With the first official whitetail opportunity of the fall, Michigan's Liberty Hunt, running September 12 and 13, hunters are already thinking about where the deer are, how healthy the herd is, and what wrench might be thrown into their upcoming trip into the woods. Well, the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD) just dropped some news that will have you wondering how healthy your deer harvest really is.
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Michigan CWD Cases Confirmed Before Fall Deer Hunts
On August 26, 2026, MDARD announced via a news release that chronic wasting disease (CWD) has been confirmed in farmed whitetail deer in three Michigan counties. To be clear, these are deer raised in captivity, not wild cases.
What Is Chronic Wasting Disease?
CWD is a progressive and fatal neurological disease that affects whitetail deer, elk, moose, and other cervids (hooved animals belonging to the deer family). This deadly affliction attacks the animal's nervous system, and once infected, there is no recovery.
What makes things even more complicated is that deer spread it within the herd either directly through contact or via droplets or prions left in the environment. This means your well-meaning pile of apples in your backyard could be the cause of infection.
Why CWD Is So Hard to Control
Infected deer can appear healthy for months or even years after infection before any obvious symptoms appear. MDARD says that regular testing allows officials to detect CWD earlier, trace potential sites of exposure, and reduce the likelihood that a larger portion of the herd contracts the disease.
Farmed-deer CWD is not new in Michigan. Previous infections in captive-raised whitetail have been found in Kent, Lake, Mecosta, Montcalm, Newaygo, and Osceola counties.
Where Michigan’s New CWD Cases Were Found
The newest MDARD confirmed cases include a two-and-a-half-year-old farmed deer in Calhoun County, a four-year-old farmed deer in Kent County, and an infected three-year-old farmed deer in Mackinac County. The Calhoun and Kent cases were found through Michigan's farmed-raised deer surveillance program, while the Mackinac case was uncovered during tracing connected to the Calhoun County herd.
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MDARD reports investigations continue to determine whether other farmed-raised cervids may have been exposed and infected. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advises not eating deer infected with CWD.
2025 Michigan Deer Season All Seasons Harvest Report
Gallery Credit: Scott Clow
