Chronic Wasting Disease Management Plan

After more than 7 years of CWD management in Wisconsin, it is increasingly clear that controlling CWD in Wisconsin's free-ranging white-tailed deer will be extremely challenging and will require a commitment of human and financial resources over an extended period of time. The Department has developed a draft five-year CWD management plan recognizing its public trust responsibility for managing wildlife and ensuring the health of wildlife populations in the state. At the request of the Natural Resources Board, this plan is being reviewed by an independent panel of CWD experts from across North America. Please continue to check this website for updates on the management plan.

A Plan for Managing Chronic Wasting Disease in Wisconsin: The Next 5 Years

The entire CWD Management Plan can be downloaded as a 1.5MB PDF file.

Related Documents

Management of Chronic Wasting Disease October 25, 2006 [PDF 60KB] - In this memo to the Natural Resources Board, former DNR Secretary Scott Hassett looks at some of the accomplishments state government has made since the discovery of CWD in Wisconsin, shares the department’s goals for managing the disease and emphasizes the importance of consulting with the public in establishing the next phase of CWD management in Wisconsin.

From July of 2007 through January of 2008, a stakeholder advisory group (SAG) with diverse interests in the state’s wild deer herd met to offer recommendations on future CWD management direction to the Department and the Natural Resources Board. The SAG Final Report [PDF 541KB] includes a summary of the SAG's recommendations, results of the group's voting at the January 12th, 2008 meeting and minority reports.

CWD Final Rule [PDF 1MB] - This document includes a background memo, results of the public hearings associated with the rule proposal, and the wording of the final rule as approved by the Natural Resources Board on April 23, 2008.

Contact Information

For answers to questions relating to CWD in Wisconsin, email Wildlife Health.

Questions for Wildlife Management