Indiana's first case of chronic wasting disease found in LaGrange County deer

Indiana has reported its first positive case of chronic wasting disease in a deer that a hunter harvested in LaGrange County.  

CWD is a neurological disease that affects white-tailed deer and eventually leads to their death. In announcing the news Friday, officials with the Indiana Department of Natural Resources say it was “highly likely” that this first case struck in LaGrange, given that the area is adjacent to a part of Michigan where CWD had previously been detected. 

In fact, the DNR reports that CWD cases had been confirmed in all of the states that surround Indiana and in a total of 33 states across the U.S. 

“CWD has been in our region for many years,” Joe Caudell, Indiana DNR deer biologist, said in a press release. “The public can help by reporting sightings of sick or dead deer to the DNR, as well as submitting harvested deer for testing during deer hunting season. Through increased awareness and testing, we can work to monitor CWD within Indiana’s deer population.” 

The DNR says it will continue to monitor the area for CWD.  

Caudell said the white-tailed deer with CWD was a male that a hunter took in Milford Township, in the southeastern corner of LaGrange County. The nearby Michigan case was several years ago, in a part of Hillsdale County roughly 30 miles from Indiana’s northeast corner.  

He said the LaGrange hunter took the deer to a taxidermist, and then two independent tests confirmed that it was positive for CWD. 

CWD can spread through deer-to-deer contact or through contaminants that can remain in the soil for several years. Animals in the late stages of CWD can appear emaciated and show erratic behavior or neurological irregularities.  

Even though CWD hasn’t ever been detected in humans, it has been found that primates like monkeys can pick up the disease. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that hunters strongly consider having their harvested deer tested before eating the meat (cdc.gov/prions/cwd), which Caudell said is out of “an abundance of caution.” The CDC also recommends not eating meat from an animal that tests positive. 

Not every hunter tests their deer for CWD. The DNR will test deer for free. Hunters can bring their deer to the Bodine State Fish Hatchery, 13200 Jefferson Blvd., Mishawaka (574-255-4199) or to Kingsbury Fish & Wildlife Area, 5344 S. Hupp Road, LaPorte (219-393-3612) or to other sites statewide.  

You can report any sick or dead wildlife at IN.gov/sickwildlife. 

Indiana’s various deer hunting seasons run from mid-September until the end of January. 

Find columnist Joseph Dits on Facebook at SBTOutdoorAdventures or 574-235-6158 or jdits@sbtinfo.com.