UPDATED: CWD Creeps Across Michigan: 16 Counties and Counting

UPDATE: The Michigan Department of Natural Resources announced via a news release on November 13, 2025, that Allegan County had a confirmed case of CWD, bringing the total to 17 counties throughout the state. See the link below for the latest. 

RELATED: BREAKING: Michigan Adds 17th County to Its CWD Map

If you're a Michigan hunter, you already know deer season means two things: bragging rights and brain disease talk. Chronic Wasting Disease — or CWD — has quietly spread across The Mitten, showing up in 16 Michigan counties so far, and the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) isn't taking any chances.

Where Has CWD Been Found in Michigan?

Confirmed CWD cases have popped up in Clinton, Dickinson, Eaton, Genessee, Gratiot, Hillsdale, Ingham, Ionia, Isabella, Jackson, Kent, Mecosta, Midland, Montcalm, Ogemaw, and Washtenaw Counties.

How CWD Affects Deer: Signs and Symptoms

CWD is a fatal brain disease caused by misfolded proteins called prions. Infected deer look rough — drooling, skinny, confused, and moving like they finished a three-day music festival. It's always fatal, and once it's in an area, it sticks around for years.

Can People or Pets Catch It?

According to the CDC, there's no known transmission to humans, dogs, or cats. Still, Michigan's DNR says don't eat infected meat — mostly because "zombie jerky" is a terrible idea.

Michigan’s Testing Strategy and What Hunters Can Do

To stop CWD from spreading further, the DNR is focusing testing in Baraga, Chippewa, Dickinson, Houghton, Iosco, Keweenaw, Luce, Mackinac, Ogemaw, Ontonagon, and Schoolcraft Counties.

RELATED: Michigan ERs Brace for Deer Season: Hunters, Ladders & the Laws of Gravity

Hunters there can get free CWD testing, while everyone else can order a free lymph node shipping kit from over 50 pickup spots statewide — because nothing says "Michigan outdoorsman" like mailing deer parts.