Deer season in Missouri opened on September 15 with archery. The MDC (Missouri Department of Conservation) asks hunters to be wary of CWD requirements and not forget the needy. Here is more detail of what they mean.
Share The Harvest
MDC encourages deer hunters to share their harvests by donating venison to the Share the Harvest program. The venison helps feed hungry Missourians, and the meat goes to local food banks and pantries.
To donate, take your harvested deer to an approved meat processor and tell the processor how much venison you want to donate. Local sponsors and statewide sponsors cover meat-processing fees entirely or in part.
Through Share the Harvest, Missouri hunters can help those in need with high-quality protein from naturally lean, locally harvested deer meat.
Deer harvested from CWD Management Zone counties may only be donated to Share the Harvest if tested for CWD. Hunters can take their deer to a processor participating in the Share the Harvest CWD Testing Program or have their deer sampled at another location before donation.
For more information on Share the Harvest, visit MDC.
Chronic Waste Disease
CWD is a deadly disease that affects deer and other members of the deer family. It has been found in Missouri, and MDC continues its efforts to limit its spread.
The CWD Management Zone consists of counties where CWD has been found and includes those areas within 10 miles of where CWD has been found.
Hunters within the CWD Management Zone must follow carcass transportation regulations. Additionally, all hunters must follow these regulations when bringing parts of harvested deer from another state into Missouri.
Disposing Carcass
According to MDC, the best way for hunters to dispose of deer carcass remains is to place them in trash bags and dispose of them through trash collection or a permitted landfill, bury them at or near where the deer was harvested, or leave them on the property where the deer was harvested.
Nonetheless, all counties in the CWD Management Zone are open during the CWD portion of deer season.
During the Firearms November Portion opening weekend, Nov. 16-17, hunters who harvest a deer in designated CWD Management Zone counties must take the deer (or its head) to a mandatory CWD sampling station on the day of harvest. MDC is again offering free voluntary CWD sampling and testing of harvested deer during the entire deer season at select locations.
