I first got involved with the chronic wasting disease issue not long after I started SuperTalk Outdoors. At the time, deer breeders were pushing hard to open up the sale and transferring of live deer in Mississippi. That caught my attention, so I started doing my homework. I read the science, talked to experts, looked at the data and maps, and listened to hunters on the ground. What I found convinced me we needed to take this threat seriously without overreacting or letting special interests steer the ship.
Mississippi has taken a sensible path. The Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks established targeted CWD Management Zones where the disease has been detected. In those zones, supplemental feeding and mineral licks are banned to avoid bunching deer together, and hunters cannot transport whole carcasses or high-risk parts like the head and backbone outside the zone. Voluntary testing through collection sites and taxidermists helps track the disease without mandatory check stations that could discourage participation. The state plans a full review of the CWD management plan in 2026 to make adjustments based on current data. This measured strategy gives us time without overreacting.
CWD is a real, always-fatal disease in deer. It spreads through saliva, urine, feces, and blood, and it can persist in the environment for years. In parts of the country where it has reached high levels, hunters and biologists have seen declining deer numbers and fewer mature bucks over time. We cannot ignore those outcomes.
Here in Mississippi, overall prevalence is still relatively low in most places, but areas like Benton and Marshall counties are showing higher rates. In Benton County, recent sampling has shown roughly 1 in 3 deer testing positive. Hunters in these areas tell us they are seeing fewer mature bucks, and deer hunting there has changed. That’s exactly why we need to pay close attention to what we are learning there, and we should especially do a deep dive on what we are learning from Arkansas. Their multi-year research significantly increases our knowledge about how CWD affects deer populations and hunting quality when prevalence climbs.
One key factor we must address honestly: the movement and sale of live captive deer has been a clear vector for spreading CWD in the U.S. USGS maps of the disease across the country show how cases in wild herds often appear near or after captive facility activity, with long-distance jumps frequently linked to live animal transfers. That’s why we need to keep the ban on the sale and transferring of live deer firmly in place. Mississippi already prohibits the sale and importation of live white-tailed deer.
There is important genetic research happening, but we are several generations of deer away from answers.
Mississippi is also showing leadership on the research side. Biologists at MDWFP are heavily engaged with other states tracking the growing and important central database on the disease. The team at Mississippi State University’s Deer Ecology and Management Lab is also doing important work on our wild deer herds. That kind of focused, local knowledge strengthens our ability to make good decisions.
If you want to hear a really good discussion that captures the frustration many hunters feel right now, along with some alarming information coming out of the Arkansas CWD study I mentioned, check out MeatEater Podcast Episode 766, “The Truth About Chronic Wasting Disease.” It is a long, honest conversation with Steven Rinella and wildlife disease experts and hunters that does not sugarcoat the challenges but also avoids turning it into pure panic. It is worth your time.
You can also see on YouTube the show I did in 2024 that still applicable. It’s called “CWD Unmasked: Debunking the Myths of Chronic Wasting Disease.”
Deer hunting is deeply rooted in Mississippi culture, conservation funding, and local economies. The smartest path forward as I have preached from day one is to slow the spread with practical measures: the current zones, carcass restrictions, feeding bans where needed, and firm controls on live deer movement. And give science a chance to catch up. Mississippi will update the CWD rules in the 2026 review based on real data from our state, not pressure from any single interest group. We should study big time what Arkansas is learning, as well.
Our goal? Slow down the spread, and give science a chance to catch up. That’s a sensible, responsible approach.
The views expressed by contributors are their own and not the views of SuperTalk Mississippi Media.
