Most of the news about chronic wasting disease in Jefferson County will sound familiar, but what stands out is the discovery of a new case near Ware in the western part of the county. In prior years, all 28 cases had been isolated to the southeast corner.
Fifteen more Jefferson County deer tested positive during and following the 2023-24 hunting seasons, including one deer harvested between Ware Church Road and Brown Road south of the Grandview R-2 School District campus. The remaining 14 positive tests this year were from the area south of Festus between Highway 67 and Interstate 55.
Statewide the Department of Conservation tested more than 37,000 deer this year and confirmed 162 new cases. The highest incidence of the disease continues to show up in counties neighboring us, with 31 new cases in Ste. Genevieve County and 23 in Franklin County.
Positive tests were discovered for the first time this year in Chariton, Clark, Grundy, Jasper, Maries, Osage, Randolph, and Scotland counties. Management zones with special regulations will expand from 52 counties prior to the fall hunting season.
Nearly 21,000 samples were collected from deer harvested during opening weekend of the November portion of firearms hunting season, when testing is mandatory in management zone areas. More than 11,000 deer were tested for hunters who voluntarily submitted samples throughout the rest of the year, and an additional 4,600 deer were tested from the targeted removal efforts that work cooperatively with landowners in the immediate area of past cases.
“The goal of targeted removal is to remove CWD-positive deer from the landscape and reduce deer density in these localized areas, to slow the spread of the disease and protect Missouri’s deer herd,” said Deb Hudman, wildlife health program supervisor for the conservation department. “Targeted removal is a proven method to slow the spread of CWD, and Missouri is one of several states that uses it to manage the disease.”
Of the 162 new cases this year, 51 were found through targeted removal, so nearly one-third of new cases came from 12 percent of the deer that were tested. Those efforts help to keep infection rates low.
“That is good news,” Hudman said. “It is a testament to our ability to find the disease early in new areas and apply management actions to slow its spread. By the time CWD infection rates get high in a deer population, there is little that can be done to slow its spread.”
By working to restrain the growth of the disease in the state, the conservation department is hoping research can discover new ways to detect or treat the disease, which is always fatal. It is spread by deer-to-deer contact, so reducing herd density helps to limit new cases.
“There are areas of the country where over half of hunter-harvested adult bucks test positive for CWD,” Hudman said. “We must do everything we can to not let this happen in Missouri, and we need the help of hunters and landowners in this critically important fight.”
Chronic wasting disease affects the brains of infected animals and leads to a slow death. It may take up to 18 months for symptoms to appear. Similar to mad cow disease in cattle, symptoms include excessive salivation, drooping head or ears, emaciation, tremors, lack of coordination and behavior changes like reduced fear of human contact.
There is no evidence of CWD in humans, but some studies raise concern for potential risk. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that hunters have deer tested, and to not eat meat from deer that test positive.
In a bit of good news locally, neighboring St. Francois and Washington counties, which had cases in past years, did not have any new positive tests this past season.
John Winkelman has been writing about outdoors news and issues in Jefferson County for more than 30 years and was the Associate Editor for Outdoor Guide Magazine. If you have story ideas, e-mail ogmjohnw@aol.com, and you can find more outdoor news and updates at johnjwink.com.