PRENTISS COUNTY — The Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks has confirmed the first case of Chronic Wasting Disease in Prentiss County after a hunter-harvested buck tested positive during the 2025 Velvet Season.
Although this is the county’s first confirmed case, Prentiss County was already part of the North Mississippi CWD Management Zone, so no changes to existing management zones or regulations are required, officials said.
Since February 2018, a total of 447 white-tailed deer have tested positive for the fatal neurological disease across 18 Mississippi counties.
Chronic Wasting Disease affects the brain and nervous system of deer and other cervids, leading to weight loss, abnormal behavior and death. It is transmitted through direct animal contact or environmental contamination.
The MDWFP continues to encourage hunters to submit deer for testing at established freezer drop-off locations or through participating taxidermists.
More information about CWD, testing sites and management zones is available at mdwfp.com/cwd.
