JACKSON — Mississippi could very well be on pace for a new record of Chronic Wasting Disease positive detections in a season. The record set last year was 110 positives. six new positives reported this week, two this morning, brings the 2024-25 season total to 24. 

The newest positives were detected in Benton, Tishimingo and Marshall Counties. CWD Detections in Benton and Marshall counties make up 89.5 percent of the 342 CWD positives detected in Mississippi. 

MDWFP reports there have been 3,347 samples submitted for Chronic Wasting Disease testing in FY2025. The agency’s fiscal year starts on July 1 and runs until June 30th. Hunter participation in surveillance efforts through submitting samples for Chronic Wasting Disease are vital in early detection in new areas and helping the agency gauge prevalence in hotspots. 

Chronic Wasting Disease is a 100 percent always fatal disease in deer caused by an infectious prion in the Cervidae family. Prions are mis-folded proteins. CWD prions are often spread by infected deer through bodily fluids. 

These prions can be shed into the environment which causes indirect transmission of CWD to healthy deer. Healthy deer can also contract CWD by direct contact with CWD positive deer. Research has shown CWD can even spread to fawns, infant deer, before they are born through placental tissue in an infected doe’s womb. Young bucks are by far the most susceptible to CWD due to their roaming nature and bigger home ranges.

Since 2018, Benton County has had 193 deer test positive for CWD followed closely by Marshall County at 113 positive deer. Alcorn County has had 8 deer test positive, Warren County has had 7, Issaquena has had 3 test positive and Tishimingo and DeSotto Counties have had 2 test positive. 

Claiborne, Tunica, Harrison, Tallahatchie, Tippah, Tate, Panola, Pontotoc and Lafayette Counties all have had one positive detected. Tate County’s positive came from a permitted deer enclosure and one of Benton County’s positives was from a deer enclosure. 

More samples are needed to find CWD in Mississippi and fight against the disease and to protect the resource. Lincoln County hunters have turned in 759 samples over the years but more is needed. Of the 759 samples, 17 of them were turned in over the last couple of weeks. CWD’s presence in Claiborne County should be a wakeup call for hunters in southwest Mississippi to get their deer tested. Our neighbor Copiah County has submitted 1,252 samples since sampling efforts first began. 

MDWFP has a list of self-serve 24/7 sample drop-off coolers and a list of participating taxidermists on their website. 

Since 2018, Mississippi’s CWD positive detections total 340.