The Department of Conservation will hold mandatory CWD sampling Nov. 12 and 13 for deer hunters who harvest deer in 34 of 38 CWD Management Zone counties.
Nov. 12 and 13 is the opening weekend of the November portion of firearms season.
Hunters play a critical role in helping find and manage the disease by having their deer tested and following carcass-movement restrictions and other CWD regulations. Learn more at mdc.mo.gov/cwd.
MDC designates counties where CWD has been found and counties within 10 miles of where CWD has been found as part of its CWD Management Zone.
The 2022 CWD Management Zone counties are Adair, Barry, Barton, Camden, Cedar, Chariton, Christian, Clark, Crawford, Franklin, Gasconade, Greene, Hickory, Howell, Jefferson, Knox, Laclede, Linn, Macon, McDonald, Mercer, Oregon, Ozark, Perry, Polk, Pulaski, Putnam, Ripley, St. Charles, St. Clair, St. Francois, Ste. Genevieve, Stone, Sullivan, Taney, Vernon, Warren, and Washington.
Barton, Greene, Ripley, and Vernon counties are new to the CWD Management Zone this year.
Hunters who harvest deer in 34 of the 38 counties in the CWD Management Zone are required to take their harvested deer or the head on the day of harvest to one the CWD mandatory sampling stations located throughout the zone. Sampling and test results are free.
This year, sampling is mandatory on Nov. 12-13 in all CWD Management Zone counties except Gasconade, Knox, St. Charles or Warren counties. CWD mandatory sampling stations will not be available in these counties.
MDC Cervid Program Supervisor Jason Isabelle explained that this year’s sampling efforts will focus on CWD Management Zone counties at greatest risk of having new areas of CWD infection.
“With 38 counties in the CWD Management Zone this year, we’re having to prioritize where to focus our sampling efforts within the Zone on opening weekend,” Isabelle said.
Although CWD sampling is not mandatory this year in Gasconade, Knox, St. Charles or Warren counties, Isabelle said hunters who harvest deer in these counties Nov. 12 or 13 can bring their deer to one of the CWD mandatory sampling stations located in other CWD Management Zone counties if they want them sampled.
Another option for hunters in these four counties to have their deer sampled on opening weekend is to use self-service freezer drop-off stations located in these counties.
“Although freezer drop-off stations are closed on opening weekend in counties where CWD sampling is mandatory, these stations will remain open in Gasconade, Knox, St. Charles, and Warren counties,” Isabelle said. “Doing so provides hunters in these CWD Management Zone counties with additional opportunities to have their deer sampled if they so choose.”
Mandatory CWD sampling dramatically increases the number of tissue samples MDC can collect in a brief period of time. The increased number of samples gives MDC scientists a much better understanding of the distribution and prevalence of the disease, where it is and how many deer may have it. It can also help find new cases in new areas so disease management can begin as soon as possible to slow the spread of CWD.
Hunters will be given a card with information on getting free test results for their deer after samples are processed, and can get CWD test results free online in four weeks or less from the time of sampling.
Before arriving at a mandatory sampling station hunters should field dress and Telecheck deer; bring the carcass or just the head. Capes may be removed in preparation for taxidermy prior to arriving at a station. Position deer in vehicles with head and neck easily accessible. Be sure the person who harvested the deer is present.
Also, be prepared to find the location of harvest on a map. If using a paper permit, have it detached from the deer for easy access. If using the MO Hunting app, have permit information available.
Hunters must follow carcass-movement restrictions for deer harvested in a CWD Management Zone county. Deer must be Telechecked before any parts of the carcass may be transported out of the county of harvest.
Whole carcasses may only be transported out of the county of harvest if delivered to a licensed meat processor within 48 hours of exiting the county of harvest.
Deer heads containing muscle and brain tissue may only be transported out of the county of harvest if delivered to a licensed taxidermist or an approved CWD sampling station within 48 hours of exiting the county of harvest. However, on Nov. 12-13, for counties in which sampling is mandatory, deer, or the head, must be taken on the day of harvest to a CWD mandatory sampling station.
The following carcass parts may be moved outside of the county of harvest without restriction:
Meat that is cut and wrapped or that has been boned out; quarters or other portions of meat with no part of the spinal column or head attached; hides from which all excess tissue has been removed; antlers or antlers attached to skull plates or skulls cleaned of all muscle and brain tissue; and finished taxidermy products.