IDNR Launches New System to Notify Hunters of Deer Disease Test Results (Springfield, IL) – The Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) has introduced a new automated system to notify hunters about chronic wasting disease (CWD) test results, streamlining communication and enhancing disease tracking during the 2025–2026 deer hunting season.
Beginning this fall, hunters who submit deer samples for CWD testing will automatically receive their results via text and email, provided they list a mobile number with their sample and have a valid email linked to their ExploreMoreIL account.
The new system is being rolled out across the 25-county CWD management area in northern and west-central Illinois, where hunters are encouraged to submit samples at mandatory or voluntary firearm check stations, participating vendors, or self-serve drop-off sites.
“Automating the CWD notification process will make it faster and easier for hunters to receive their test results and for our staff to monitor disease spread,” IDNR officials said in a statement.
If a deer tests presumptive positive for CWD, the hunter will receive a notification that includes a link to an interactive map, allowing them to verify the harvest location. If further testing changes the initial result, hunters will be alerted again via text.
Hunters can still view results through the CWD results website or contact IDNR directly at DNR.CWDQuestions@illinois.gov.
Those who fail to verify their deer’s township range selection (TRS) within 15 days may receive a follow-up call from an IDNR biologist. Hunters who don’t confirm the TRS could lose eligibility for complimentary replacement tags in the next hunting season.
CWD is a fatal neurological disease affecting deer and elk. It was first detected in Illinois in 2002 in a Boone County deer. Since then, IDNR has tested more than 185,000 wild deer, with 2,748 confirmed cases statewide.
Between July 2024 and June 2025, the Wildlife Disease Program confirmed 539 CWD-positive deer in 25 counties, including Boone, Jo Daviess, McHenry, Winnebago, LaSalle, and DeKalb.
For more information on CWD management and testing locations, visit the IDNR’s CWD Management website.
IDNR Launches New System to Notify Hunters of Deer Disease Test Results
