MDC encourages hunters in Central Missouri to have deer sampled for CWD all season

COLUMBIA, Mo. – The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) is again asking deer hunters to have their deer sampled for chronic wasting disease (CWD). Hunters play an important role in helping MDC monitor the disease and the health of Missouri’s deer herd.

CWD is a contagious, deadly brain disease of white-tailed deer and other members of the deer family, called cervids. It has been found in Missouri and MDC is working with hunters and others to limit the impact of the disease on Missouri’s deer herd. Testing harvested deer for CWD is a vital effort to help identify where cases of the disease are in the state. Learn more about CWD at mdc.mo.gov/cwd.

MDC will again conduct mandatory CWD sampling of harvested deer during the opening weekend of the November portion of the firearms deer season -- Nov. 14 and 15 – in select counties around the state. MDC has moved mandatory CWD sampling to a four-year county rotation. Mandatory CWD sampling will now be conducted in every county of the state once over the next four years. Learn more about mandatory CWD sampling at mdc.mo.gov/cwd and look under the Mandatory CWD Sampling tab.

Counties in the central region of Missouri where mandatory CWD sampling will be required this year for hunters who harvest deer on Nov. 14 or 15 are Audrain, Callaway, and Montgomery. Mandatory CWD sampling locations for these counties are:

Audrain County:

Mexico High School, 639 Wade Street in Mexico
Little Dixie Fire Station, 13998 Highway T outside of Centralia

Callaway County:

Whetstone Creek Conservation Area, 3215 County Road 1003 in Williamsburg
New Bloomfield School Bus Lot, 314 Redwood Drive in New Bloomfield
Mokane Lions Club Park, 301 River Street in Mokane
North Callaway High School, 2700 Thunderbird Drive in Kingdom City

Montgomery County:

Middletown Fire Department, 211 Johnson Street in Middletown
Montgomery County Fairgrounds, 700 South Sturgeon Street in Montgomery City
Stiers Memorial Park, 201 Main Street in Rhineland

MDC is also offering voluntary CWD sampling opportunities for hunters who harvest deer in any county at any time during Missouri’s deer hunting seasons. These additional sampling opportunities include MDC offices, cooperating taxidermists and meat processors, and self-service freezers.

Voluntary sampling locations in the central region of Missouri include:

Audrain County:

Reading Farms USA, 2135 East Liberty Street in Mexico (Freezer)

Boone County:

MDC Central Regional Office, 3500 East Gans Road in Columbia (Freezer and office)
K.P. Processing, 4190 Highway 124 West in Harrisburg

Callaway County:

Hanson Hills Campground, 3643 County Road 221 in Fulton
Woodland Wonders Taxidermy, 1446 Jade Road 4 in Columbia
Horns Butcher Shop LLC, 3345 County Road 318 in Fulton
Callaway County Emergency Management Building, 4950 County Road 304 in Fulton (Freezer)

Camden County:

MDC Camdenton Office, 783 Thunder Mountain Road in Camdenton
K and K Meat Processing, 364 Phillipsburg Lane in Richland

Cole County:

Conservation Headquarters, 2901 West Truman Boulevard in Jefferson City (Freezer and office)

Gasconade County:

MFA Hermann, 191 MO-100 in Hermann (Freezer)
Old Dutch, 1988 US-50 in Owensville (Freezer)
Grellner Taxidermy LLC, 1745 Bem Church Road in Owensville

Howard County:

KP Processing, 4190 MO-124 in Harrisburg
MFA Fayette, 111 Armstrong Street in Fayette (Freezer)

Maries County:

Maries County SWCD office,1001 Vienna Rolla Road in Vienna (Freezer)

Miller County:

Smokin Bladez Custom Butchering LLC, 257 Foote Lane Road in Eldon

Moniteau County:

K & R Butchering LLC, 37122 Bethel Church Road in Fortuna
Schlup’s Cedar Ridge Taxidermy, 32959 Highway K in California

Montgomery County:

Montgomery City, 1114 North Sturgeon Street in Montgomery City (Freezer)
Jacob Peak’s Taxidermy, 116 Sharon Drive in Montgomery City

Morgan County:

Moreau Fire Protection District, 21705 Highway 52 in Barnett (Freezer)
Mark’s Meat Processing, 17734 Highway K in Versailles

Osage County:

Timber Ridge, 136 Plum Lane in Linn
Rich Fountain, 1426 Highway E in Rich Fountain (Freezer)
Scheulen Processing LLC, 1968 County Road 602 in Loose Creek

Saline County:

Blind Pony Hatchery, 16285 BP Hatchery Drive in Sweet Springs (Freezer)
Morton’s Wildlife Processing, 1231 Grandview in Slater

Hunters using self-service freezers will need to remove the deer’s head in advance so it can be left in the freezer. Hunters should cut off the head (and antlers for bucks) while leaving about six inches of neck attached before coming to the freezer head drop-off location. Hunters will need to record their name and contact information, Telecheck ID number, and location where the deer was harvested on materials provided. Materials will be available at the freezer sites such as trash bags, zip ties, and data sheets that hunters can use in labeling their deer heads. MDC staff will collect the deer heads for CWD testing throughout the season aside from during the opening weekend of firearms deer season in the three mandatory CWD sampling counties.

For an interactive map of all voluntary CWD sampling sites throughout the state, visit mdc.mo.gov and look under Voluntary CWD Sampling.

Archery deer hunting runs through Nov. 13 and opens again Nov. 25 through Jan. 15, 2027. Firearms deer hunting opened with the early antlerless portion Oct. 9-11 followed by several other firearms portions through Jan. 5, 2027. For more information on deer hunting in Missouri, visit mdc.mo.gov/hunting-trapping/species/deer.

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