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The Mountain Eagle

NEWS

Outdoors with Larry DiDonato - DEC Intensifies CWD Sampling in Herkimer County

By Matthew Avitabile · October 24, 2025 · The Mountain Eagle

DEC is calling on hunters to help eradicate Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) from the New York landscape. CWD is an always deadly disease affecting cervids like whitetail deer and can be devastating on local deer populations. DEC asks hunters to help with sampling efforts to ensure CWD does not gain a foothold in New York. Hunters can follow guidelines and safely drop off deer heads at advertised locations near the affected area.

Last fall, DEC and the Department of Agriculture and Markets confirmed Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD), an always fatal disease of deer, moose, and elk, in a captive deer facility located in the Town of Columbia in southern Herkimer County. After confirming the case, DEC sampled 196 wild deer in the surrounding area and did not find the disease.

Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) was first found in New York in Oneida County in 2005. The disease was identified in both a captive deer facility and two nearby wild deer. DECs response back then was nothing less than stellar. An intense de-population and sampling of deer around the epicenter where the deadly and contagious disease was conducted successfully contained the dreaded cervid disease. As far as I’m aware, New York is the only state to have effectively eradicated CWD once it was detected in both captive, and wild whitetail deer and hunters should be thankful for DEC’s past efforts and take heed of their proscription to contain it once again.

For the 2025 hunting season, DEC is intensifying its efforts to sample deer in the towns of Columbia, German Flatts, Litchfield, Warren, and Winfield in Herkimer County, and the town of Richfield in Otsego County. Hunters can bring their deer heads harvested from these six towns to one of eight drop-off locations for free testing. Taxidermists can also collect samples from deer intended for mounting. DEC will test deer heads at no cost to hunters and immediately notify hunters if a test result is positive for CWD.  

Deer head drop-off instructions 

  1. Cut the deer head off with some neck remaining. 

  2. Keep the head chilled or frozen until submission to DEC. 

  3. Remove the skull plate and antlers on bucks before submission. 

  4. Place the head in a plastic garbage bag. 

  5. Label the bag with your name, address, and phone number and complete the DEC tag at the drop-off location. 

  6. Place the DEC tag in the small bag provided and place in the garbage bag with the head. 

  7. Zip-tie the bag closed and deposit the bagged head in the white metal container at one of the drop-off locations below. 

Deer head drop-off bin locations

  • Town Of Columbia - 936 Jordanville Road, Ilion (To the left of the salt barn) 

  • Town Of Columbia - 147 County Route 259, Ilion (At the DOT buildings) 

  • Town of Litchfield - 804 Cedarville Road, Ilion (On the southern end of the salt barn) 

  • Town of Warren - 131 Hyde-Bell Lane, Jordanville (At the DOT buildings) 

  • Town of German Flatts - 85 East Main Street, Mohawk (Behind the YMCA) 

  • Town of German Flatts - 106 West Main Street, Mohawk (Herkimer County Sewer District Buildings) 

  • *Correction to drop-off location: Town of Richmond - 1545 County Route 25, Richfield Springs (Boss Farm) 

  • Town of Winfield - 306 Stone Road, West Winfield (Across the road in the turnaround) 

DEC urges hunters and taxidermists to help protect New York’s wild deer and moose populations from CWD. Submit you deer head and encourage others to do the same.  This year, DEC aims to collect samples from a minimum of 295 deer from the six-town area.

Hunters and partners play a vital role in keeping New York's wild deer herd free of CWD. DEC continues to work with the public to monitor deer health and prevent the disease from spreading. For details on CWD, DEC’s 2024 incident response, and ongoing surveillance plans visit DEC's CWD webpage.

Happy hunting, fishing, and trapping until next time!

News and Notes

Earlton Fish & Game Club to Hold Opening Day Hunter's Breakfast 

The Earlton Fish & Game Club is once again hosting its Opening Day Hunter's Breakfast on Saturday, November 15th, 2025 from 8:00 am to 1:00 pm at their clubhouse at 56 Potic Creek Road, in Earlton. The breakfast, available for a free-will offering, includes cooked to order-pancakes, sausage, eggs, bacon and more! All donations will be appreciated. There will also be a 50/50 raffle. All are welcome, no need to be a hunter to come! For more info call 518-694-8323 or email Info@EarltonGunClub.com.