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The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) reminds deer hunters that mandatory CWD sampling will be required in two counties in central Missouri during opening weekend of firearms deer season, Nov. 11-12. The central region counties where mandatory CWD sampling is required include Gasconade and Montgomery. Lymph nodes are removed from deer to test for CWD. Hunters can find test results for their deer at https://mdc.mo.gov/cwdtestresults.
Hunters will need to take deer (or the head) harvested in those counties during the opening weekend of firearms deer season to an MDC mandatory CWD sampling station. The sampling stations will be open from 7:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. and are located at the following locations:
Throughout all firearms and archery deer hunting seasons, voluntary testing of deer for CWD is available at some MDC offices and at partnering taxidermy and meat processing businesses. MDC also has self-serve freezer locations where deer heads can be left for testing. However, the freezers will be locked during Nov. 11-12 in mandatory CWD sampling counties when hunters must take deer (or the head) to a mandatory sampling station on those dates.
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 mdc.mo.gov/cwd.
CWD is a deadly, infectious disease in deer and other members of the deer family (cervids) that eventually kills all animals it infects. There is no vaccine or cure. CWD can be spread from direct deer-to-deer contact, through improper disposal of deer carcasses, and through the environment by deer contacting infectious material from other deer. Hunters play a critical role in helping MDC find and manage the disease by having their deer tested and following carcass-movement restrictions and other CWD regulations.
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.
