CWD testing is available for hunters across North Carolina throughout the hunting season. While sampling options will be available across the state, they will be more concentrated in Surveillance Areas. Visit the Surveillance Area webpage for more information. For frequently asked questions and answers about CWD testing, visit the CWD Frequently Asked Questions page. There are three options available to get your deer tested. View the videos below on self-serve freezers, staffed check stations and Cervid Health Cooperators.
Testing Drop-off Stations are located across the state, and most are available 24/7 during deer hunting season. Bag the head of your deer and leave it in the freezer with a completed data tag, which is provided. Drop-off locations, including address and other information, are located on the interactive map below.
Download printable instructions. (PDF) Download printable FAQs (PDF)
NCWRC Staffed Check Stations will be available at several locations throughout the CWD Surveillance Areas, offering an additional option for hunters to submit their deer heads for testing. These locations and hours of operation are listed below on the CWD check station schedule.
Processors or Taxidermists who are Cervid Health Cooperators can submit a sample from your deer for testing. The NCWRC works with these partners to collect samples from deer brought to their facilities for processing or taxidermy. If you are unsure whether your processor or taxidermist is a Cervid Health Cooperator, ask them directly or view the cooperators on the interactive map below.
Samples consist of lymph nodes collected from the jawline of the deer that are then submitted to a laboratory for CWD testing. Test results can be viewed with all of your harvest records here. Shipping and processing times at the lab can vary, but test results are expected to take 4-6 weeks from deer harvested in CWD Surveillance Areas and 7-9 weeks from deer elsewhere in the state. If your deer tests positive for CWD, you will be contacted by a NCWRC biologist.
The check station schedule for the 2023-24 hunting season will be available as hunting season approaches. Please check back soon for more information.
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