Early detection is critical to managing CWD effectively and the average number of national samples needed for adequate testing annually is increasing. We surveyed state wildlife agencies to determine their budget dedicated to CWD surveillance, monitoring and testing, the number of samples tested, average wait time for results, and if sampling goals were met in 2019 and 2024. We also asked where CWD samples are collected from and if replacement tags are offered to hunters who harvest a CWD positive deer. Since 2019, agencies have allocated an additional $13 million nationally for CWD; a 128% increase. Contributing to this additional cost is a 38% increase in sampling efforts from 2019 to 2023, with 43 states testing nearly 250,000 samples. Despite the increasing cost and manpower required for testing, average wait time for results decreased from 36 to 29 days since 2019, with at least four states offering results in one week. Increased surveillance has forced agencies to diversify how samples are collected and agencies reported nearly ten different sources, with clinically suspect deer the most popular (96%). Forty-two states rely heavily on hunter harvested deer with 18 states offering replacement tags to hunters who take a CWD positive animal. Fortunately, 26 states met their sampling goals in 2023, with at least eight more reaching their goals in individual CWD surveillance zones or counties. Our results shed light on the drain that CWD has on wildlife agency resources and the intensive and opportunistic sampling that is crucial to manage the disease.
