IDNR launches automated system to notify hunters of Chronic Wasting Disease test results
FOX23 News at 9 p.m.
SPRINGFIELD, Ill., (KBSI) — The Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) has launched a new automated notification system to deliver chronic wasting disease (CWD) test results directly to deer hunters for the 2025–2026 season.
The new system will send text and email notifications to hunters who provide a mobile phone number with their CWD sample and have a valid email address linked to their ExploreMoreIL customer account.
Hunters who harvest deer within the 25-county CWD endemic area of northern and west-central Illinois are encouraged to submit samples for testing at mandatory or voluntary firearm deer check stations, through participating vendors, or at self-serve drop-off sites.
Those whose deer test presumptive positive for CWD will receive notifications containing a link to an interactive map allowing them to confirm their harvest location. Final confirmation results will be sent via text only if subsequent testing changes the initial findings.
Hunters can still access the CWD test results website to review outcomes, regardless of whether they receive text or email alerts. Questions may be directed to DNR.CWDQuestions@illinois.gov
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If a hunter with a CWD-positive deer fails to verify their township range selection (TRS) within 15 days, an IDNR biologist will attempt to reach them by phone. Hunters who do not provide a TRS may become ineligible for complimentary replacement tags in the next deer season.
CWD is a fatal neurological disease that affects deer and elk populations. It was first detected in Illinois in 2002 in Boone County. Since then, 185,896 wild deer have been tested statewide, with 2,748 confirmed cases.
Between July 1, 2024, and June 30, 2025, IDNR identified 539 CWD-positive deer in 25 counties, including Adams, Boone, Bureau, Carroll, Cook, DeKalb, DuPage, Ford, Grundy, Jo Daviess, Kane, Kankakee, Kendall, Lake, LaSalle, Lee, Livingston, Marshall, McHenry, Ogle, Peoria, Putnam, Stephenson, Will, and Winnebago.
