt before taking any part of that animal to the final destination.

chronic wasting disease sample receipt

Additional regulations may apply, and additional zones may be established without prior notice upon discovery of CWD. The department will make every effort to publicize the designation and location of CWD Zones and check stations, as well as any special regulations that may be adopted following the publication of this notice. For the latest updates, call or (800) 792-1112, or visit the CWD information page. A hunter who harvests a CWD-susceptible species outside a CWD Zone and wishes to have the animal tested for CWD should contact a wildlife biologist in that area.

As an alternative to TPWD check stations, a list of Texas Animal Health Commission (TAHC) Certified CWD Postmortem Sample Collectors who are also TPWD-approved is provided on the CWD information page.

Please report any symptomatic CWD-susceptible species to your local Texas Game Wardens or Wildlife Biologist.