In efforts to control the spread of Chronic Wasting Disease, the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission is announcing new deer hunting regulations that will offer hunters increased deer harvest opportunities in counties where CWD has been confirmed.
New regulations for the 2026-2027 deer hunting season include:
• The introduction of a Special Early Season for antlered deer Aug. 22-23, 2026, in all CWD Management Areas using any lawful weapon. These areas include Cumberland, Forsyth, Sampson, Stokes, Surry, Wilkes and Yadkin counties. Baiting is still prohibited in these areas before September 1.
• A one-week-earlier start to the blackpowder season (Oct. 31) and gun season (Nov. 14) in the Northwestern CWD Management Area (Forsyth, Stokes, Surry, Wilkes and Yadkin counties).
• The restrictions on transporting deer carcasses from CWD Surveillance and Management Areas have been removed and replaced with statewide requirements for disposing of deer carcasses. The final disposal (either directly by a hunter or indirectly when hunters use a processor, taxidermist or trash service) of non-edible portions of deer carcasses and carcass parts originating from anywhere inside North Carolina shall be in one of the following methods:
• In a lined landfill.
• Buried 3 feet below ground and 300 feet from a waterbody.
• Lawfully left on the ground within the county of origin.
According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), to date, there have been no reported cases of CWD infection in people. While there is no current scientific evidence confirming that CWD can infect humans, the possibility cannot be ruled out, so the CDC recommends not eating a deer that tests positive for CWD.
Visit ncwildlife.gov/CWD for updates and to learn more about the agency’s management of CWD in North Carolina.