ILLINOISDEPARTMENTOF NATURAL RESOURCES

J.B. Pritzker,
Governor|illinois.gov

CWD in Illinois Q&A

by Kathy Andrews Wright |  November 2, 2020 |  Wildlife
A group of white-tailed deer backlit over the crest of a snowy field. A wire fence is in front of the deer. Trees are in the background.

Photo courtesy of the IDNR.

Film Date:

October 14, 2020

Speaker:

Dan Skinner from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources

Produced by:

Laura Kammin

Kathy Andrews Wright

Edited by:

Sarah Marjanovic

Questions received in advance of the conversation are listed below, with the time noted should you desire to fast-forward to a topic of interest.

00:33 Dan Skinner overview of position with Illinois Department of Natural Resources

01:30 What is Chronic Wasting Disease and why is it problematic?

03:40 The history of CWD in the United States, and specifically in Illinois.

05:58 How is the Illinois Department of Natural Resources managing the state’s white-tailed deer herd to minimize the spread of this disease?

Two-pronged Approach

  • 06:34 Surveillance
    • 07:30 Check Stations
  • 08:38 Management
    • 08:40 Sharp-shooting Program

10:30 How CWD spreads

11:27 What can the public do to aid in the management of CWD?

  • 11:50 Participate in hunting programs
  • 13:15 Landowners working with District Wildlife Biologists in CWD management operations
  • 14:25 Report sick deer on White-tailed Deer Illinois website

14:56 Signs of CWD

Resources to Review

  • 18:53 IDNR CWD website
  • 19:24 White-tailed Deer Illinois website
  • 19:43 USFS CWD website

20:24 Closing comments

  • Myths of CWD document on IDNR website
  • A thank you to purchasers of hunting licenses and permits

Follow Living with Wildlife Illinois on Facebook and Instagram

For more information on Illinois wildlife:

If you are interested in viewing the text alternative for the video click the CC option at the lower margin of the video.

Kathy Andrews Wright retired from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources where she was editor of OutdoorIllinois magazine. She is currently the editor of OutdoorIllinois Journal.

Share this Article

Submit a question for the author

Explore Our Family of Websites

A link the Wildlife Illinois web site with advertisements for its four sections: Help, Sightings, Wildlife Identification, and Prevent Problems.
A link the Hunt Illinois web site.
A link the CICADA web site.
A link the Living with White-tailed Deer web site with advertisements for its three sections: ecology, management, and history.

Similar Reads

Mammals, Research, Video, Wildlife Health
An adult male white-tailed deer runs through a harvested cornfield. In the background is a grassland. Overlapping the photo in the top right is the Illinois Department of Natural Resources 100th Anniversary Celebratory logo.
An American dog tick waits on tall grass to clasp onto its next meal.

Living with Wildlife: Be Tick Aware

November 3, 2025 by Laura Kammin

Three researchers stand in a grassland. One of the researchers uses a long handled pincher tool to pick up a small snake and place it carefully in a bucket. The other two researchers observe the process. Over head is bright partly cloudy sky. In the background is a horizon line of trees.
A green and brown smallmouth bass fish swimming to the right in murky waters.

Using Long-term Data to Improve Sportfish Monitoring in Illinois Rivers

November 3, 2025 by Robert Mooney, Michael Spear, Brian Ickes, Andrya L. Whitten Harris, Jason A. DeBoer, David Glover, James T. Lamer

Two men pose next to a harvested adult male white-tailed deer in the bed of a pickup truck. One individual is sitting on the edge of bed of the pickup truck while he holds up the deer's large antlers. The man to the left leans with his arms over the side of the bed of the pick up truck. In the background is a highway overpass.
A brown white-tailed deer walks down a snowy hill in a woodland. Snow is actively falling and accumulating on the ground. Some snow is on the deer's back and head.

Caught on Camera

November 3, 2025 by Sheryl DeVore

A young woman holds up with both hands a large gray, tan catfish while standing on a boat near the shoreline of a lake. In the background is a marina filled with boats.
A group of women stand on the shoreline of a bottomland wetland in early spring. A hillside of trees surrounds the wetland on the left side. In the far background is a grassland and a woodland.

The Culture, History and Values of Modern Trapping

November 3, 2025 by Kathy Andrews Wright

An orange, black and white butterfly nectars on a pink flower.
A gray, tan and black coyote standing on leaf litter in a woodland looks up at a tree. In the background are trees.