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Illinois CWD Zones and Rules, 28 Counties and 18 Check Stations
The 28 CWD counties, positives by county, the 18 check-station counties with addresses, Special CWD season rules and the FY2026 report numbers.
Photo: YellowstoneNPS (Public domain)
CWD in Illinois at a glance
Chronic wasting disease has been confirmed in 28 Illinois counties, with 3,412 positive deer recorded from November 2003 through June 2026. 25 counties hold a Special CWD season, 18 counties require firearm hunters to take deer to a check station (17 station addresses are listed, none for Kane), and 31 counties have a late-winter antlerless hunt on private land. In the fiscal year ending June 2026 IDNR tested 5,331 adult deer and found 553 positives, and sharpshooters removed 1,258 deer. Counties below link to their own pages with permits, harvest and rules.
From IDNR CWD annual report FY2026 and Digest CWD pages (Illinois Department of Natural Resources), checked November 13, 2026.
The 28 counties with confirmed CWD, by positives to date
| County | Positives to date | FY2026 samples | FY2026 positives | Share positive | 2025-26 deer taken | Special season | Firearm check station |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jo Daviess | 470 | 917 | 107 | 11.7% | 2,696 | Yes | Elizabeth Community Building, 402 West St, Elizabeth, IL 61028 |
| McHenry | 387 | 444 | 68 | 15.3% | 1,139 | Yes | Volo Bog State Natural Area, 28478 Brandenburg Rd, Ingleside, IL 60041 |
| LaSalle | 316 | 374 | 56 | 15.0% | 1,561 | Yes | Buffalo Rock State Park, 1300 North 27th Rd, Ottawa, IL 61350 |
| Winnebago | 316 | 166 | 13 | 7.8% | 997 | Yes | Rock Cut State Park, 6425 Hart Rd, Loves Park, IL 61111 |
| Grundy | 312 | 201 | 49 | 24.4% | 796 | Yes | Gebhard Woods State Park, 401 Ottawa St, Morris, IL 60450 |
| Boone | 282 | 97 | 27 | 27.8% | 413 | Yes | Boone County Fairgrounds, 8847 IL-76, Belvidere, IL 61008 |
| Stephenson | 275 | 238 | 35 | 14.7% | 1,133 | Yes | Stephenson Co. Fairgrounds, 2250 S Walnut Rd, Freeport, IL 61032 |
| Ogle | 259 | 437 | 62 | 14.2% | 1,620 | Yes | Castle Rock State Park, 1365 W. Castle Rd. Oregon, IL 61061 |
| Carroll | 162 | 412 | 41 | 9.9% | 1,282 | Yes | Carroll County Farm Bureau, 811 S Clay St B, Mt Carroll, IL 61053 |
| DeKalb | 128 | 125 | 11 | 8.8% | 413 | Yes | Shabbona Lake State Park, 4201 Shabbona Grove Rd, Shabbona, IL 60550 |
| Kane | 122 | 164 | 16 | 9.8% | 428 | Yes | Listed, no address |
| Kendall | 103 | 74 | 12 | 16.2% | 273 | Yes | Silver Springs State Park, 13608 Fox Rd, Yorkville, IL 60560 |
| Will | 75 | 179 | 7 | 3.9% | 1,063 | Yes | Des Plaines Game Propagation Center, 30550 S Boathouse Rd, Wilmington, IL 60481 |
| Livingston | 73 | 286 | 17 | 5.9% | 775 | Yes | Pontiac Sportsman's Club, 18663 4H Park Rd Pontiac, IL 61764 |
| Lee | 47 | 299 | 22 | 7.4% | 1,404 | Yes | Lee County 4H Center, 1196 Franklin Rd, Amboy, IL 61310 |
| Kankakee | 31 | 147 | 1 | 0.7% | 746 | Yes | Kankakee River State Park Visitor Center, 5314 W. Rt. 102, Bourbonnais, IL 60914 |
| Cook | 12 | 20 | 0 | 0.0% | 149 | No | – |
| DuPage | 12 | 13 | 0 | 0.0% | 29 | No | – |
| Lake | 10 | 32 | 1 | 3.1% | 332 | No | – |
| Ford | 5 | 97 | 1 | 1.0% | 227 | Yes | IDNR Gibson City Office, 301 Date St, Gibson City, IL 60936 |
| Bureau | 4 | 283 | 3 | 1.1% | 1,848 | Yes | Bureau County Fairgrounds, 811 W Peru St, Princeton, IL 61356 |
| Putnam | 4 | 27 | 1 | 3.7% | 763 | Yes | – |
| Marshall | 2 | 11 | 0 | 0.0% | 1,167 | Yes | – |
| Adams | 1 | 185 | 0 | 0.0% | 4,249 | Yes | – |
| Effingham | 1 | 48 | 1 | 2.1% | 2,180 | Yes | – |
| Peoria | 1 | 42 | 0 | 0.0% | 2,141 | Yes | – |
| Scott | 1 | 10 | 1 | 10.0% | 707 | Yes | – |
| Stark | 1 | 3 | 1 | 33.3% | 395 | Yes | – |
From IDNR CWD annual report FY2026 (Illinois Department of Natural Resources), checked November 13, 2026.
Mandatory check stations for firearm deer in 18 counties
Successful first and second firearm season hunters must take the deer whole or field-dressed to a designated check station the same day, 8 am-8 pm; if not recovered in time, check in at 8 am the next morning.
| County | Check station |
|---|---|
| Boone | Boone County Fairgrounds, 8847 IL-76, Belvidere, IL 61008 |
| Bureau | Bureau County Fairgrounds, 811 W Peru St, Princeton, IL 61356 |
| Carroll | Carroll County Farm Bureau, 811 S Clay St B, Mt Carroll, IL 61053 |
| DeKalb | Shabbona Lake State Park, 4201 Shabbona Grove Rd, Shabbona, IL 60550 |
| Ford | IDNR Gibson City Office, 301 Date St, Gibson City, IL 60936 |
| Grundy | Gebhard Woods State Park, 401 Ottawa St, Morris, IL 60450 |
| Jo Daviess | Elizabeth Community Building, 402 West St, Elizabeth, IL 61028 |
| Kankakee | Kankakee River State Park Visitor Center, 5314 W. Rt. 102, Bourbonnais, IL 60914 |
| Kendall | Silver Springs State Park, 13608 Fox Rd, Yorkville, IL 60560 |
| LaSalle | Buffalo Rock State Park, 1300 North 27th Rd, Ottawa, IL 61350 |
| Lee | Lee County 4H Center, 1196 Franklin Rd, Amboy, IL 61310 |
| Livingston | Pontiac Sportsman's Club, 18663 4H Park Rd Pontiac, IL 61764 |
| McHenry | Volo Bog State Natural Area, 28478 Brandenburg Rd, Ingleside, IL 60041 |
| Ogle | Castle Rock State Park, 1365 W. Castle Rd. Oregon, IL 61061 |
| Stephenson | Stephenson Co. Fairgrounds, 2250 S Walnut Rd, Freeport, IL 61032 |
| Will | Des Plaines Game Propagation Center, 30550 S Boathouse Rd, Wilmington, IL 60481 |
| Winnebago | Rock Cut State Park, 6425 Hart Rd, Loves Park, IL 61111 |
Kane County is on the check-station list but has no address in the Digest; confirm it on the IDNR CWD map before you hunt there. 18 counties are required: Boone, Bureau, Carroll, DeKalb, Ford, Grundy, Jo Daviess, Kane, Kankakee, Kendall, LaSalle, Lee, Livingston, McHenry, Ogle, Stephenson, Will and Winnebago.
From Digest check-station pages (Illinois Department of Natural Resources), checked November 13, 2026.
Special CWD and late-winter counties
Special CWD season dates are 2026-12-31 to 2027-01-03 and 2027-01-15 to 2027-01-17. County-specific antlerless-only OTC permit $5.00 + fees, sold December 8, 2026 through January 17, 2027; special hunt area antlerless-only $17.50 by lottery October 27-November 23, 2026. Deer taken in the Special CWD season do not count toward the two-antlered-deer limit.
| Rule | Counties |
|---|---|
| Special CWD season | |
| Late-winter antlerless (private land) |
From IDNR Special CWD season information and IDNR late-winter hunting information (Illinois Department of Natural Resources), checked November 13, 2026.
CWD rules every deer hunter shares
Baiting and feeding: You cannot legally feed deer at any time and/or take deer by the use or aid of bait or baiting of any kind. Store-bought deer baits and attractants are illegal at any time except for licensed captive cervid owners feeding captive animals. An area is considered baited during the presence of and for 10 consecutive days following removal of the bait. Standing-crop manipulation, food plots, normal agricultural practices and scent-only products not capable of ingestion are not baiting.
Carcass handling and head drop-off sites are posted on the IDNR CWD pages; the service directory on this site lists the 38 CWD head drop-off stations IDNR names.
From Digest baiting pages (Illinois Department of Natural Resources), checked November 13, 2026.
White-tailed deer moving through autumn woodsPhoto: NPS Photo (Public domain)
A white-tailed doe looking out from summer forest (photographed in Minnesota)Photo: Courtney Celley (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Midwest Region) (Public Domain Mark 1.0)
White-tailed deer fawn in tall grassPhoto: USFWS Mountain Prairie (Public domain)
CWD zones and rules: common questions
Which Illinois counties have confirmed CWD?
28: Adams, Boone, Bureau, Carroll, Cook, DeKalb, DuPage, Effingham, Ford, Grundy, Jo Daviess, Kane, Kankakee, Kendall, LaSalle, Lake, Lee, Livingston, Marshall, McHenry, Ogle, Peoria, Putnam, Scott, Stark, Stephenson, Will and Winnebago.
How many deer have tested positive?
3,412 from November 2003 through June 2026, led by Jo Daviess County with 470, McHenry County with 387 and LaSalle County with 316.
Which counties require a check station?
18 counties: Boone, Bureau, Carroll, DeKalb, Ford, Grundy, Jo Daviess, Kane, Kankakee, Kendall, LaSalle, Lee, Livingston, McHenry, Ogle, Stephenson, Will and Winnebago. Hunters take the deer to a station the same day, 8 am to 8 pm, in the first and second firearm seasons.
What if I cannot reach the check station in time?
If the deer is not recovered in time, check it in at 8 am the next morning, according to the Digest.
What is the Special CWD season?
An antlerless-only hunt in 25 counties on December 31 to January 3 and January 15 to 17; the county permit is $5.00 plus fees and deer do not count toward the antlered limit.
Does CWD change the deer limit?
Special CWD season deer are exempt from the two-antlered-deer yearly limit; the usual one deer per permit applies.
How many samples did IDNR test in fiscal 2026?
5,331 adult deer, with 553 positives; sharpshooting removed 1,258 deer.
How many deer were taken in CWD counties in 2025-26?
The CWD report lists 30,926 deer taken in the 28 counties across all seasons.
Where can I check if my county is on a list?
Each county page shows its own flags, and the deer permit table carries the flags for all 102.
Other photos on this page: NPS Photo (Public domain); Courtney Celley (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Midwest Region) (Public Domain Mark 1.0); USFWS Mountain Prairie (Public domain).