The Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks (MDWFP) recently received Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) positive test results for a hunter-harvested buck during the 2025 Velvet Season from Prentiss County.
Prentiss County is located in Northeast Mississippi.
This marks the first detection of Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) in Prentiss County. Although it is a new positive case for the county, Prentiss County was already included in the North Mississippi CWD Management Zone.
As a result, this detection does not require any changes to existing CWD management zones or regulations. See CWD Management Zones and regulations.
Since February 2018, 447 CWD-positive white-tailed deer have been detected across eighteen (18) counties.
Tate County is part of the North CWD Management Zone in Mississippi due to the detection of a case of (CWD) in a permitted deer enclosure in late 2018. Regulations for the zone include carcass transport restrictions and the ability to take a larger buck bag limit during certain times of the season
MDWFP encourages all hunters to submit deer for testing.
Hunters can submit deer for testing at establishedfreezer locations or participating taxidermists.
Chronic Wasting Disease is a fatal neurological disease that affects animals like deer, elk, and moose
Symptoms include weight loss, behavioral changes like loss of fear of humans and poor muscle coordination in deer. While there is no evidence of it spreading to humans, officials advise against consuming meat from affected animals.
For more information about Chronic Wasting Disease visit www.mdwfp.com/cwd.
