It's not in Tennessee yet, but it has been detected in two border states: Missouri and Virginia. Fortunately for us, we've got several things in our favor that will help prevent CWD spreading into our state. First, our terrain would make it difficult for infected deer to spread it naturally. To the west, we have the mighty Mississippi River that few deer could swim across. To the east, we have the Appalachians, Cumberland Plateau, and their sparse deer populations. As a legislative protection, deer farms aren't legal in Tennessee, for fenced hunting or otherwise. Such farms are notorious for being pathways by which CWD can enter a state's population by spreading from infected captive deer to the wild population.

I don't think CWD will be the extinction of our deer population. Some states like Colorado have had it for decades in places, yet they still have healthy deer, elk, and even moose populations.