Chronic Wasting Disease Laws in Texas: What Hunters and Landowners Must Know

Chronic wasting disease is one of the most serious threats facing Texas deer herds today. CWD threatens both wild and captive deer and belongs to a family of neurological diseases known as transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSE). The first case of CWD was discovered in 2012 in a free-ranging mule deer in West Texas, and in a captive white-tailed deer in 2015. Since then, the disease has spread significantly, and the regulatory framework around it has grown more detailed every season.

Whether you hunt deer in West Texas, manage a breeding operation in the Hill Country, or simply transport a harvested carcass across county lines, Texas law places specific obligations on you. Understanding those rules is not optional — violations can result in criminal charges, permit revocations, and steep fines. This guide breaks down the key CWD laws in Texas so you know exactly what is required before you head into the field. You may also want to review wildlife removal laws in Texas for related state regulations governing wild animals.

CWD Status and Affected Areas in Texas

In Texas, CWD impacts native white-tailed and mule deer as well as elk and several exotic deer species, including red deer and sika deer. The disease does not stay in one place, and state agencies have worked to map its spread with increasing precision over the years.

TPWD and TAHC have established Containment and Surveillance Zones in areas of the state where CWD has been detected in free-ranging cervid populations in West Texas, the Texas Panhandle, and south-central Texas. The commission revised the CWD zone structure by reducing the number of tiers from three to two — Containment Zones (CZ) and Surveillance Zones (SZ) — to more appropriately characterize areas where the disease has been detected.

As recorded by TPWD, there have been nearly 800 documented cases of CWD in the state, with the overwhelming majority in deer breeding operations and release sites. If not managed, CWD can have devastating, long-term impacts on Texas’s beloved white-tailed and mule deer.

Regulations within these zones include increased live animal movement restrictions, carcass movement restrictions, and mandatory testing of harvested susceptible species. The two-zone structure — Containment and Surveillance — carries different rule sets, so knowing which zone applies to your land or hunting location matters.

Baiting and Feeding Restrictions in Texas

Texas has a long tradition of deer feeding and supplemental management, and the law reflects that — but only outside of CWD zones. The rules change significantly the moment you step inside a designated area.

Outside of CWD zones, you may hunt deer over bait, including corn, protein pellets, and other attractants. This practice is deeply embedded in Texas hunting culture, particularly in South Texas and the Edwards Plateau, where supplemental feeding is a standard management practice. Baiting for game animals, nongame animals, and upland game birds is lawful on private property, except for turkey in certain East Texas counties and migratory game birds statewide.

Within CWD Containment and Surveillance Zones, all baiting and feeding is prohibited from the date of zone establishment. This includes wildlife feeders, mineral licks, and food plots planted specifically to concentrate deer. However, food plots that are part of normal agricultural practices may be exempt depending on TPWD interpretation.

The science behind the ban is straightforward. CWD spreads whenever deer come into close contact with each other. When a feed site or mineral site is placed for deer, deer are attracted to that location and artificially congregated, coming into very close contact with one another. Eliminating those congregation points is one of the primary tools regulators use to slow the disease’s spread.

Also worth noting: it is illegal to use deer scents, lures, or other items that contain natural deer urine or other biofluids taken from deer in CWD-affected areas, as these materials can carry infectious prion material.

Carcass Transportation Rules in Texas

How you move a harvested deer — or bring one back from out of state — is one of the most regulated aspects of CWD law in Texas. Since CWD prions are known to be present in tissues of infected animals, especially brain, spinal cord, and viscera, carcass movement restrictions establish the conditions under which certain parts of a harvested white-tailed deer or mule deer can be lawfully transported from CWD zones or from a state, province, or other place outside Texas where CWD has been detected.

Hunters are allowed to transport boned or packaged venison, cut quarters with the brain stem and spinal tissue removed, caped hides with skull not attached, the skull plate with antlers attached and cleaned of all soft tissue, or finished taxidermy products.

Hunters wishing to preserve a head for mounting can obtain a waiver to transport the skinned or unskinned head of a susceptible species to a taxidermist, provided all brain material, soft tissue, spinal column, and any unused portions of the head are disposed of in a landfill in Texas permitted by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. These waivers can be obtained at CWD check stations where TPWD staff will collect CWD samples.

No CWD-susceptible species carcasses or parts of carcasses can enter Texas from a state or country known to have CWD, except for cut quarters with all brain and spinal cord tissue removed. Hunters bringing intact deer heads into Texas from a state or country with CWD should have a Deer Head Waiver form (PWD 1410) to transport the head.

For statewide carcass disposal requirements that apply to all harvested white-tailed deer and mule deer — not just those taken in CWD zones — consult the TPWD Outdoor Annual CWD page for the current season’s rules. You may also find it useful to read about roadkill laws in Texas, which address related rules around deer carcasses found on public roads.

CWD Testing Requirements for Hunters in Texas

Testing requirements depend entirely on where you hunt. Hunters in areas outside designated CWD zones face no mandatory testing obligations, though voluntary participation is always encouraged. Inside the zones, the rules are strict.

If you harvest a deer in a CWD zone with mandatory testing, you are required to bring the deer to a CWD check station within 48 hours. This requirement applies to white-tailed deer, mule deer, elk, and other susceptible species taken within those boundaries.

Surveillance zone requirements come with a specific set of obligations for deer hunters and breeders. Within these zones, the movement of live deer is restricted, and hunters are required to bring their harvested deer to a check station to be tested for CWD prior to leaving the zone.

The 2025-2026 season also brought updated rules around how TPWD collects disease samples. The regulatory proposal adopted in January 2025 would simplify out-of-state carcass movement restrictions and clarify the department’s authority to collect disease samples from hunter-harvested deer for the purpose of management and disease surveillance.

In certain zones where CWD has only been associated with permitted deer breeding facilities and enclosed release sites, hunters are not required to submit harvested deer for sampling. However, a grassroots effort to generate voluntary samples from hunter harvests is necessary to establish sufficient confidence that the disease will be detected if present at a low prevalence. TPWD encourages all hunters who harvest deer in those counties to assist by presenting their harvested deer at a department-run voluntary check station.

The Texas Animal Health Commission (TAHC) also issued reminders to hunters about statewide requirements for hunter-harvested and captive exotic species susceptible to CWD. These species include elk, red deer, reindeer, caribou, sika deer, moose, muntjac, and their related subspecies or hybrids.

Captive Cervid and Deer Farming Rules in Texas

Texas is one of a relatively small number of states that permits the commercial breeding of white-tailed deer, and that industry operates under a detailed regulatory structure administered jointly by TPWD and TAHC. Texas is one of several states that permits the commercial breeding of white-tailed deer and allows them to be released on designated release sites.

The rules governing deer breeding facilities were significantly updated in early 2025. The Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission, in a duly noticed meeting on January 23, 2025, adopted the repeal of certain existing rules and new and amended sections concerning Disease Detection and Response and Deer Breeders Permits. The repeals, amendments, and new rule eliminate the current zone-based disease response strategy for CWD detections in free-range and captive deer populations and implement a new risk-mitigation strategy based on confirmed cases of CWD in free-range populations of native and exotic species.

The current comprehensive rules address disease response with respect to directly connected facilities — where CWD has been detected — and indirectly connected facilities that received deer from the same facility as a CWD-positive deer prior to transfer, implementing requirements for disease testing and movement of breeder deer to and from indirectly connected facilities, and requiring ante-mortem testing of all age-eligible deer prior to transfer to another breeding facility or release site.

• Directly connected facilities (where CWD was detected): Subject to TAHC quarantine, depopulation protocols, and enhanced testing requirements.
• Indirectly connected facilities (received deer from a CWD-positive facility within the five-year trace window): Under movement restrictions and cannot move or release cervids until cleared by a herd plan.
• Movement-qualified facilities: Must complete ante-mortem testing of all age-eligible deer before any transfer to a release site.

TPWD, TAHC, and the USDA utilize a five-year “trace window” to develop information to characterize the particulars concerning the potential spread of CWD. This window determines which facilities are considered epidemiologically connected to a positive detection.

The importation of white-tailed deer and mule deer from out of state is prohibited. Elk imported from other states must be enrolled in an official CWD monitoring program for at least three years; imports from states with CWD must be enrolled in an official monitoring program for at least five years.

Because CWD continues to be detected in deer breeding facilities, proposed rule amendments include provisions addressing pen standards within facilities, retention of visible identification on breeder deer sent to release sites, enhanced disease mitigation standards for CWD-positive breeding facilities, and standards for new deer breeding facilities or Deer Management Permits in proximity to free-range CWD detections.

If you raise or manage livestock alongside captive deer, you may also want to review goat ownership laws in Texas and backyard pig laws in Texas for related animal husbandry regulations that may intersect with your operation.

Reporting Sick or Suspected Deer in Texas

Visible symptoms of CWD often do not appear until just before death, which makes surveillance and reporting by hunters, landowners, and the public especially important. By the time a deer appears visibly ill, it has likely been shedding infectious prions for months or years.

Common behavioral and physical signs that may indicate CWD include:

• Extreme weight loss or emaciation despite available food
• Stumbling, lack of coordination, or difficulty walking
• Drooping head, ears, or tail
• Excessive salivation, drooling, or difficulty swallowing
• Unusual lack of fear of humans or abnormal behavior around people
• Blank facial expression or apparent disorientation

You should report any symptomatic CWD-susceptible species to your local Texas Game Wardens through the TPWD website or the Texas Hunt and Fish app. Timely reporting allows TPWD to collect samples from clinical animals before they die, which is critical for surveillance.

Collection of samples from road kills and clinical animals remains a high priority throughout the state. If you find a dead deer exhibiting signs consistent with CWD — particularly in an area not already designated as a CWD zone — reporting it promptly can help TPWD detect new incursions early.

Mandatory testing of CWD-susceptible species harvested in designated zones achieves early detection and containment if the disease is present, and mandatory restrictions on removing carcass parts that concentrate infectious material — primarily brain, spinal cord, and viscera — are a core part of the management strategy.

Hunters and landowners who operate near wildlife can also review pet laws in Texas and feral cat laws in Texas for a broader picture of how Texas regulates human-animal interactions that may affect disease exposure.

Penalties for CWD Violations in Texas

Texas takes CWD enforcement seriously, and the penalty structure reflects that. Violations range from Class C misdemeanors to state jail felonies, depending on the nature and severity of the offense.

A February 2025 enforcement action illustrated just how aggressively TPWD pursues violations. The suspects and charges were associated with three deer breeding facilities, ten release sites, one deer management pen, and three illegal facilities not registered in the TWIMS database, meaning they were operating or receiving deer in violation of registration requirements and disease monitoring protocols.

Class C pending charges include transferring deer without valid ante-mortem CWD tests, lack of identifying tattoos or valid transfer permits, failure to report mortality within the required seven-day period following detection, and failure to submit CWD samples within seven days of collection.

State jail felony charges include tampering with government records by falsifying information in TWIMS reports, which were certified as accurate. These incidents include falsifying tests through the submission of tissue samples from poached wild deer for CWD testing in place of samples from breeder deer, tag swapping between breeder deer, and swapping tags between breeder deer and replacement deer captured in the wild.

Spotlighting or hunting at night is illegal — penalties include fines up to $4,000 and license revocation — and when that activity is combined with CWD fraud, as in the 2025 enforcement cases, the charges compound quickly.

Without close monitoring, illegal movement of captive deer increases the risk of introducing CWD to areas where it is not known to exist, potentially leading to widespread outbreaks that will impact more than just the health of Texas deer. With many rural Texans depending on hunting as their full or supplemental income, a large-scale outbreak of CWD could pose a significant threat to white-tailed deer hunting, which has a $9.6 billion annual economic contribution and could irreversibly alter Texas’ rich outdoor heritage.

TPWD has referred enforcement cases to prosecutors’ offices in 11 Texas counties, demonstrating that CWD violations are prosecuted across the state, not just in high-risk western regions. TPWD remains committed to enforcing these laws and will hold violators accountable. Texas Game Wardens will continue to pursue those who disregard regulations and illegally exploit Texas’ natural resources, putting both captive and native populations at risk.

For a broader look at how Texas regulates animals and related activities on your property, explore pet import laws in Texas, beekeeping laws in Texas, and backyard chicken laws in Texas. Understanding the full scope of state animal law helps you stay compliant across every aspect of land and wildlife management.

CWD regulations in Texas evolve frequently as new detections occur and scientific understanding improves. Always verify current zone boundaries, check station locations, and season-specific rules directly with TPWD’s CWD resource page and the Texas Animal Health Commission before each hunting season. Staying current is not just good practice — it is the law.