Due to the regular amending of regulations in West Virginia, it is recommended that before hunting you check these CWD regulations, as well as those of any other states or provinces in which you will be hunting or traveling through while transporting cervid carcasses. The contact information for West Virginia can be seen below:
WV Department of Agriculture (WVDA) Contact: Cervid Program Manager, Dr. Erika Alt,
ealt@wvda.us,, (304) 538-2397 or Program Records Analyst, Shelly Lantz,
slantz@wvda.us, (304) 558-2214
Standard Regulations
Captive cervid facilities may only receive captive cervids from TB and Brucellosis Accredited herds; must complete application for importation; may not originate from any state diagnosed with TB. All captive cervids must have two forms of ID. One official ID and one unique marker visible and identifiable.
CWD Regulations for Captive Cervids and Wildlife
The WVDA prohibits the intrastate movement of captive cervids from Berkeley, Grant, Hampshire, Hardy, Jefferson, Mineral, and Morgan counties to other captive cervid facilties. The WVDA allows importation from only states with approved USDA APHIS CWD Herd Certification Programs that meet the WVDA CWD Herd Certification Program standards. In addition, no captive cervid facility shall receive a captive cervid from an out-of-state facility which is located within a 15 mile radius of a confirmed CWD positive cervid in the last 60 months.
New CWD Regulations in Development
No
CWD Testing Program For Captive Cervids
WVDA surveillance program is mandatory and requires testing of all mortality of captive cervids >12 months old. Hunting Preserves must provide an annual minimum of 30 cervids or 10 percent of the dispatched cervids, whichever is less for CWD sampling.
CWD Testing Program For Wildlife
WV DNR conducts statewide surveillance using a stratified sample of road kills initiated in 2002 and continues at present. Monitoring within the CWD Containment/Management Area which includes Berkeley, Grant, Hampshire, Hardy, Jefferson, Mineral, and Morgan counties, consists primarily of samples from hunter harvested deer. Surveillance outside this area is primarily quota driven samples from road kill deer.
Baiting Banned?
Baiting ban in Berkeley, Grant, Hampshire, Hardy, Jefferson, Mineral, and Morgan counties. It is illegal to bait any wildlife on public land statewide at any time. Baiting is discouraged but not banned on private land in remaining 48 counties.
Feeding Banned?
Deer feeding banned in Berkeley, Grant, Hampshire, Hardy, Jefferson, Mineral, and Morgan counties (except song and insectivorous birds may be fed, provided that such feeding shall not cause, or be done in a manner that would be reasonably anticipated to cause, a congregation of cervids or other wildlife). It is illegal to feed any wildlife on public land statewideat any time. Feeding is discouraged but not restricted in remaining 48 counties.
Ban On Movement of Animal Parts?
Importation of cervid carcasses and carcass parts from a state or province or a disignated CWD Containment or Disease Management Area which has diagnosed chronic wasting disease or from captive cervid facilities in any state or province is prohibited, except the meat from which all bones have been removed, the cape, the antlers or antlers and skull plate from which all meat or tissue has been removed, cervid canines, and finished taxidermy heads may be imported. Hunters in West Virginia are prohibited from transporting dead cervids or their parts beyond the boundary of 5 counties in the CWD Containment Area which includes all of Berkeley,Hampshire, Hardy, Mineral and Morgan counties except for the folowing: meat that has been boned out, quarters or other portions of meat with no part of the spinal column or head attached, cleaned hide with no head attached, clean skull plate with antlers attached, antlers with no meat or tissue attached, and finished taxidermy mounts. Hunters may transport whole cervid carcasss that were not killed inside Berkeley, Hampshire, Hardy, Mineral, and Morgan counties through the containment area.
CWD Found in Captive Cervids?
Yes
CWD Found In Free Ranging Cervids?
Yes