Illinois deer hunters will have a new option for chronic wasting disease testing beginning with the fall 2026 hunting season.
The Illinois Department of Natural Resources will offer free voluntary mail-in sampling kits that allow hunters to collect lymph node samples from harvested deer and submit them for CWD testing.
Kits will be available on a first-come, first-served basis while supplies last. Hunters may initially request up to two kits, with additional kits available if they harvest more deer. Each kit includes instructions for collecting the necessary samples, and both the kits and laboratory testing are free.
Results are generally expected within two to four weeks and will be posted through IDNR’s online CWD testing database. Priority will be given to samples collected in counties where CWD has already been detected. Hunters whose deer test positive will be notified by text or email.
Chronic wasting disease is a fatal neurological disease affecting deer and elk. It was first detected in Illinois in 2002.
Since then, IDNR has tested more than 199,000 wild deer, with 3,410 testing positive. CWD has been detected in 28 counties in northern and central Illinois.
During the most recent reporting year, from July 2025 through June 2026, IDNR identified 662 CWD-positive deer in 28 Illinois counties.
Illinois deer hunters will have a new option for chronic wasting disease testing beginning with the fall 2026 hunting season.
The Illinois Department of Natural Resources will offer free voluntary mail-in sampling kits that allow hunters to collect lymph node samples from harvested deer and submit them for CWD testing.
Kits will be available on a first-come, first-served basis while supplies last. Hunters may initially request up to two kits, with additional kits available if they harvest more deer. Each kit includes instructions for collecting the necessary samples, and both the kits and laboratory testing are free.
Results are generally expected within two to four weeks and will be posted through IDNR’s online CWD testing database. Priority will be given to samples collected in counties where CWD has already been detected. Hunters whose deer test positive will be notified by text or email.
Chronic wasting disease is a fatal neurological disease affecting deer and elk. It was first detected in Illinois in 2002.
Since then, IDNR has tested more than 199,000 wild deer, with 3,410 testing positive. CWD has been detected in 28 counties in northern and central Illinois.
During the most recent reporting year, from July 2025 through June 2026, IDNR identified 662 CWD-positive deer in 28 Illinois counties.