Deer harvested Nov. 11-12 in those counties must be taken to a mandatory sampling station
The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) reminds deer hunters that seven counties in northwest Missouri have been added to the state’s CWD Management Zone. Deer that tested positive for chronic wasting disease (CWD) last year in or near those counties prompted the change. The northwest counties affected include Caldwell, Carroll, Clay, Clinton, Grundy, Livingston, and Ray. The CWD Management Zone is designed to limit the spread and effects of the disease over time in the state’s deer herd.
The November portion of the firearms deer season is Nov. 11-21. Hunters will need to take deer harvested in those counties during the opening weekend, Nov. 11-12, to an MDC mandatory sampling station. The sampling stations can be found online at http://short.mdc.mo.gov/ZYY or in the 2023 Deer & Turkey Hunting Regulations and Information booklet. CWD sampling stations will be open from 7:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.
CWD is a fatal disease in deer caused by misfolded proteins called prions. The disease can be transmitted between deer. MDC implements a CWD Management Zone where the disease has occurred for increased testing and other measures. The goal is to evaluate and reduce the disease prevalence in an area. Mandatory sampling is in place Nov. 11-12 for 39 of the 52 counties in the CWD Management Zone.
While CWD continues to spread to new counties in Missouri, the overall prevalence of the disease remains low thanks to cooperation with MDC by hunters, landowners, taxidermists, and meat processors. The Centers for Disease Control says there is no evidence of transmission of the disease from deer to humans, but the agency recommends that as a precaution meat from a positive deer not be consumed.
Throughout all of the firearms and archery deer hunting seasons, volunteer testing of deer for CWD is available at some MDC offices and at partnering taxidermy and meat processing businesses. MDC also has freezer locations where deer heads can be left for testing. However, the freezers will be locked during Nov. 11-12 and hunters must take deer to the mandatory sampling stations on those dates. Lymph nodes are removed from the deer to test for CWD. Hunters can find test results for their deer at https://mdc.mo.gov/cwdtestresults.
Hunters are also reminded that special regulations apply in the CWD Management Zone regarding transportation of carcasses and the prohibition of feed and minerals. For complete information on CWD regulations and voluntary testing sites, visit http://short.mdc.mo.gov/Zxp. An overview of voluntary testing and freezer drop off sites in northwest Missouri is available at http://short.mdc.mo.gov/ZYx.
The most complete information about deer hunting in Missouri regarding seasons, regulations, and CWD testing is in MDC’s 2023 Fall Deer & Turkey Hunting Regulations and Information booklet, available where hunting permits are sold. The booklet is also available online at http://short.mdc.mo.gov/4eu.
