Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a deadly deer disease that has been found in northeast, central, and east-central Missouri. To find and limit the spread of CWD, the Missouri Department of Conservation needs the help of hunters.
Hunters who harvest deer during the opening weekend of the fall firearms deer season (Nov. 12 and 13) in any of the 29 counties of the Department’s CWD Management Zone are required to present their deer for CWD sample collection on the day of harvest at one of 75 sampling locations. Hunters also have the option of presenting just the deer head with about 6 inches of neck attached. Sampling locations will be open from 7:30 a.m. through 8 p.m.
The 29 counties of the CWD Management Zone are Adair, Boone, Callaway, Carroll, Chariton, Cole, Cooper, Crawford, Franklin, Gasconade, Jefferson, Knox, Linn, Livingston, Macon, Miller, Moniteau, Morgan, Osage, Putnam, Randolph, St. Charles, St. Louis, Schuyler, Scotland, Shelby, Sullivan, Warren, and Washington.
CWD sampling involves collecting tissue samples from the necks of harvested deer. Hunters can get free test results after samples are processed.
Hunters can help reduce their wait times at CWD sampling locations by:
Get a map of the 29 CWD Management Zone counties, a list of the 75 CWD sampling locations, and sampling instructions online at mdc.mo.gov/CWD and in the 2016 Fall Deer & Turkey Hunting Regulations and Information booklet, available where hunting permits are sold.
The Department reminds hunters who harvest deer, elk, or moose outside of the state and bring the animal back to Missouri that they must report the animal’s entry into the state within 24 hours by calling 877-853-5665 or reporting it online at mdc.mo.gov/carcass. Reporting is required by law. The carcass must be taken to a licensed meat processor or taxidermist within 72 hours of entry.
Hunters just passing through Missouri on their way to another state are exempt from this requirement as long as they are not in Missouri for longer than 24 hours.
The reporting requirement is only for whole carcasses and carcasses that have the head and spinal column attached. Parts that do not require reporting and that are at low risk for harboring CWD include: meat that is cut and wrapped, boned-out-meat, quarters or other portions of meat with no parts of the spine or head attached, hides or capes from which excess tissue has been removed, antlers, including those attached to skull plates or skulls where all muscle and brain tissue has been removed.
For more information or to register, visit bit. ly/2bsJt3M.
The Department’s Small Game Hunting Prospects blends small-game population research and management with hunting tips in one convenient guide. Sections include profiles of popular small game species, managers’ notes from quailemphasis areas across the state, and tips and tricks for small game hunters. The information also highlights conservation areas where various species are found.
Get the guide at short.mdc.mo.gov/Zon. For hunting information by species, visit short. mdc.mo.gov/ZZn, and get hunting prospect information under the Getting Started section for each species.
October marks the opening of firearms season for rabbits and wild turkey, along with youth weekends for deer, quail, and pheasant. Hunters can also pursue woodcocks beginning mid-month. Waterfowl season opens for Canada geese and
brant Oct. 1, followed by waterfowl youth hunting in the North and Middle zones Oct. 22–23, and ducks and coots in the North Zone starting Oct. 29.
For detailed hunting information by species — along with places to hunt, recipes, and more — visit huntfish.mdc.mo.gov. Information is also available through the Department’s hunting booklets, available where permits are sold and online at short.mdc.mo.gov/ZZf. Hunting permits are available online at mdc.mo.gov/buypermits.
The Department will hold a public auction Saturday, Oct. 15, starting at 10 a.m. at its Salem Maintenance Center, located at the junction of Highway 72 and Highway 32. The auction will include boats, outboard motors, tractors, trailers, farm equipment, and vehicles.
View auction items Friday, Oct. 14, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., with auction preregistration starting at 9 a.m. Registration the day of the sale begins at 7:30 a.m. A complete lot listing and terms of sales will be available at the registration desk the day of the auction.
Cash, check, and credit/debit cards will be accepted. As required by state statute, the Department must charge a processing fee to all customers who pay by credit or debit card.
For more information, including a list of auction items and procedures, visit mdc.mo.gov/ auction.
To offer youth additional hunting opportunities, the Department has expanded the late youth portion of the fall firearms deer season from two to three days and moved it earlier in the season. It will now start on the first Friday after Thanksgiving instead of early January.
The Department has reduced the length of the antlerless portion of the fall firearms deer season from 12 to three days, and it now begins on the first Friday in December.
Due to low harvest numbers, the Department has eliminated the urban portion of the firearms deer season and moved the areas under statewide regulations.
Crossbows have been added as a legal method during the archery deer and turkey season and also during the fall firearms turkey season. As a result, the Department has removed the hunting method exemption requirement. The regulation change will provide additional hunting opportunities for young hunters and help prolong hunting activities for older participants.
To help protect young bucks and increase the number of mature bucks, the bag limit of antlered deer has been reduced from three to two during the combined archery and firearms deer hunting season. No more than one antlered deer may be taken during the firearms deer hunting season and only one antlered deer may be taken prior to the November portion of firearms season.
To learn more about the nursery, browse planning and planting resources, and order conservation seedlings for your yard or farm, visit mdc.mo.gov/seedlings.