Kentucky Fish and Wildlife Commission Approves New CWD Surveillance Zone at a Special-Called Meeting

Breckinridge, Hardin and Meade counties now subject to special regulations

Special restrictions on baiting, carcass transportation and cervid rehabilitation are now effective in Breckinridge, Hardin and Meade counties as a result of the establishment of a Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) Surveillance Zone, all in an effort to stop or limit disease spread among wild deer.

Following a recent detection of CWD in a deceased captive deer from Breckinridge County, the Kentucky Fish and Wildlife Commission held a special-called video teleconference meeting on Oct. 22, 2024, and voted to establish the CWD Surveillance Zone in the three counties.

The measure passed by a majority vote after lengthy discussion.

“We know it’s a difficult decision and it’s not one that we take lightly,” Commission chair Josh Lillard said after the vote. “We will definitely continue to work with the department (Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources) to get the answers that we need to have, and if there’s something that we find out that we can do different down the road we will definitely make those changes. All I can ask is that the sportsmen and women of the commonwealth, you do everything you can to help us get the samples we need so we can really understand more about CWD in the surveillance zone area.”

No changes to deer hunting seasons or bag limits are planned for the three counties, and there will be no targeted removal of deer in the area by Kentucky Fish and Wildlife.

Grain, feed, mineral blocks, salt blocks and other baits used to attract deer or other wildlife cannot be used in the new three-county zone. Bird feeders in yards, planted food plots and normal agricultural practices such as mineral blocks or feed for cattle are allowed. Hunters can use products that are not ingested by deer, such as scent attractors and deer urine products.

Carcasses or high-risk parts of deer harvested within a CWD Surveillance Zone county may not be taken outside of the three counties. Only de-boned meat, antlers, antlers attached to a clean skull cap, a clean skull, clean teeth, hides and finished taxidermy products may be taken out of the surveillance zone. Deer carcasses from outside the surveillance zone are allowed to be brought into the zone.

The rehabilitation of deer or any other cervid in the surveillance zone also is prohibited in counties subject to surveillance zone restrictions.

Chronic Wasting Disease is caused by abnormal proteins called prions and it affects white-tailed deer, elk and other animals in the deer family. There is no known cure or vaccine, and the disease is always fatal in infected animals. The disease is not known to be transmissible to people, but as a precaution the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends not consuming meat from deer that test positive for the disease. Kentucky Fish and Wildlife always recommends not consuming meat taken from animals that appear to be sick or in poor condition.

Since 2002, Kentucky Fish and Wildlife has CWD-tested more than 40,000 deer and elk from across the state.

Hunters can aid Kentucky Fish and Wildlife’s statewide monitoring efforts by dropping off the heads of legally harvested and telechecked deer for CWD testing and aging at self-serve CWD Sample Drop-Off sites or by signing up for a CWD Sample Mail-in Kit. This service is provided at no cost to hunters. Detailed location information, instructions and additional resources may be found at the CWD Sample Drop-Off Sites page on the department’s website. Hunters will be promptly notified if a deer they harvested tests positive for CWD.

Another CWD Surveillance Zone, established in 2021 and expanded in 2023, remains in effect in far western Kentucky in Ballard, Calloway, Carlisle, Fulton, Graves, Hickman, Marshall and McCracken counties.

While mandatory check stations are also allowed by law and are set for three weekends in November for the current eight counties in western Kentucky, mandatory check stations will not be required in 2024 for the three counties included in the new surveillance zone.

“This is a really different landscape,” said Ben Robinson, Wildlife Division director with Kentucky Fish and Wildlife. “When you’re looking at these three counties, we have a lot of deer but also a lot of deer hunters, and we have a high harvest, which is very much to our advantage. So, we can really rely on our hunters to help us collect these samples using some alternative methods.”

Kentucky Fish and Wildlife will also be collecting samples for CWD testing from roadkill deer in addition to working with local deer processors and taxidermists.

Officials with Kentucky Fish and Wildlife also announced in the meeting that the department is planning to hold a public meeting Nov. 7, 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. (Central) at the Breckinridge County Extension Office, 1377 S Highway 261, Hardinsburg, KY, to address CWD and the agency’s response to the recent detection. Meeting details will be shared on the department’s social media channels, on its website and through a news release.

More information about CWD, the surveillance zones and the agency’s response plan can be found at fw.ky.gov/cwd. For questions, or to report sick or dead deer, the public may contact the Kentucky Fish and Wildlife Information Center at 800-858-1549 or at info.center@ky.gov, weekdays 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.(Eastern), excluding holidays, or use the Report Wildlife Disease webpage on the department’s website (fw.ky.gov).

Chronic Wasting Disease was not the only topic on the agenda for the special-called meeting. The commission approved the Aug. 30, 2024, quarterly meeting minutes, and, following a closed session for discussion, commission members voted unanimously to renew the personal services contract for Commissioner Rich Storm for a term of four years.

The Oct. 22 meeting was livestreamed on the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources’ YouTube channel, where a replay of the meeting is available on demand.

The commission, a nine-member board comprised of volunteers who serve four-year terms, recommends hunting, fishing and boating regulations on behalf of the anglers, hunters, and other wildlife-related stakeholders in the commonwealth. Any recommendation by the commission to amend or create a state administrative regulation must receive legislative approval before becoming law. The process of promulgating regulations or amendments spans several months.

The next quarterly commission meeting date is scheduled for Friday, Dec. 6, 2024, in Frankfort. An agenda will be posted at fw.ky.gov when available.