Feeding Deer Banned In Our County

Chronic Wasting Disease (CDW) – a fatal neurological disease of deer, elk, and moose – is spreading through Virginia. The disease has not been shown to pose a health risk to humans or domestic animals, but the potential impact on Virginia’s white-tailed deer populations is a concern. It is transmitted through the saliva, feces, and urine of infected deer. Feeding the deer may seem harmless, but it encourages them to gather in one area and feed from a shared bucket, heap, or trough. In this scenario, an infected deer would spread the disease quicker when it comes in contact with multiple deer at once. Feeding deer is prohibited year-round within twenty-five miles of a CWD detection. Effective immediately, Augusta and Fluvanna counties are added to the year-round feeding ban due to the location of the positive detection within Madison County. This means it is now a violation of state law to feed deer in Fluvanna County. Thank you for understanding!