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Deer check stations for chronic wasting disease
The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources needs your cooperation.
Hunters will play an important role in chronic wasting disease (CWD) surveillance happening this year at Utah Division of Wildlife Resources check stations. During the first few days of the rifle hunt, we will be collecting deer tissue samples at a number of check stations across the state. Successful hunters who have harvested deer from this season's CWD sampling areas may bring tissue samples to be tested for CWD free of charge. Hunters who wish to test deer harvested from other units may send the deer's head to the Utah Veterinary Diagnostic Lab in Logan or Spanish Fork and pay a $25 lab fee.
Download a map of the chronic wasting disease sampling areas for the 2025–26 hunting season.
When you stop at a check station, agency staff will:
- Take lymph nodes from your deer (you will need to leave about 6 inches of the animal's neck and windpipe attached below the jaw so that we can remove the lymph nodes for the sample)
- Ask you a few questions, including the location where the deer was harvested
The entire process will take a few minutes, and your cooperation will help us monitor the disease and study its impact on the state's deer herds. Testing results will be available for you to view online within six weeks of sampling.
Chronic wasting disease — a degenerative neurological disease that affects deer, elk and moose — was first detected in Utah in 2002. As of Sept. 2, 2025, 356 mule deer and 10 elk have tested positive for CWD in Utah. Learn more about the disease and where it has been found in Utah.
Although there isn't proof that CWD poses a risk for human health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention does not recommend the consumption of animals that test positive for CWD.
Check station locations
You can get your deer checked at the following locations during the hunting season:
Northern Utah
| Location | Dates and times |
|---|---|
| Highway 30 approx. ½ mile west of I-84 Exit 5 near Snowville | Oct. 18-19, from roughly 9 a.m. to dusk |
| Highway 89 at the mouth of Logan Canyon in Logan | Oct. 18-19, from roughly 9 a.m. to dusk |
| Highway 101 at the mouth of Blacksmith Fork Canyon in Hyrum | Oct. 18-19, from roughly 9 a.m. to dusk |
| DWR Ogden office 515 E. 5300 South Ogden, UT 84405 |
Oct. 20-24 and Oct. 27 (By appointment only. Call 801-476-2740 to make an appointment.) |
CWD tests are free for deer harvested from the Box Elder, Cache, Ogden and East Canyon units. Call the DWR Ogden office at 801-476-2740 for more information.
Northeastern Utah
| Location | Dates and times |
|---|---|
| DWR Vernal office 318 N. Vernal Ave. Vernal, UT 84078 |
Oct. 20-24, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. (By appointment only. Call 435-781-9453 to schedule an appointment.) |
| Near Strawberry Reservoir, at the junction of U.S. Highway 40 and Co-op Creek Road (between mile markers 41 and 42) | Oct. 18-20, from roughly 9 a.m. to dark |
CWD tests are free for deer harvested from the Nine Mile and Wasatch Mtns, East units. Call the DWR Vernal office at 435-781-9453 for more information.
Hunters can also call the DWR Vernal office for a list of taxidermists and meat processors in the area that will also take CWD samples, along with processing the meat or doing taxidermy work.
Central Utah
| Location | Dates and times |
|---|---|
| Spanish Fork Canyon (near the Covered Bridge community) | Oct. 18-20, from roughly 9 a.m. to dark |
| DWR Springville office 1115 N. Main St. Springville, UT 84663 |
Oct. 21-24 (By appointment only. Call 801-491-5678 to make an appointment.) |
| DWR Salt Lake office 1594 W. North Temple Salt Lake City, UT 84116 |
Oct. 21-24 (By appointment only. Call 385-835-2729 to make an appointment.) |
CWD tests are free for deer harvested from the Wasatch Mtns, West; Wasatch Mtns, East; Oquirrh-Tintic and Stansbury units. Call the DWR Springville office at 801-491-5678 for more information.
Hunters can also call the DWR Springville office for a list of taxidermists and meat processors in the area that will also take CWD samples, along with processing the meat or doing taxidermy work.
Southeastern Utah
| Location | Dates and times |
|---|---|
| Miller's Travel Center in Wellington (at the junction of SR-6 and Nine Mile Canyon Road) | Sept. 27-28, Oct. 18-20 and Oct. 25-26, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. |
| La Sal Junction (intersection of US-191 and SR-46, approx. 20 miles south of Moab) |
Sept. 27-28, Oct. 18-20 and Oct. 25-26, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. |
| DWR Price office 319 N. Carbonville Road Suite A Price, UT 84501 |
Sept. 24 to Oct. 2, Oct. 18-26 and Oct. 29 to Nov. 6, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. (By appointment only. Call 435-613-3700 to make an appointment.) |
CWD tests are free for deer harvested from the La Sal and Nine Mile units. Call the DWR Price office at 435-613-3700 for more information.
Southern Utah
| Location | Dates and times |
|---|---|
| DWR Cedar City office 1470 N. Airport Road Cedar City, UT 84721 |
By appointment only. Call 435-865-6100 to make an appointment. |
CWD tests are free for deer harvested from the Southwest Desert, Beaver, Fillmore and Pine Valley units. Call the DWR Cedar City office at 435-865-6100 for more information.
Hunters can also call the DWR Cedar City office for a list of taxidermists and meat processors in the area that will also take CWD samples, along with processing the meat or doing taxidermy work.
Note: Permit holders for the Southwest Desert, Beaver, Fillmore and Pine Valley units will receive an email with information about locations and phone numbers to call for an appointment.
Additional options
We will periodically have personnel available during the first few days of the hunt, or you can drop off a head during the season at one of the following meat lockers:
- Ungerman's Meats at 790 N. 400 East in Huntington
- JC Meats at 3540 S. Highway 6 in Price
If you have questions, please contact a Division office.
