As deer hunting season continues to ramp up, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources warns hunters to watch out for chronic wasting disease.

CWD has not yet been detected in Southwest Michigan but is a contagious illness that impacts the nervous system of deer and elk, causing the brain to deteriorate in a distinctive spongy manner.

DNR Wildlife Division acting deer specialist Chad Fedewa tells us it’s much different from EHD, or epizootic hemorrhagic disease, which was found in Van Buren County earlier this year.

“Chronic wasting disease has multiple transmission routes, you know, through direct contact from deer to deer or from the environment to deer versus EHD, which is just from the fly to a deer.”

When it comes to CWD, Fedewa says there is no human health risk. If hunters do observe or notice a deer with symptoms of weight loss, unusual actions, loss of body functions, or death, they should report it.

“If you see a deer like that, it’s good to report it, but it doesn’t mean that it has CWD. So that’s where contacting the local field office, talking to the local biologist would be good.”

CWD has not been found in Southwest Michigan but has been detected in neighboring counties like Kent and Ionia.