Hunters in portions of Crawford and Morrow counties are among those getting additional opportunities to pursue white-tailed deer this fall as Ohio expands special hunting measures aimed at slowing the spread of chronic wasting disease. Ohio’s Chronic Wasting Disease surveillance area opened for archery hunting on Saturday, September 12, weeks ahead of the regular statewide schedule. The Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Wildlife will also hold an early gun season from Saturday, October 10 through Monday, October 12 within the designated area.
For north-central Ohio hunters, the boundaries are particularly significant. The surveillance area does not cover all of Crawford or Morrow counties, but it does include four Crawford County townships and one in Morrow County. In Crawford County, the special regulations apply in Bucyrus, Dallas, Holmes and Tod townships. In Morrow County, Westfield Township is included. The 2026-27 surveillance area also includes all of Allen, Hardin, Marion and Wyandot counties, along with selected townships in Delaware, Hancock and Union counties.
Why Ohio Is Adding Hunting Days
The Division of Wildlife established the earlier seasons as part of its effort to reduce deer numbers before the breeding season and limit opportunities for chronic wasting disease, commonly known as CWD, to spread. CWD is a fatal neurological disease affecting members of the deer family, including white-tailed deer, elk, mule deer, moose and caribou. Since fall 2020, 118 wild deer in Ohio have tested positive for the disease. Positive animals have been found in Allen, Crawford, Hancock, Hardin, Marion, Seneca and Wyandot counties. The presence of Crawford County among those counties makes the expanded surveillance effort especially relevant for hunters in the Galion and surrounding north-central Ohio area. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there is no strong evidence that CWD can be transmitted to humans.
Special Permits Apply Beginning Sept. 12
Hunters must possess a valid Ohio hunting license and deer permit unless they qualify for an exemption. Within the surveillance area, both deer management permits and either-sex deer permits became valid September 12.
Deer management permits may be used only for antlerless deer, but they are valid on both public hunting areas and private property throughout the deer season within applicable areas. Hunters should consult Ohio’s 2026-27 Hunting and Trapping Regulations before heading into the field, particularly because rules inside the CWD surveillance area differ from those elsewhere in the state.
Mandatory Testing Comes With the Early Season
CWD sampling will be mandatory for all deer harvested within the surveillance area on four dates this season: October 10 and 11 and November 30 and December 1. The state will operate staffed testing locations during those mandatory sampling days, including the Delaware Wildlife Area Shooting Range at 1110 Ohio 229 near Ashley. Other staffed locations will be available in Upper Sandusky, Marion, Kenton, Ada and Lima, as well as at the Killdeer Plains Wildlife Area headquarters near Harpster. Testing is voluntary outside those four dates.
Hunters may also leave deer samples at self-service CWD kiosks throughout the season. Deer harvested either inside or outside the surveillance area may be submitted for testing, and hunters do not have to surrender the entire animal.
Baiting Is Prohibited Inside the Zone
Hunters within the CWD surveillance area also face additional restrictions intended to reduce the potential spread of the disease. Using bait such as salt, minerals or food to attract or feed deer is prohibited. Hunting deer with the aid of bait is also prohibited. The restriction does not apply to normal agricultural activity, feeding domestic animals, food plots, naturally occurring plants, cultivated vegetation or agricultural crops. Rules also limit the removal of complete deer carcasses and certain high-risk parts from the surveillance area. A carcass may generally leave the area only if it complies with Ohio’s deer carcass regulations or is delivered to a certified taxidermist or processor within 24 hours.
Carcass Disposal Plays A Role
Wildlife officials say proper handling of carcasses can substantially reduce the risk of moving CWD into new areas. High-risk material includes the brain, spinal cord, eyes and lymphoid tissue.
The Division of Wildlife recommends double-bagging those parts and disposing of them through household trash collection where permitted. Hunters without access to trash pickup may take properly bagged material to a municipal solid waste landfill or bury the carcass at least three feet deep on the property where the deer was harvested. The state also provides disposal dumpsters within the surveillance area.
More Than Two Decades Of Testing
Ohio has conducted routine CWD surveillance since 2002 and has tested more than 58,000 deer. The latest measures place parts of Crawford and Morrow counties directly within that continuing effort, meaning hunters in Bucyrus, Dallas, Holmes, Tod and Westfield townships will need to pay particular attention to the earlier hunting dates, testing requirements and additional regulations this season. More information on CWD, testing locations, carcass disposal and certified processors is available through the Ohio Department of Natural Resources at ohiodnr.gov/cwd. Hunters may also contact the Division of Wildlife’s CWD Hotline at 419-429-8322.