CWD testing is available for hunters across North Carolina throughout hunting season. While sampling options will be available across the state, they will be more concentrated in the Primary and Secondary Surveillance Areas where CWD has been detected. 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, described below.
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.
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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 schedule below includes all NCWRC Staffed Check Stations operating during the mandatory testing periods for the Primary Surveillance Area (November 5th to January 2nd, 2023) and the Secondary Surveillance Area (November 5th to November 27th, 2022). Times and locations are subject to change, so check the schedule before traveling to a check station.
To find a location, scroll to the day(s) you will be hunting and click on each individual check station to view operating times and addresses. Many check stations are open for several hours in the morning and the afternoon, shown as two separate lines on the calendar. The hours on this schedule DO NOT represent the operating hours of the businesses where some check stations are located, contact meat processors directly for their operating hours and days.
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