Mandatory CWD Testing on November 15th, 2025:
Hunters who harvest deer in Patrick, Roanoke (and the cities if Roanoke and Salem), Shenandoah, Smyth, Tazewell, and Wythe counties on November 15th, 2025, must bring them to a DWR-staffed sampling station or a voluntary refrigerator station for CWD testing. The head and 3-4 inches of neck are needed for sampling of the lymph nodes. Your participation is essential to continue effective CWD surveillance and help detect and slow the spread of the disease in Virginia’s deer herd.
Interactive CWD Testing Grid Map
We have an interactive map to assist hunters with location information regarding CWD testing options. Use this map to determine the appropriate grid number when submitting a head for CWD testing and to find locations of voluntary drop sites and processors approved for CWD sample collection. Click the link above to access! For hunters who want deer tested from outside of a DMA, there are also freezers located at the Charles City, Farmville, Forest, and Verona regional offices. Please note that deer harvested from within DMAs cannot be transported to these freezers for testing.
Disease Management Area 1 (DMA1): Clarke, Frederick, Shenandoah, Warren Counties
- What You Need to Know About Hunting in Disease Management Area 1
- DMA1 Deer Carcass Disposal Options 2024-2025 (PDF)
- Transporting Carcasses Into, Within, and Out of DMA1 and DMA2
Disease Management Area 2 (DMA2): Arlington, Culpeper, Fauquier, Fairfax, Loudoun, Madison, Orange, Page, Prince William, Rappahannock, and Rockingham Counties
- What You Need to Know About Hunting in Disease Management Area 2
- DMA2 Deer Carcass Disposal Options 2024-2025 (PDF)
- Transporting Carcasses Into, Within, and Out of DMA1 and DMA2
Disease Management Area 3 (DMA3): Carroll, Floyd, Franklin, Montgomery, Patrick, Pulaski, Roanoke, and Wythe Counties
- What You Need to Know About Hunting in Disease Management Area 3
- DMA3 Deer Carcass Disposal Options 2024-2025 (PDF)
- Transporting Carcasses Into, Within, and Out of DMA3 and DMA4
Disease Management Area 4 (DMA4): Bland, Smyth, and Tazewell Counties
- What You Need to Know About Hunting in Disease Management Area 4
- DMA4 Deer Carcass Disposal Options 2024-2025 (PDF)
- Transporting Carcasses Into, Within, and Out of DMA3 and DMA4
Hunting Anywhere in Virginia
- Don’t sweat carcass transportation – How to field dress your deer using the gutless method
- Transporting Carcasses Out of and Into Virginia
- Natural Deer Urine Attractants: Illegal in Virginia
- Deer Carcass Handling Guidance
- Deer Carcass Disposal Recommendations (PDF)
- Human Health and CWD
- CWD Testing for Deer Harvested Outside of a CWD Disease Management Area
- CWD Alliance – information and videos on the history of CWD, techniques for hunters, and regulations