MDC to deer hunters: Get those deer tested

Chronic wasting disease monitoring efforts step up this weekend for the opening of firearms season, with Missouri Department of Conservation officials requiring hunters to bring in all deer harvested Saturday and Sunday for mandatory sampling.

Wildlife regional supervisor Matt Bowyer said the CWD management zone was established to monitor for possible cases of CWD, a disease affecting deer that cannot be controlled through disinfection or heat, and which stays active in the soil for years after it�s introduced.

Candice Davis, MDC spokeswoman, said hunters who are non-compliant with the mandatory sampling this weekend could receive a citation.

�Primarily what we�re trying to do is get a broader, more intense sample,� Bowyer said.

Every year, MDC performs statewide sampling, but in the 31-county CWD management zone Saturday and Sunday, hunters must bring the deer � or the head with at least 6 inches of the neck intact � to a CWD sampling station.

Bollinger, Cape Girardeau and Perry counties are all included in the management zone.

A sampling station will be available at MDC�s regional office, 2302 County Park Drive in Cape Girardeau. A complete list at www.mdc.mo.gov/cwd includes address, directions and GPS coordinates for other stations.

Stations will be open from 7:30 a.m. until at least 8 p.m. both days.

Bowyer noted hunters still need to telecheck deer as they�ve always done, whether by phone or online.

If a hunter wants the deer mounted or taxidermied, Bowyer said, �we�ll work with folks to get that done, but they still have to bring it to us if they�re in one of those counties.�

MDC is also reminding hunters and landowners to properly dispose of deer carcasses, Bowyer said.

�We have concerns that infected deer carcass parts can spread CWD,� Bowyer said. �We encourage bagging [parts] up and placing them in trash containers going to a landfill, or parts can be buried in the ground where they were harvested.�

The important point is not to harvest a deer and dispose of it elsewhere, Bowyer said, since that increases the potential for the disease to spread.

�Not every deer has CWD, but the potential is there,� Bowyer added.

So far, he said, MDC has found CWD-positive deer in areas with �what appear to be very low prevalency rates, and we�re really able to really make some impact by getting samples.�

And, he said, so many deer are harvested during the first weekend of firearms season, this is a prime time for MDC�s sampling to have the biggest effect.

Questions may be directed to the regional office at (573) 390-5730 or www.mdc.mo.gov/cwd.

mniederkorn@semissourian.com

(573) 388-3630

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Chronic wasting disease management zone

Counties in the chronic wasting disease management zone are Adair, Barry, Bollinger, Cape Girardeau, Cedar, Cole, Crawford, Franklin, Grundy, Hickory, Jefferson, Knox, Linn, Macon, Madison, McDonald, Mercer, Moniteau, Ozark, Perry, Polk, Putnam, St. Charles, St. Clair, St. Francois, Ste. Genevieve, Stone, Sullivan, Taney, Warren and Washington. More information may be found be visiting www.mdc.mo.gov/cwd or calling (573) 290-5730.