Testing for Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD)

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Chronic Wasting Disease testing 

If you harvest or salvage a deer, elk, or moose in GMUs 124, 127, or 130, you are required to present the head to WDFW with at least three inches of neck attached, or extracted lymph nodes, within three days of harvesting or receiving a salvage permit. While it’s not required, people who harvest or salvage an animal in other GMUs are also encouraged to submit a sample. Outside of WDFW’s Region 1, there are no resources to take samples but you can use the mail-in option described below to submit a sample for testing. Shipping costs are at the expense of the submitter and cost will not be reimbursed. For assistance with this, please email CWD@dfw.wa.gov. 

Following are several ways to have sampling done. 

At a hunter check station

Hunter check stations will be available during the general firearm seasons in October and November. You can find hunter check stations on the map below for sampling harvested animals. Click on a location for more information such as exact location, dates, and hours available. Additional information on sampling options is below the map. 

At a self-service kiosk

You can drop your deer or elk head off at the locations listed below (or see map above). If you wish to keep the antlers, remove them prior to drop-off and do not leave attached to capes. Instructions on how to use kiosks are in the video below. Heads are not returned from self-service kiosks. If you wish to keep your animal's head, please stop by a hunter check station (locations also included on the map above) or make other arrangements for sampling. 

At WDFW's Region 1 office 

Staff are available at WDFW's Region 1 office at 2315 N. Discovery Place in Spokane Valley to takes CWD samples Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

By making an appointment with the Inland Northwest Wildlife Council

Call the Inland Northwest Wildlife Council (INWC) at (509) 487-8552 to set up an appointment for a member to test your harvested animal at their north Spokane facility. 

By mail

Please follow the instructions for self-submission carefully. Both a diagram and video follow to show the most efficient way to remove lymph nodes for testing by yourself. Samples submitted without all requested information or improperly packaged will not be tested. If you have questions, email CWD@dfw.wa.gov.

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1. Collect the lymph nodes for CWD testing and a front incisor tooth for aging- Watch the videos below or use the diagram above to learn how to collect lymph nodes and teeth from your harvested or salvaged deer, moose, or elk. If you are unable to collect a tooth for aging, please still submit the lymph nodes for CWD testing. If you are only able to collect one lymph node for CWD testing, please still submit that sample.

2. Put the lymph nodes and teeth in sealed plastic bags – Double bag the lymph nodes and tooth (wrap tooth in a paper towel) in a resealable plastic bag with paper towels between the sample bag and outer bag to absorb leakage. If submitting samples from multiple animals in one shipment, make sure to put the correct lymph nodes and teeth of one animal together into a bag and properly label following step 3.
3. Label your samples and provide additional information – Please label the outer bag with your name and phone number. Include the following information on paper (consider typing and printing for legibility) and put this information in a separate sealed plastic bag:
   • First and Last name of hunter or roadkill salvager
   • Hunter’s WILD ID if harvested or Salvage Permit Number if salvaged
   • Phone number
   • Date of harvest or salvage
   • Species: White-tailed deer, mule deer, elk, or moose
   • Sex of animal
   • If male, the number of antler points on the left and right antlers
4. Location of harvest or salvage – Please provide a precise location of where the animal was harvested or salvaged. This will help WDFW track and manage the disease. A GPS location with latitude and longitude or universal translocator mercators (UTMs) is preferred, but GMU with nearest road, intersection, or drainage name will be accepted, OR county with road name and mile marker number if salvaged.
5. Ship your samples – Keep samples frozen until you’re ready to ship them. Place sample bags and additional printed information in a leak-proof, padded envelope or box using a 1- to 2-day mail service – mail services will not accept smelly or soiled packages. Place an ice pack that will not leak into the package. Do not freeze water in a plastic bag to use as a cold pack. It will leak, and carriers may not deliver a leaking package. Please try to ship your samples on Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday of each week, and avoid shipping on holidays to prevent the samples from sitting over the weekend.

Send to or drop off your samples at Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, ATTN: CWD, 2315 N. Discovery Pl., Spokane Valley, WA 99216 (If you do not put “ATTN: CWD”, we will not know this is a CWD sample and it may not be stored properly, making it untestable). If dropping off samples, please only do so during office hours when staff can physically take the sample from you. 

CWD test results

CWD test results can be found by entering your WILD ID or Salvage Permit ID in the test results lookup tool. Samples take on average 4-6 weeks to be shipped to Washington Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory (WADDL) and receive results.