Virginia – Key takeaways for Southwest Virginia:
- DMA3 (Carroll, Floyd, Franklin, Montgomery, Patrick, Pulaski, Roanoke, Wythe): DWR tested 2,158 deer in 2025-26 and found 11 CWD-positive deer.
- Floyd County: 7
- Montgomery County: 2
- Pulaski County: 1
- Roanoke County: 1
- DMA4 (Bland, Smyth, Tazewell): DWR tested 231 deer and found no new CWD detections.
- Looking ahead: DWR says it does not expect changes to DMA boundaries for the 2026-27 deer hunting season.
Virginia wildlife officials say more than 7,800 deer were tested for chronic wasting disease statewide during the 2025-26 surveillance period, resulting in 126 positive detections.
The Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources reported the results from four chronic wasting disease Management Areas, or DMAs, along with surveillance across the rest of the state.
In DMA1 — Clarke, Frederick, Shenandoah and Warren counties — the department sampled 562 white-tailed deer since July 2025 and confirmed 83 infections. That included 60 positive deer in Frederick County, 10 in Clarke County, nine in Shenandoah County and four in Warren County, according to the department.
In DMA2, which includes Arlington, Culpeper, Fairfax, Fauquier, Loudoun, Madison, Orange, Page, Prince William, Rappahannock and Rockingham counties, officials sampled 2,883 deer over the past year and confirmed 32 infections. Loudoun County had 11 positive detections, Fauquier had seven, Madison and Rappahannock had four each, Culpeper had three, Fairfax had two and Page had one, DWR said.
The department said the Page County detection is the county’s first and followed a report of an adult female deer showing symptoms consistent with late-stage chronic wasting disease.
In DMA3 — Carroll, Floyd, Franklin, Montgomery, Patrick, Pulaski, Roanoke and Wythe counties — DWR said it sampled 2,158 deer and confirmed 11 infections, including seven in Floyd County, two in Montgomery County and one each in Pulaski and Roanoke counties.
In DMA4, which includes Bland, Smyth and Tazewell counties, DWR said it tested 231 deer and reported no new detections.
The department said it does not expect changes to any DMA boundaries for the 2026-27 deer hunting season.
Outside the disease management areas, DWR said it tested 2,001 deer across the rest of the commonwealth and did not confirm any additional positive detections.
Chronic wasting disease has been detected in 37 U.S. states and four Canadian provinces, according to DWR. In Virginia, officials say 488 deer from 18 counties have tested positive since 2009.
The disease affects deer, elk and moose and is described as a slow, progressive neurologic disease that is fatal to infected animals. The disease-causing agent, known as a prion, can spread through the urine, feces and saliva of infected animals, DWR said.
Symptoms can take 16 months to two years to appear and may include staggering, abnormal posture, lowered head, drooling, confusion and significant weight loss, the department said.
While DWR said there is currently no evidence the disease can be transmitted naturally to humans, pets or livestock, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advises hunters to test deer harvested from known CWD-positive areas and to avoid consuming any animal that tests positive.
DWR thanked hunters, commercial deer processors and taxidermists for helping with surveillance efforts, noting those partnerships helped collect more than 5,000 samples during the most recent season.
Additional surveillance data, descriptions of regulations pertaining to CWD, maps of DMAs, and more information about CWD can be found on the DWR website.
Feeding Ban Areas
Administrative code section 4VAC15-40-285 prohibits feeding of deer and elk year-round within twenty-five miles of a CWD detection. The map below highlights all the counties that have a year-round cervid feeding ban because of CWD detections or due to inclusion in the Elk Management Zone. No additional counties are being added in 2026.