September 29, 2026 3:40 p.m.
The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife increasing Chronic Wasting Disease monitoring across Oregon, with new check stations planned as Any Legal Weapon deer seasons start statewide on October 3rd.
All successful deer and elk hunters are asked to turn in a CWD sample, and each sample submitted between August 1st, 2026, and March 31st, 2027, earns the hunter one entry into a drawing for a Howa 1500 .223 caliber rifle courtesy of the Oregon Hunters Association.
The release said sampling is quick. It takes roughly 10 minutes to collect lymph nodes and hunter details. There are several other ways to get an animal tested. Hunters can visit a participating taxidermist or meat processor, make an appointment at an ODFW office, or drop the head in an after-hours collection bin available at certain ODFW offices.
Successful hunters should keep their eyes out for posted highway signs alerting an upcoming check station. Check station information is subject to change, and additional stations may be added throughout hunting season. It is mandatory for hunters to stop at a CWD check station if they pass one while transporting harvested deer or elk.
If an animal tests positive for CWD, the hunter will be contacted directly by a biologist or veterinarian. Results are also posted on ODFW’s CWD testing results page and can be found by ODFW ID or roadkill salvage permit confirmation number.
CWD is fatal to deer, elk, and moose, and no cure exists. Spread occurs through direct contact with an infected animal or by environmental contamination. The misfolded proteins that cause the disease can persist in the environment for years, heightening the risk of disease spread.
For over two decades, ODFW has monitored herds by testing more than 40,000 samples from hunter-harvested, road-killed, and other deceased animals without finding any cases in Oregon to date.
Visit ODFW’s CWD page to learn more about all the ways to get an animal sampled at: https://myodfw.com/articles/other-ways-get-your-animal-tested-cwd