State officials this week said they have discovered cases of two diseases that could could impact the firearm deer season in different counties in Michigan.
Chronic wasting disease has been identified in a Michigan wild doe in Allegan County after being reported by residents of Leighton Township. The confirmation is the first CWD-positive wild deer in Allegan County, according to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.
In addition, the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD) said a case of bovine tuberculosis (TB) was discovered in a beef herd from Presque Isle County, north of Michigan’s Modified Accredited Zone (MAZ).
The beef case was detected during the herd’s annual whole herd surveillance test, MDARD said. It’s Michigan’s 84th cattle herd to be identified with bovine TB since 1998, and the first bovine TB-infected herd detected in the state since January 2025.
Bovine TB is a bacterial disease that affects all mammals, including humans. It’s known to be present in the free-ranging white-tailed deer population in northeastern lower Michigan, and the disease can be transmitted between deer and cattle.
CWD, a fatal neurological disease that affects white-tailed deer, elk and moose has been detected in Clinton, Dickinson, Eaton, Genesee, Gratiot, Hillsdale, Ingham, Ionia, Isabella, Jackson, Kent, Mecosta, Midland, Montcalm, Ogemaw and Washtenaw counties.
Michigan’s firearm deer season is set to start Saturday, Nov. 15. Last year, hunters claimed about 180,000 deer during the two-week season.
As firearm season is set to kick off, here’s what hunters should know about CWD and Bovine TB:
What is Chronic Wasting Disease?
CWD is a fatal neurological disease that affects white-tailed deer, elk and moose. There is currently no cure for CWD in deer.
What happened with the deer in Allegan County?
A 1.5-year-old doe was first reported by private landowners in late summer, the DNR said in a news release.
Then, in late September, the DNR authorized the euthanization and collection of the deer. The doe was noted to be in poor physical condition with no body fat.
“The care that’s demonstrated when people take the time to share their observations is a critical contribution to our disease-testing efforts,” said Brent Rudolph, DNR deer, elk and moose management specialist. “Public reporting of deer that appear unhealthy is very important for identifying CWD that may exist at low levels in previously undetected areas.”
How does CWD spread among animals?
Scientists think CWD spreads between animals through contact with saliva, blood, urine or feces from an animal with CWD, according to the CDC. Once an animal gets sick, the disease moves through the brain and spine, and eventually kills the animal.
Signs to look for in deer
According to the CDC deer hunters and others should look for:
Can humans get CWD?
CWD prions, a type of protein that can trigger normal proteins in the brain to fold abnormally, don’t infect human brain tissue, according to Science News.
The most common prion disease in people is Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. Another prion disease, variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD), has a similar name but is a different, much rarer, disease, according to the Center of Disease Control.
To date, there are no reported cases of CWD infections in people. As a precaution, the U.S Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that infected animals not be consumed.
How can I submit deer for testing?
This year, the DNR is conducting focused testing for CWD in 11 counties in the Upper Peninsula and northern Lower Peninsula: Baraga, Chippewa, Dickinson, Houghton, Iosco, Keweenaw, Luce, Mackinac, Ogemaw, Ontonagon and Schoolcraft.
CWD testing is free for deer harvested in these counties when submitted through DNR drop boxes and staffed sample submission sites. If you would like to keep the antlers, remove them from the head. All heads tested for CWD are also screened for bovine tuberculosis. Results are posted to the DNR lab results webpage.
Hunters in all other counties are eligible for free CWD testing by using a free lymph node kit that includes overnight shipping.
All deer from counties with previous confirmed cases of CWD or bovine tuberculosis that are donated to the Hunters Feeding Michigan program also are submitted directly to the MSU Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory for testing.
How can I prevent getting CWD?
Hunters are encouraged to use caution when field dressing or processing deer, including wearing rubber gloves, and minimizing contact with the deer’s brain and spinal tissue. Wash your hands with warm water after handling any parts of the carcass.
Deer carcasses and parts should go directly to a landfill or be disposed of through your regular bagged trash pickup. Deer harvested from known CWD areas should never be disposed of in the field.
For more information on chronic wasting disease, visit Michigan.gov/CWD.
What is bovine tuberculosis?
Bovine tuberculosis (TB) is one of the oldest diseases known to man, the DNR said, and it is caused by the bacteria Mycobacterium bovis. While the disease is found primarily in cattle, it has also been found in deer and elk,, bison, goats, and carnivores such as coyotes.
Any warm-blooded animal, including humans, can be affected by the disease. It is known to be present in the free-ranging white-tailed deer population in specific areas of northeastern lower Michigan, and the disease can be transmitted between deer and cattle.
There are currently two TB zones within the state: a four-county area (Alcona, Alpena, Montmorency, and Oscoda counties) known as the MAZ where the majority of bovine TB cases are found in the wild deer population; and the remainder of the state, which is referred to as the Accredited Free Zone (AFZ).
Do deer need to be tested for TB?
The DNR is conducting focused bovine tuberculosis monitoring in 11 counties in the northern Lower Peninsula: Alcona, Alpena, Cheboygan, Crawford, Iosco, Montmorency, Ogemaw, Oscoda, Otsego, Presque Isle and Roscommon.
To submit deer for TB testing, take it to a DNR staffed deer check station, drop box or cooperating processor or taxidermist. Report your harvest and remove deer heads prior to visiting a sample submission site. Learn more on the Bovine tuberculosis page.
Jalen Williams is a trending reporter at the Detroit Free Press. Contact him at jawilliams1@freepress.com.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: State officials find CWD, bovine TB. What hunters should know before opening day
Reporting by Jalen Williams, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
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