Hunting News

CWD info updated prior to season opening Sept. 15

CWD info updated prior to season opening Sept. 15

By Missouri Department of Conservation

With deer hunting opening for archery season on Sept. 15 and firearms portions in the coming months, the Department of Conservation assures hunters, landowners and others of its continuing efforts to limit the spread of CWD in Missouri deer.

MDC has found 116 cases of CWD in Missouri since 2012 out of more than 100,000 deer sampled so the disease remains relatively rare in the state. To learn more, click here.

CWD is a deadly, infectious disease in white-tailed deer and other members of the deer family that eventually kills all animals it infects. There is no vaccine or cure. CWD is spread from deer to deer and through the environment.

There is a CWD Management Zone of counties in or near where CWD has been found. The 29 counties of the CWD Management Zone for this season are Adair, Barry, Cedar, Chariton, Christian, Crawford, Franklin, Gasconade, Hickory, Howell, Jefferson, Knox, Linn, Macon, Mercer, Oregon, Ozark, Perry, Polk, Putnam, St. Charles, St. Clair, St. Francois, Ste. Genevieve, Stone, Sullivan, Taney, Warren and Washington.

Free voluntary CWD sampling and testing of deer harvested anywhere in Missouri throughout the entire deer hunting season is available Sept. 15 through Jan. 15, 2020 at MDC regional offices during regular business hours, and through participating taxidermists and meat processors within the CWD Management Zone.
MANDATORY CWD SAMPLING NOV. 16 and 17

Hunters who harvest deer in any county of the CWD Management Zone during the opening weekend of the November portion of the fall firearms deer season Nov. 16 and 17 are required to take their harvested deer, or the head with at least six inches of neck attached, on the day of harvest to one of the CWD sampling stations throughout the zone. Sampling and test results are free.

Hunters who harvest deer in counties no longer part of the zone are not required to participate in sampling.

Before having a deer sampled for CWD, hunters should field dress and Telecheck deer before arrival at a sampling station; bring the carcass or just the head with at least six inches of the neck attached. Capes may be removed in preparation for taxidermy before going to a sampling station. Position deer in vehicles with heads and necks easily accessible.

The person who harvested the deer must be present during sampling, and the hunter’s conservation number will be required, along with specific location of harvest. If using a paper permit, have it detached from the deer for easy access. If using the MO Hunting app, have permit and Telecheck information available.

Test results for CWD-sampled deer are free and will be available within four weeks after the sampling date online.

Carcasses or remains of CWD-infected deer can expose other deer to the disease. New regulations on carcass movement and disposal will go into effect in 2020.

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