CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. – The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) invites deer hunters and property owners who wish to be informed about using the regular hunting season to combat the spread of chronic wasting disease (CWD) to attend three free public meetings in August.
Registration is not required.
- Festus VFW | When: 6:30 – 8 p.m. on Aug. 9
- Genevieve County Community Center | When: 6:30 – 8 p.m. on Aug. 10
- Perry Park Center | When: 6:30 – 8 p.m. on Aug. 16
Topics will include general information on CWD, MDC’s efforts to monitor and manage the disease, proper deer-carcass handling and disposal to help limit the spread of the deadly deer disease, how hunters can Share the Harvest, MDC’s voluntary CWD testing efforts, and MDC’s upcoming mandatory CWD sampling for certain counties the opening weekend of firearms deer season. There also will be a Q&A session with MDC staff.
“If you’ve been to our public meetings before, these will be different,” said Southeast Regional Administrator Matt Bowyer. “The goal of this meeting is to update you on MDC’s management of CWD in the area and to provide landowners with different strategies to help manage the disease throughout the year.”
Landowners who would like assistance applying for CWD management permits should bring the notification letter they receive in early August that contains their MDC Landowner ID, as well as a list of hunters, birthdates, and conservation numbers of those they wish to request permits for.
For more information on the public meetings listed above, call MDC’s Southeast Region CWD information line at 573-332-4940.
CWD is a deadly illness in white-tailed deer and other members of the deer family, called cervids.
CWD kills all deer and other cervids it infects. The disease has no vaccine or cure. CWD has been found in Missouri and is slowly spreading with 292 confirmed cases in free-ranging deer found in 22 Missouri counties: Adair, Cedar, Cole, Franklin, Jefferson, Linn, Macon, Perry, Polk, St. Clair, and Ste. Genevieve. An updated list can be found online at mdc.mo.gov/CWD.
For more information on CWD and what MDC is doing about it, visit mdc.mo.gov/CWD.