A Silent Spread, A Decisive Response — Echoes from Concordia’s Woodland Edge

On a cold winter afternoon in the rolling woodlands and river bottoms of east-central Louisiana, the rhythm of nature — once steady and familiar — took on a more somber cadence. In Concordia Parish, a white-tailed buck that had been harvested by a local hunter tested positive for Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) — a fatal, untreatable condition that slowly ravages the brains of deer and other cervids, leaving them emaciated and disoriented. This marked the first confirmed wild case of CWD in Concordia Parish, a moment that prompted state wildlife officials to act with urgency.

In response, the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) issued a Declaration of Emergency, expanding the existing CWD control area to cover all of Concordia and Catahoula parishes as well as portions of Avoyelles, LaSalle, Pointe Coupee and Rapides parishes. The measure, announced by LDWF Secretary Tyler Bosworth, is intended to curb further spread of the disease among the state’s deer populations and to raise awareness among hunters and landowners.

Under the emergency order, certain practices that can accelerate disease transmission will be limited. Baiting and supplemental feeding of deer will be prohibited in many parts of the control area beginning Feb. 1, 2026, especially in zones deemed high-risk. In other surrounding zones, more controlled feeding methods will be permitted. In addition, restrictions on deer carcass transport aim to prevent potentially infected parts from leaving the area and spreading prions — the infectious proteins that cause CWD.

CWD, classified as a transmissible spongiform encephalopathy, is always fatal to cervids and currently has no known cure or treatment. Once prions are shed into the environment — through saliva, urine, feces or decomposing carcasses — they persist and can infect other deer for years.

While the disease has not been shown to infect humans, public health authorities such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend against consuming meat from infected deer and encourage hunters in known CWD areas to have harvested deer tested before eating the meat. LDWF, in line with its response plan, offers free testing of hunter-harvested deer to support surveillance and inform safe practices.

Louisiana has been tracking CWD since the disease was first identified in the state in 2022, and prior detections have occurred primarily in Tensas Parish and other portions of the control area. With this newly confirmed case in Concordia Parish, wildlife officials and community members alike are being reminded that vigilance — through monitoring, reporting, and adherence to regulations — remains essential to protect both deer populations and the traditions of hunting and outdoor recreation that are cherished across the region.

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Sources WBRZ KALB KNOE Minden Press-Herald Louisiana Sportsman