Deer Disease Information

  Hunting   >   Deer Hunting   >   Deer Disease Information
Learn about the DNR's COVID-19 response and how the current health emergency is impacting DNR facilities, services and events.
Deer Disease Monitoring in Iowa

The Iowa DNR actively monitors diseases affecting deer in the state. The primary diseases that are monitored include Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD), Hemorrhagic Disease/Bluetongue (HD), and Bovine Tuberculosis (TB). The pathology and disease ecology of each have vastly different consequences for deer management.

More information regarding the major differences between EHD and CWD can be found on the Quality Deer Management Association's website.


We cannot fight this battle alone, we need your help.

  • Do not use feed or salt-mineral licks to attract deer. These baited sites increase the concentration of deer, which spreads the disease.
     
  • Do not leave a carcass or bones to decay on the land. Disposal with residential waste is permissible. Contact your local waste hauler for requirements. Make absolutely sure not to transport and dump carcasses outside of the area where the deer were shot as this will spread the disease to new areas.

Chronic Wasting Disease Public Meeting, 12/03/20, Iowa DNR

Iowa Outdoors, IPTV

Iowa Outdoors - Episodes


Additional Information, Deer Diseases

Epizootic hemorrhagic disease and bluetongue (collectively, HD) are diseases spread by a biting midge that causes high fever in infected deer and also causes the cell walls in heart, lungs and diaphragm tissue to weaken and burst. HD cannot be transferred from deer to deer. In dry, drought years it can be worse as deer are more concentrated around water. The deer are attracted to water to combat the fever and dehydration due to the hemorrhaging. Most deer die one to four days after being infected with HD. However, the deer herd can build up an immunity to persistent strains of HD, as they have in many southern states. 

HD was widely reported in 2012 and 2013 in eastern and southern Iowa. Some losses due to HD generally occur every year, but usually at low levels and in localized areas. It is important to know that HD effects are temporary, and broad scale (County or larger) population-level effects in Iowa have historically occurred infrequently. HD effects are reduced when rain disperses the deer by providing more watering areas or a heavy frost kills the midges. Because HD is frequency dependent, reductions in deer density will not affect disease prevalence. In other words, the percent of the population that will die is only dependent on the number of infected midges that bite susceptible deer.

For the latest updates/maps available:

Tuberculosis (TB) is a bacterial disease that affects the respiratory system, and is primarily transferred through respiratory secretions between individual animals, and thus prevalence and spread are density dependent.

Currently there is no evidence of TB in Iowa’s deer herd. However, TB remains an important disease to monitor because it can be transferred from livestock to deer and vice versa. Deer management strategies of localized density reduction or depopulation of target areas can be successful at removing TB.

Deer Management Zones: Chronic Wasting Disease

CWD is a neurological disease affecting primarily deer and elk. An abnormal protein, called a prion, attacks the brains of infected animals causing them to lose weight, display abnormal behavior and lose bodily functions. Signs of CWD in deer include excessive salivation, thirst and urination, loss of appetite, weight loss, listlessness and drooping ears and head. It is always fatal to the infected animal. Anyone seeing a deer exhibiting these symptoms should immediately contact the DNR. 

CWD can be transferred from deer to deer via direct contact and contact with bodily fluids. Therefore, prevalence and spread increase with deer density. However, abnormal protein prions that are shed from CWD positive deer can persist in the environment for many years, which can additionally infect deer. As a result, disease prevalence is also independent of deer density. There is currently no viable vaccine. Consequently, once a wild deer herd has become infected, removal is nearly impossible and increased prevalence is extremely likely. Deer management strategies generally have focused on mitigating the prevalence and spread of the disease via population reduction or some form of isolating or quarantining infected areas. Recent research in Wyoming has found that CWD has been documented to have strong population-level effects.

Population-level effect article: Chronic Wasting Disease Drives Population Decline of White-Tailed Deer (off-site)

Testing for the CWD protein is not a food safety test. Currently it is not believed that humans can contract CWD by eating venison; however, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention recommends, when hunting in areas with CWD, strongly consider having the deer tested for CWD before you eat the meat. If your animal tests positive for CWD, do not eat that animal. For further recommendations, refer to information provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Under Iowa law, hunters cannot transport into the state the whole carcass of any cervid (i.e., deer, elk, moose) taken from a CWD-infected area. Only the boned-out meat, the cape, and antlers attached to a clean skull plate (from which all brain tissue has been removed) are legal to transport into Iowa. 

 

Deer Management Zones: Chronic Wasting Disease

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources has established deer management zones in areas where wild deer have tested positive for chronic wasting disease. Chronic wasting disease is spread through direct contact between deer, and through urine, blood, feces and saliva left on the landscape where it remains infectious for years. This disease is 100 percent fatal. Infected deer may not display symptoms. These deer management zones allow hunters additional opportunities to pursue deer while assisting the Iowa DNR with population management and the collection of valuable disease data. Each zone has its own antlerless licenses specific to the area, in addition to any existing county quota. Please refer to the 2020-2021 Deer Population Management Zone Hunts for additional information. Maps for each of these zones can be found below.

Hunters must still have permission to hunt any property within areas zones: purchasing a tag does not guarantee trespassing rights. Please respect private property.

These licenses are outside of the restriction of how many firearm seasons a hunter participates in, meaning that one resident of Iowa hunter can purchase DMZ licenses for Early Muzzleloader, Shotgun 1, Shotgun 2, and Late Muzzleloader season while still obtaining a Statewide Any Sex tag for a season of their choice. Licenses do not transfer between seasons and hunters must still follow all of the rules for the season they are hunting and location they are hunting. These licenses may be purchased for any regular hunting season: Youth/Disabled, Early Muzzleloader, Archery, Shotgun 1, Shotgun 2, and Late Muzzleloader. They must be used within the defined boundaries of the zone they are purchased for. CWD Zone tags may only be purchased at the specific vendor listed for each zone.

There are a few stipulations hunters agree to when purchasing these licenses:

  1. Licenses are good only in the zone, not county wide
  2. Hunters are asked to call the number on the zone map for sample collection.
  3. Successful hunters must check to see if a tissue sample is needed and provide one if requested.

Hunters with county specific or general deer licenses may hunt in these zones without the stipulations but are encouraged to provide tissue samples.


 

Zone #102 license: Hunters may purchase Allamakee DMZ licenses locally in Harpers Ferry at Barry’s Minimart, 563-586-2281 or Harpers One Stop, 563-586-2557; in Lansing, River N Ridge Outdoors, 563-538-4188; or at the Wallace State Office Building in Des Moines.
Zone map: Allamakee Deer Management Zone Map
Check Station: Sample drop off site located at
DNR Office, 427 N. First Street, Harpers Ferry
Available September 19, 2020 - January 30, 2021. Dumpster onsite.
Tissue Collection: Successful hunters must call 563-379-5725 to determine if tissue sample collection is required for their harvest.

 

 

 

Zone #88 license:

January 16-24, 2021

Hunters may purchase Harpers Ferry Zone licenses locally in Harpers Ferry at Barry’s Minimart, 563-586-2281 or Harpers One Stop, 563-586-2557; in Lansing, River N Ridge Outdoors, 563-538-4188
Zone map:

Harpers Ferry Deer Management Zone Map
Check Station: Sample drop off site located at
DNR Office, 427 N. First Street, Harpers Ferry
Available September 19, 2020 - January 30, 2021. Dumpster onsite.
 
Tissue Collection: Successful hunters must call 563-379-5725 to determine if tissue sample collection is required for their harvest.

 

 

 

Zone #106 license:

Hunters may purchase Fayette DMZ licenses locally at West Union Hardware 563-422-5646, Fayette County Recorder 563-422-3687or at the Wallace State Office Building in Des Moines.
Zone map:

Fayette Deer Management Zone Map

Check Station: Sample drop off site Gilbertson Nature Center, 1810 Agate Rd, Elgin.
Available September 19, 2020 through January 30, 2021. Dumpster on site.
Tissue Collection: Successful hunters must call 319-213-2815 to determine if tissue sample collection is required for their harvest. 

 

 

 

Zone #103 license:

Hunters may purchase Clayton DMZ licenses locally at Coast to Coast 563-245-2521, Clayton County Recorder 563-245-2710 or at the Wallace State Office Building in Des Moines.
Zone map:

Clayton Deer Management Zone Map

Check Station: Sample drop off site at Osborne Nature Center, 29862 Osborne Rd, Elkader.
Available September 19, 2020 through January 30, 2021. Dumpster on site.
Tissue Collection: Successful hunters must call 563-929-6001 to determine if tissue sample collection is required for their harvest.

 

 

 

Zone #87 license:

January 16-24, 2021

Hunters may purchase Elkader-West Union CWD Zone licenses locally at Elkader Coast-to-Coast, 563-245-2521
Zone map:

Elkader-West Union Deer Management Zone Map

Check Station: Drop off site located at Osborne Park, 29862 Osborne Road, Elkader and the Gilbertson Nature Center 1810 Agate Rd, Elgin
Available September 19, 2020 - January 30, 2021. Dumpster on site.
Tissue Collection: Successful hunters must call 563-929-6001 to determine if tissue sample collection is required for their harvest.

 

 

Zone #17 license: Hunters may purchase Dubuque Zone licenses locally at Bait Shack, 563-582-9395 or Tri State Outdoors, 563-582-8514; or at the Wallace State Office Building in Des Moines.
Zone map: Dubuque Deer Management Zone Map
Check Station: Sample drop off sites located at
Swiss Valley Nature Center, 13606 Swiss Valley Road, Peosta and Bait Shack, 2095 Kerper Blvd, Dubuque
Available September 19, 2020 - January 30, 2021. Dumpster on site.
Tissue Collection: Successful hunters must call 563-929-6001 to determine if tissue sample collection is required for their harvest.

 

Zone #108 license: Hunters may purchase Winneshiek licenses locally at Winneshiek County Recorder 563-277-5292, Fisk Farm & Home 563-382-8822, Decorah; or at the Wallace State Office Building in Des Moines.
Zone map: Winneshiek Deer Management Zone Map
Check Station: Sample drop off site at Chuck Gipp Decorah Fish Hatchery, Decorah.
Available September 19, 2020 through January 30, 2021. Dumpster on site.
Tissue Collection: Successful hunter must call 563-379-5725 to determine if tissue sample collection is required for their harvest.

 

 

Zone #93 license:

January 16-24, 2021

Hunters may purchase licenses locally at Winneshiek County Recorder 563-277-5292, Fisk Farm & Home 563-382-8822, Howard County Recorder at 536-547-9210
Zone map:

Decorah-Cresco Deer Management Zone Map

Check Station: Sample drop off site at Chuck Gipp Decorah Fish Hatchery, Decorah.
Available September 19, 2020 through January 30, 2021. Dumpster on site.
Tissue Collection: Sucessful hunters must call 563-379-5725 to determine if tissue sample collection is required for their harvest.

 

 

Zone #104 license: Hunters may purchase licenses locally at Leon Hy-Vee 641-446-6132,Decatur County Recorder 641-446-4322 or at Wallace State Office Building in Des Moines.
Zone map: Decatur Deer Management Zone Map
Check Station: Decatur CCB, 20485 NW Little River Rd., Leon - Dec. 5-6, 12-13, & 19-20
Dumpster nearby
Tissue Collection: Successful hunters must call 515-975-8318 or email andrew.kellner@dnr.iowa.gov to determine if tissue sample collection is required for their harvest.

 

Zone #109 license: Hunters may purchase licenses locally at Mills Fleet Farm 712-454-7306, Scheels 712-252-1551, Dick’s Bait & Tackle #2 712-252-4000, or at Wallace State Office Building in Des Moines
Zone map: Woodbury Deer Management Zone Map
Check Station: Successful hunters can drop off heads at Stone State Park, 5001 Talbot Rd, Sioux City, and Woodbury County Conservation Bd Brown's Lake, 722 Bigelow Park Rd, Salix
Tissue Collection: Successful hunters must call 712-420-2437 or email doug.chafa@iowa.dnr.gov to determine if tissue sample collection is required for their harvest. 

 

Zone #107 license: Hunters may purchase Wayne Deer Management Zone licenses locally at the Corydon Hy-Vee, 641-872-1564, T/K Guns, 641-873-4755, or Wayne County Recorder's Office, 641-872-1676; or Wallace State Office Building in Des Moines.
Zone map: Wayne Deer Management Zone Map
Check Station: 11 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., Dec. 5-6 and 12-13
Corydon Volunteer Fire Station, 213 S Washington Street, Corydon
Dumpster nearby, email questions to WayneCWD@dnr.iowa.gov
Tissue Collection: If check station not available, successful hunters must call 641-208-5411 to determine if tissue sample collection is required for their harvest.

 

 

Zone #89 license:

January 16-24, 2021

Hunter precertification required prior to license purchase. Call 641-203-2970 with inquiries.

Hunters may purchase Corydon CWD Incentive licenses locally at T/K Guns, 641-873-4755, or Wayne County Recorder's Office, 641-872-1676
Zone map: Corydon CWD Incentive Zone Map
Check Station: none
Tissue Collection: Successful hunters must call 641-203-5411 or 319-330-5578 to arrange for tissue sample collection.