State’s positive CWD cases nearly doubles
The total number of positive cases of chronic wasting disease (CWD) found in white-tailed deer almost doubled in Alabama following the end of the 2025-26 hunting season.
Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Commissioner Chris Blankenship told members of the Conservation Advisory Board on Feb. 28 the state had nine new positive cases this past hunting season.
Blankenship told the board that eight positive cases were found in Lauderdale County and one in Colbert County.
Franklin County has not had any positive cases reported.
“There may have been eight confirmed in Lauderdale County, but I wouldn’t be surprised if that number was actually double because there are so many hunters now who are processing their own meat,” said Austin Hill of Killen.
Hill said this past hunting season, he harvested two deer in Hardin County, Tennessee.
“I tend to do more hunting in Tennessee because of the quality of deer there, and I just enjoy hunting in that county more,” he said.
Alabama has had 12 positive cases in total dating back to January 2022. The first case was discovered in Lauderdale County. The first positive case of CWD in Colbert County was reported in December 2024.
Adding those which tested positive this past hunting season, there have been 19 total positive cases in Lauderdale County and two in Colbert County.
ThenumberofAlabama deer testing positive with CWD pales in comparison to the number in neighboring states Tennessee and Mississippi.
At the close of the hunting season in Mississippi there have been 579 positive cases reported since July 1, 2018, according to the Mississippi Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks CWD Dashboard.
The number of positive cases for CWD in Mississippi has increased since 2021. During the 2025 season there were 127 positive cases reported, and there were 138 positive cases reported in 2026.
The dashboard indicates there have been 67,542 samples submitted for testing since July 1, 2018.
Neighboring counties — Tishomingo and Itawamba — have presented 3,795 total samples for testing since 2018, according to the dashboard.
The number of positive cases (4,278) reported in Tennessee is more than seven times as many positive cases as found in Mississippi as of the end of the 2025 white-tailed deer hunting season, according to the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency.
The number of positive cases discovered following the 2025-26 season have not yet been reported, according to the agency. The total number of positive CWD cases detected in white-tailed deer during the 2024-25 season was 757.
Most of the positive cases reported in Tennessee were found inside Fayette and Hardeman counties, according to the agency. During the 2024-25 season, there were 371 positive cases in Fayette County and 288 in Hardeman County, according to the agency’s CWD annual report.
CWD is a member of a group of diseases which are progressive and fatal. The disease commonly results in altered behavior because of microscopic changes made to the brain of the animal, according to ADCNR.
The latter stages of the disease show signs of listlessness, lowering of the head, weight loss, repetitive walking in set patterns, and lack of responsiveness.
An animal with CWD could carry the disease for a year without any outward indication.
“The disease is getting out of control, but what’s the cure to it?” Hill asked. “What’s the downside and what’s the positive side to this disease? No one knows.”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reported there is no strong evidence for the occurrence of CWD in people, should they eat venison or elk meat that is infected with the disease.
“Hunters must consider many factors when determining whether to eat meat from deer and elk harvested from areas with CWD, including the level of risk they are willing to accept,” the CDC states on its website.
