Mo. hunters asked to share the harvest, follow CWD regulations

MISSOURI (KFVS) - The Missouri Department of Conservation is encouraging deer hunters to share their harvests, as well as get their deer tested for chronic wasting disease.

The state’s deer season opens with archery hunting on September 15 and runs through the close of the second archery portion on January 15 with other hunting portions during this time.

Share the Harvest

Deer hunters can share their harvests by donating extra venison to the program to help feed hungry Missourians. The donated deer meat goes to local food banks and food pantries.

According to the MDC, take the harvested deer to an approved meat processor and let them know how much venison to donate. Meat-processing fees are covered entirely or in part by several local sponsors, along with statewide sponsors.

The program is administered by the Conservation Federation of Missouri and MDC. They say it has provided nearly 5 million pounds of lean, healthy venison to help feed hungry Missourians since it began in 1992.

You can find more information on the Share the Harvest program here.

Follow CWD Regulations

According to the MDC, chronic wasting disease is a deadly, infectious disease in deer and other members of the deer family that eventually kills all animals it infects. There is no vaccine, nor cure.

MDC’s CWD Management Zone includes counties where or near where CWD has been found. MDC added 14 new counties as part of the CWD Management Zone this year: Bollinger, Caldwell, Carroll, Clay, Clinton, Dallas, Grundy, Jasper, Livingston, Madison, Montgomery, Pemiscot, Ray and Schuyler.

All counties in the CWD Management Zone prohibit using grain, salt products, minerals and other consumable products used to attract deer year-round.

Hunters must also follow carcass transportation regulations. The antler-point restriction has also been removed from Caldwell, Carroll, Clinton, Grundy, Livingston, Montgomery, Ray and Schuyler counties.

They say hunters who harvest deer in select CWD Management Zone counties during Nov. 11-12 must take the deer (or its head) on the day of harvest to a mandatory CWD sampling station.

You must also follow carcass-movement restrictions when bringing parts of harvested deer and other cervids into Missouri from another state.

Learn more about CWD and related regulations and restrictions online at mdc.mo.gov/cwd.

CWD Sampling and Testing All Season

The MDC is again offering free voluntary CWD sampling and testing of harvested deer during the entire deer season at select locations throughout the state, including some MDC offices and participating taxidermists and meat processors.

The department also offers self-service freezer drop-off locations in the CWD Management Zone for hunters to put harvested deer heads to be tested.

Get more information on voluntary sampling and drop-off locations online at mdc.mo.gov/cwd.

Hunters can get their CWD test results for free online at mdc.mo.gov/cwdResults. According to the MDC, results are usually available within four weeks or less from the time of sampling.