Western Pennsylvania Hunters Adjust to New Rules Aimed at Controlling Chronic Wasting Disease
By James Engel
Saturday, Oct. 4, 2025 5:30 a.m.
Expanding Disease Management Areas
Hunters in Western Pennsylvania are now encountering updated regulations as the Pennsylvania Game Commission intensifies efforts to manage Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) in local deer populations.
As of 2024, sections of southern Armstrong County and eastern Westmoreland County were designated as CWD management areas following confirmed positive cases in wild deer, including a doe near Freeport.
New Hunting and Handling Protocols
Under these regulations, hunters in management areas may continue to harvest and field dress deer according to usual practices, but handling and transportation of deer parts classified as “high-risk” for CWD transmission are strictly controlled to prevent disease spread.
- High-risk parts must remain within the designated disease management area (DMA) if transported to processors outside the kill site.
- Direct transport of deer with high-risk parts is required to approved, cooperating processors when taken outside the home management area.
- Hunters self-processing deer must dispose of high-risk parts using commercial waste services locally or at the kill site.
- Deer heads can be submitted for CWD testing by placing them in tagged trash bags at specified Game Commission drop boxes.
- Feeding or rehabilitating deer in any DMA has been prohibited to reduce artificial congregation and transmission risk.
Local Processing Centers Supporting CWD Management
Several state cooperators serve as approved processors to aid hunters in complying with new rules, including:
- Toy’s Deer Processing, 1988 PA-66, Ford City, PA 16226 (DMA 3)
- Weimer Meats, 559 Weimer Rd, New Alexandria, PA 15670 (DMA 3)
- Custom Deer Processing, 131 Flowers Rd, New Alexandria, PA 15670 (DMA 2)
Expert Perspective on Disease Control Efforts
Wildlife biologists emphasize that managing CWD requires a multi-faceted approach, balancing hunter participation with scientific monitoring. CWD is a fatal neurodegenerative prion disease affecting cervids such as white-tailed deer.
Its transmission involves direct contact and environmental contamination from infectious prions found in lymphatic tissues, brain, and spinal cord. The new containment measures aim to minimize prion dispersal in the environment.
Expanding Disease Management Areas (DMAs) signals that CWD is no longer localized in Pennsylvania’s south-central regions but is spreading geographically, increasing challenges for wildlife agencies and hunters alike.
Continuing Challenges and Hunter Involvement
Hunters are encouraged to participate actively by submitting samples for testing, adhering to transport restrictions, and avoiding feeding practices that can unnaturally concentrate deer populations.
These continued efforts are critical to slowing the disease’s progress and protecting the health of deer populations vital to local ecosystems and hunters’ livelihoods.
Additional reporting and sources from: Western Pa. hunters face new rules as state tries to manage chronic wasting disease in deer | TribLIVE.com
