CWD Changes Announced For 2024-25 Seasons

HARRISBURG – The Pennsylvania Game Commission today announced the expansion of several Chronic Wasting Disease Management Areas (DMAs) due to new detections of the disease.

Disease Management Area 2 (DMA 2) will expand following the detection of CWD in several road-killed deer along the eastern boundary. The boundary will generally expand east to state Route 94, east along U.S. Route 30, and north along the west shore of the Susquehanna River to meet the current boundary. DMA 2 is located in southcentral Pennsylvania and includes all or portions of Adams, Bedford, Blair, Cambria, Centre, Clearfield, Cumberland, Franklin, Fulton, Huntingdon, Indiana, Juniata, Mifflin, Perry, Snyder, Somerset, Union, Westmoreland, and York counties. The new boundary can be found at www.arcg.is/1G4TLr

Disease Management Area 3 (DMA 3) will expand following the detection of CWD in a road-killed fawn in Armstrong County. The boundary will generally expand south along state Route 286 near Saltsburg, north along the east shore of the Kiskiminetas River, north along the east shore of the Allegheny River, north along U.S. Route 422, and east along state Route 85 to meet the current boundary. DMA 3 is located in western Pennsylvania and includes portions of Armstrong, Cambria, Clarion, Clearfield, Elk, Indiana, and Jefferson counties. The new boundary can be found at www.arcg.is/1G4TLr.

Disease Management Area 8 (DMA 8) will expand following the detection of CWD in a road-killed adult female deer in Dauphin County. The boundary will generally expand south to Interstate 81, south along Mountain Road, west along U.S. Route 22, south along Interstate 83 to Interstate 283 to Interstate 76, and west to the west shore of the Susquehanna River to meet the current boundary. DMA 8 includes portions of Dauphin, Lebanon, Northumberland, and Schuylkill counties. The new boundary can be found at www.arcg.is/1G4TLrThe Game Commission conducts road-killed deer surveillance year-round so there is potential for the boundaries to change prior to the hunting seasons. Be sure to check online for the most up-to-date boundaries.

Within all DMAs and the CWD Established Area (EA), it is unlawful to:

• Remove or export any deer or elk high-risk parts (e.g., head, spinal column, and spleen) unless going to a Game Commission-approved cooperating processor.
• Deposit high-risk parts on the landscape away from harvest location.
• Use or possess deer or elk urine-based attractants.
• Directly or indirectly feed wild, free-ranging deer. It is already illegal to feed elk regardless of DMA location.
• Rehabilitate wild, free-ranging deer or elk.

Additionally, seven Deer Management Assistance Program (DMAP) Units are in place to enhance surveillance efforts in locations within Disease Management Areas in order to determine the extent of infection in the surrounding area. This includes:

• DMAP Unit 4464 in Warren County
• DMAP Unit 4760 in Jefferson County
• DMAP Unit 4803 in Lycoming County
• DMAP Unit 4839 in Lancaster County
• DMAP Unit 4843 in Snyder County
• DMAP Unit 6367 in Indiana and Armstrong counties
• DMAP Unit 6396 in Dauphin County

Upon evaluation of the units and status of CWD, DMAP Units 3934 (Clearfield County), 4806 (Cumberland County), and 4825 (Huntingdon County) will NOT be renewed this season.

An antlerless-only extended rifle season also will be held in January in Wildlife Management Units (WMUs) 4A, 4D, and 5A, providing hunters more time to use the antlerless licenses they already have, as well as additional time to use a replacement license if they harvest a deer that tests positive for CWD.

While the antlerless harvest has increased in some WMUs with CWD over the past five years, the overall harvest in these WMUs has not been sufficient to reduce populations. Typically, the antlerless allocation is increased to meet a harvest target, however, some WMUs with CWD have reached a point of saturation where a further increase in antlerless licenses is unlikely to achieve the needed harvest.