Starting July 1 placing food or minerals for deer is now prohibited in 12 more Missouri counties to help limit the spread of chronic wasting disease.
The Department of Conservation expanded restrictions on feeding deer and placing minerals for deer from 29 to 41 counties throughout the state. The goal of the expanded feeding ban is to help limit the spread of chronic wasting disease (CWD).
The 41 counties comprise the state’s CWD Management Zone. The 12 new counties are Barry, Benton, Cedar, Dade, Hickory, Ozark, Polk, St. Clair, St. Francois, Ste. Genevieve, Stone and Taney.
The 29 existing counties in CWD Management Zone are Adair, Boone, Callaway, Carroll, Chariton, Cole, Cooper, Crawford, Franklin, Gasconade, Jefferson, Knox, Linn, Livingston, Macon, Miller, Moniteau, Morgan, Osage, Putnam, Randolph, Schuyler, Scotland, Shelby, St. Charles, St. Louis, Sullivan, Warren and Washington.
The 12 additional counties were added in response to finding CWD in Jefferson and St. Clair counties during sampling efforts last season, as well as finding CWD last year in hundreds of deer in northwest Arkansas near the Missouri border.
According to the Wildlife Code of Missouri, the placement of grain, salt products, minerals, and other consumable natural and manufactured products used to attract deer is prohibited year-round within counties of the CWD Management Zone.
Exceptions are feed placed within 100 feet of any residence or occupied building, feed placed in such a manner to reasonably exclude access by deer, and feed and minerals present solely as a result of normal agricultural or forest management, or crop and wildlife food production practices.
“CWD is spread from deer to deer, and the potential for transmission increases when deer gather in larger, concentrated numbers,” said wildlife disease coordinator Jasmine Batten. “Feeding deer or placing minerals for deer unnaturally concentrates the animals and can help spread the deadly disease.”
Hunters who harvest deer during firearms deer season opening weekend, Nov. 11 and 12, in any of 25 select counties, again will be required to present their harvested deer at one of 56 MDC sampling stations. Tissue samples will be taken to test the animals for CWD.
The 25 mandatory CWD sampling counties include new counties added, counties with previous CWD positives, and counties very near previous positives and include Adair, Barry, Benton, Cedar, Cole, Crawford, Dade, Franklin, Hickory, Jefferson, Knox, Linn, Macon, Moniteau, Ozark, Polk, St. Charles, St. Clair, St. Francois, Ste. Genevieve, Stone, Sullivan, Taney, Warren and Washington.
MDC will continue offering voluntary CWD sampling opportunities throughout the 2017-2018 deer hunting season at more than 55 participating taxidermists and designated MDC offices around the state.
Additional information is available in the 2017 Fall Deer & Turkey Hunting Regulations and Information booklet, available in July where permits are sold and online.