The Missouri Department of Conservation will require hunters in 25 counties in Missouri to test for Chronic Wasting Disease in harvested deer. The testing will occur during the opening weekend of fire arms deer season, Nov. 11th and 12th.
According to the Missouri Department of Conservation, more than 25,600 free-range deer were tested last season for the disease. Lucas Bond is a Missouri Department of Conservation Spokesperson.
“We can go to that location and find exactly where that deer was and then from there we will work with the hunter to determine on possibly pulling or taking other deer from that farm to test to see if CWD is there,” Bond said.
Chronic Wasting Disease primarily effects the brain and spinal cord of open-range deer, moose, and elk. According to the Missouri Department of Conservation, there is no strong evidence to suggest the disease can be transmitted to humans.
Bond also stressed the importance of preventive measures and the risks of action not being taken for Missouri’s deer population.
“If we do not keeping testing for CWD to find out where it is and where it is spreading to and so forth, it could get out of control if we don’t manage this. And if that happens, we could wipe out much of our deer population in the state of Missouri,” said Bond.
A comprehensive list of mandatory sampling station locations can be found on the Missouri Department’s Conservation website. The list is organized by city and county.