Chronic wasting disease has been confirmed in a pair of deer in Hardin County, according to the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency. The CWD-positive deer makes Hardin County CWD positive and neighboring Decatur County is now classified as a high-risk CWD county due to the location of where one of the positive deer was detected.
The deer carcass exportation and wildlife feeding restrictions apply to all high-risk and positive counties. One positive deer was confirmed in southern Hardin County and the other was north of Savannah, closer to the Decatur County border.
The Tennessee Fish and Wildlife Commission instituted deer carcass exportation and wildlife feeding restrictions to positive and high-risk counties to best manage CWD in the state. Supplemental feeding of wildlife is banned in high-risk and positive counties, therefore placement of grains, salt products and other consumable products for wildlife is prohibited. The ban does not apply to feed placed within 100 feet of a residence, feed placed in a manner not accessible to deer or feed and minerals as the result of normal agricultural practices. Food plots are still legal in affected counties.