CWD Public Meeting in Dickson County

DICKSON, Tenn. --- The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) and the University of Tennessee Extension are hosting an informational meeting to address questions regarding recent chronic wasting disease (CWD) detections in Middle Tennessee. Hunters and landowners who wish to know more about CWD in Tennessee are invited to attend a public meeting at 7 p.m. on Sept. 8 at the Dickson County Government Building. Wildlife managers and a wildlife veterinarian will provide information on the disease, current management practices, surveillance, and incentive programs, while answering questions from attendees.

CWD PUBLIC INFORMATIONAL MEETING

WHERE: DICKSON COUNTY GOVERNMENT BUILDING, MEETING ROOM A

303 Henslee Drive, Dickson, TN

WHEN: SEPTEMBER 8, 2026,

7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

CWD in TENNESSEE

CWD is a progressive, fatal disease affecting the nervous system of deer (e.g., white-tailed deer, mule deer, elk, moose, and caribou). Belonging to a family of diseases known as transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs), or prion diseases, CWD damages portions of the brain over time, causing animals to display abnormal behavior, become weak, lose bodily functions, appear emaciated, and eventually die. Early symptoms are not always apparent but can place deer at increased risk from other mortality sources such as predation, extreme weather, vehicle collision, and hunter-harvest. CWD is transmitted by way of bodily excretions (e.g., saliva, blood, urine, and feces) both directly through animal-to-animal contact and indirectly through the environment from contaminated soil, food, and carcasses.

CWD was first identified in West Tennessee in 2018. During the following five years, all positive cases were found to be west of the Tennessee River, primarily in Fayette and Hardeman Counties, with the river acting as a potential barrier. However, in 2023, positive CWD cases in Hardin and Lewis Counties became the first detections east of the Tennessee River. Two years later additional positives were found east of the river in Dickson, Humphreys, Wayne, and Williamson Counties. CWD has now been identified in wild white-tailed deer in twenty-three (23) counties: Carroll, Chester, Crockett, Decatur, Dickson, Dyer, Fayette, Gibson, Hardeman, Hardin, Haywood, Henderson, Henry, Humphreys, Lauderdale, Lewis, Madison, McNairy, Shelby, Tipton, Wayne, Weakley, and Williamson.

CWD management is an important component of modern deer management; one that requires active engagement and partnership between TWRA, interagency collaborators, landowners, and hunters. Please join us for an informative and constructive discussion on how we can most effectively manage this disease together for a sustainable future and to keep hunters hunting.

The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency is responsible for protecting, managing, and conserving fish and wildlife species for the benefit of Tennesseans and visitors. The Agency also maintains public safety through law enforcement and safety education on waterways.

---TWRA---