Ohio Tracks Two Deadly Deer Diseases

Hunters in four Western Ohio counties and parts of five others must submit harvested deer for chronic wasting disease testing this fall.

Updated on Nov. 4, 2026 in Hunting

Live Poll

Should hunters be required to submit deer for disease testing in your county?

The Ohio Department of Natural Resources is monitoring hemorrhagic disease and Chronic Wasting Disease in the state's deer population. Hunters must submit deer taken in four Western Ohio counties and parts of five others for CWD testing when gun season opens later this month.

Why it matters

Hemorrhagic disease devastated deer in southern Ohio last year and reached northern Ohio this year, while CWD is fatal and persists in soil for years. Mandatory testing helps officials track the spread of a disease that has appeared in each area where it has been detected.

Around 220,000 deer are harvested in Ohio each year, and CWD can take up to 18 months to claim an infected animal. Testing covers four full Western Ohio counties and parts of five others, while the extent of spread beyond those areas remains unknown.

The players

Ohio Department of Natural Resources

The state agency responsible for wildlife management and hunting regulations in Ohio, overseeing deer disease surveillance and testing requirements.

The details

Chronic Wasting Disease is caused by a prion that lodges in the brain and spreads through contact with infected animals or contaminated soil, water, and plants. Hemorrhagic disease is carried by a tiny midge, and warmer weather favors midge populations, which contributes to its spread.

Last year: hemorrhagic disease devastated deer populations in southern Ohio.
This year: hemorrhagic disease hit northern Ohio, including Lorain and Portage counties.
Later this month: mandatory CWD testing of harvested deer begins at the start of gun season in designated counties.

Season Trajectory

Mandatory CWD testing in designated Ohio counties extends the state's ongoing deer disease surveillance into the fall hunting season. Hemorrhagic disease's movement from southern to northern Ohio over consecutive years marks a shift in where the outbreaks are appearing.

Hunters in the designated counties must bring harvested deer in for CWD testing once gun season begins later this month. Planning for the submission step before taking a deer can prevent delays in processing the harvest.

The takeaway

Hunters can protect local deer herds by knowing whether their county falls under mandatory testing and by following state submission rules. Staying informed about both hemorrhagic disease and CWD helps reduce the risk of unknowingly spreading infection.

What happens next

Mandatory CWD testing of harvested deer begins at the start of gun season later this month in the designated Western Ohio counties and partial counties.