MDC provides drop-off sites in northwest region to aid hunters in voluntary CWD testing

St. Joseph, Mo. – The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) is providing drop-off sites through Jan. 15 in some northwest counties for hunters who wish to have deer tested for chronic wasting disease (CWD). Four of the drop-off sites are in a CWD Management Zone in Linn, Mercer, and Chariton counties. Volunteer testing is also available at MDC offices in St. Joseph and Chillicothe during normal business hours. MDC will have several staffed sites open for CWD testing during the opening of the firearms deer season Nov. 14-15.

At the voluntary testing drop-off sites, hunters are to leave deer heads with six inches of neck attached and the antlers removed. The drop boxes have instructions and materials hunters will need to provide information. Hunters will be able to check test results online using their Telecheck ID at https://short.mdc.mo.gov/ZuE. MDC will notify a hunter directly if a sample tests positive for CWD.

Hunters will need to record their name and contact information, as well as their Telecheck ID numbers and the location the deer was harvested. They can then leave the head in the drop box. MDC staff will collect the head and pull the samples to be submitted for testing.

CWD is a fatal neurological disease in deer. A deer may be infected with no visible symptoms. The only way to positively identify the presence of CWD is to extract lymph nodes from the animal’s neck. The Centers for Disease Control does not recommend consuming meat from a deer that has tested positive for CWD.

Hunters submitting deer for sampling will help MDC efforts to locate disease occurrence and plan efforts to limit it’s spread. CWD is a fatal neurological disease in deer. Limiting the spread can help protect the state’s deer herd, which overall remains healthy. Many people enjoy watching deer year-round, and deer hunting contributes $1 billion annually to Missouri’s economy.

The deer head drop-off site towns and addresses include:

• Princeton, Lake Paho Conservation Area, 15643 Fathom St.
• Marceline, The Trading Post, 30976 Route D highway.
• Linneus, PB-5, 110 Main St.
• New Boston, near fire station, 15833 Missouri 129 highway.

These sites will be open through the close of the archery deer season on Jan. 15. The drop boxes will not be available for drop-off on Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 14 and Nov. 15. MDC will have staffed sites for voluntary CWD sampling during the opening weekend of the firearms deer season. For a list of those sampling sites, visit https://short.mdc.mo.gov/ZLQ.

Various voluntary sampling options are available throughout Missouri during the various deer hunting seasons. For a list, visit https://short.mdc.mo.gov/ZLd.

Hunters who harvest deer from any of the 30 CWD Management Zone counties are reminded that they must follow new carcass transportation restrictions when traveling to CWD testing sites. For more information, visit https://short.mdc.mo.gov/ZuQ.

For more information about CWD, visit http://mdc.mo.gov/cwd.