Released by the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission …
Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a contagious, incurable disease that is fatal for all members of the deer family and is currently documented in white-tailed deer, mule deer, sika deer, elk, moose, and caribou. While CWD has not been detected in Florida, it has been detected in 26 states and three Canadian provinces. You can help protect Florida deer populations from CWD in the following ways:
- If you see or harvest a sick or abnormally thin deer or see a deer dead of unknown causes, please report its location to the CWD hotline, (866) CWD-WATCH (293-9282).
- Help conduct chronic wasting disease (CWD) surveillance. With zone A archery and crossbow seasons underway, the FWC is asking hunters who harvest a deer in Florida to please consider supporting chronic wasting disease monitoring efforts by donating the deer head to the FWC. Skull cap and antlers can be removed and kept by the hunter.
- Properly dispose of the carcass if you harvest a deer in Florida.
- Know and follow transportation regulations when hunting out of state. It’s illegal to bring into Florida carcasses of deer, elk, moose, caribou and other members of the deer family from states and provinces where CWD has been detected.