Six stories from the field reveal how hunters across the country are navigating CWD – and why staying informed matters.

Over the course of the 2025 deer season, TRCP shared six stories from three hunters across three states – Minnesota, Montana, and Pennsylvania – each offering a window into how Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) is shaping modern deer hunting.

Taken together, these reflections reinforced a simple truth: while landscapes, regulations, and traditions may differ, hunters across the country are grappling with the same questions about herd health, responsibility, and the future of the resource. 

Catch up on the Deer Season – Hunting & CWD posts HERE

Minnesota: Learning in Real Time 

Our Minnesota stories captured what it feels like to hunt in a state where CWD is no longer theoretical – it’s something hunters must actively account for each season. 

In A Season of Firsts in Minnesota, TRCP’s Aaron Field described the challenge that comes with navigating new testing requirements, rethinking long-held routines, and confronting uncertainty in moments that once felt automatic. Those early decisions required slowing down and asking questions in the effort to seek out reliable sources and evaluate new information.

Later, in A Minnesota Season Revisited he looked back on that experience with added perspective – showing how awareness and familiarity can replace hesitation with confidence, and how informed hunters become more comfortable stewards of the resource. 

Takeaway: Staying informed doesn’t just encourage participation – it builds confidence. When hunters understand the why behind testing and management, stewardship becomes part of the hunt, not a disruption to it. 

Montana: Tradition, Family, and the Long View 

Montana’s stories focused on something deeper than data alone: how CWD conversations fit into family traditions and the act of passing hunting on to the next generation. 

In A Hunting Journal: Found, and New Hunters in the Making, TRCP’s Ryan Chapin reflected on discovering old hunting journals while introducing young hunters to the field – connecting past, present, and future. That theme continued in Reflections From Our Family’s Montana Hunting Season, in which he emphasized that healthy herds are foundational to keeping those traditions alive. 

Takeaway: CWD isn’t just a challenge for wildlife managers – it’s a generational one rooted in our hunting traditions. Decisions made today shape the opportunities available tomorrow. 

Pennsylvania: Preparation and Perspective 

In Pennsylvania, the series followed TRCP’s Jim Kauffman’s season from start to finish – beginning with preparation and ending with reflection. 

In Prepping for the Pennsylvania Season, he highlighted the importance of understanding local regulations, disease management zones, and best practices before opening day.

Later, in Reflections From a Pennsylvania Deer Season he underscored how preparation pays off – leading to informed choices in the field and greater trust in the system designed to safeguard healthy deer herds. 

Takeaway: Responsible hunting starts well before the season – and informed hunters are essential partners in effective wildlife management. 

A Shared Set of Lessons 

Midway through the season, we paused to take stock in A Mid-Season Check-In. By season’s end, those early observations only rang truer. 

Across all six stories, several themes stood out: 

• CWD is already influencing how, where, and why hunters make decisions 

• Hunters play a critical role in surveillance, testing, and curbing the spread. 

• Clear information builds trust and participation 

• Science-based management works best when it reflects lived experience 

One lesson came through clearly across all six dispatches: staying informed is one of the most important tools hunters have. CWD regulations, testing protocols, and management strategies continue to evolve, and understanding how – and why – they change helps hunters make confident, responsible decisions in the field. For those looking to dig deeper, TRCP has compiled science-based resources and practical information on Chronic Wasting Disease at trcp.org/chronic-wasting-disease. 

What Comes Next 

One message we heard consistently – both in these stories and in feedback from hunters across the country – is that this conversation is needed, valued, and far from over, and that hunter voices are essential to it.   

CWD remains one of the most serious long-term threats to deer herds and the hunting traditions tied to them. Addressing it requires continued investment in research, monitoring, and education – and an ongoing commitment to keeping hunters informed and engaged. 

Because of the strong response to this series, Deer Season: Hunting & CWD will continue. We’ll keep elevating hunter voices, sharing real-world perspectives, and connecting those experiences to the science and policies that safeguard the future of deer hunting. 

Stay tuned – more stories from the field are coming soon. In the meantime, staying informed remains one of the most important ways hunters can contribute to healthy deer herds. As research, regulations, and management strategies continue to evolve, TRCP will keep sharing perspectives from the field alongside the science behind them. Learn more about Chronic Wasting Disease here.

Catch up on the Deer Season – Hunting & CWD posts HERE