Firearms deer season opens this weekend in Missouri, and the Missouri Department of Conservation is reminding hunters they'll be conducting mandatory sampling and voluntary sampling of deer killed to help find cases of chronic wasting disease.
MDC is also encouraging hunters to properly dispose of deer carcasses to help limit the spread of the disease, to participate in the Share the Harvest Program and to follow special guidelines if sharing a harvested deer from a county where CWD has been found.
Mandatory CWD sampling of deer killed will take place in: Cole, Moniteau Adair, Barry, Bollinger, Cape Girardeau, Cedar, Crawford, Franklin, Grundy, Hickory, Jefferson, Knox, Linn, Macon, Madison, McDonald, Mercer, Ozark, Perry, Polk, Putnam, St. Charles, St. Clair, St. Francois, Ste. Genevieve, Stone, Sullivan, Taney, Warren and Washington counties.
Hunters who harvest deer from these counties Nov. 10-11 must take the deer - or the head with at least 6 inches of the neck in place - on the day it is killed to one of MDC's 61 CWD mandatory sampling stations. Deer may be presented at any mandatory sampling station, and hunters can get free test results of their sampled deer.
MDC and the Conservation Federation of Missouri are encouraging deer hunters around the state to share their harvests through the Share the Harvest Program. Administered by MDC and CFM, Share the Harvest coordinates the efforts of thousands of deer hunters, numerous participating meat processors, many local supporting organizations and statewide sponsors to help feed hungry Missourians.
Under the program, deer hunters donate their extra venison - from several pounds to whole deer - to participating meat processors throughout the state who grind and package the deer meat. The packaged venison is then given to local food banks and food pantries for distribution to Missourians in need of food assistance. Processing fees are covered entirely or in part by numerous program sponsors.
Deer donated to Share the Harvest must be tested for CWD if harvested from any of the 12 counties where CWD has been found: Cole, Adair, Cedar, Franklin, Jefferson, Linn, Macon, Oregon, Perry, Polk, St. Clair and Ste. Genevieve. These deer can only be donated through processors participating in the Share the Harvest CWD Testing Program and located in or near any of the 12 CWD-positive counties.
Get more deer hunting information in MDC's 2018 Fall Deer & Turkey Hunting Regulations and Information booklet, available where permits are sold, and online at huntfish.mdc.mo.gov/hunting-trapping/species/deer/deer-share-harvest.