When I write my annual deer hunting season preview story, I always encourage hunters to set aside some time amid their preparation to take a peek at the annual regulations booklet. Actually reading it from cover to cover is always better advice, particularly this year because there are some changes affecting hunters in Jefferson County.
The mandatory chronic wasting disease sampling on opening weekend remains the same in structure and details this year. CWD is still the lead story in the booklet, and the concern that will have the biggest impact this season and into the future.
All deer harvested by hunters on Nov. 11 and 12 – in any of the 39 counties identified as part of a CWD Management Zone – must be taken to stations for testing. The three locations in Jefferson County include the Big River VFW in Cedar Hill, the state Department of Transportation facility on Hwy. 110 in De Soto, and the lot across from Buchheit in Herculaneum at McNutt Road and Commercial Boulevard (Hwy. 61-67).
The other 38 counties requiring testing include Adair, Barry, Barton, Bollinger, Caldwell, Carroll, Cedar, Chariton, Clay, Clinton, Crawford, Dallas, Franklin, Gasconade, Grundy, Hickory, Jasper, Linn, Livingston, Macon, Madison, Montgomery, Oregon, Perry, Polk, Pulaski, Putnam, Ray, Ripley, Schuyler, St. Clair, St. Francois, Ste. Genevieve, Stone, Sullivan, Taney, Vernon and Washington.
“Mandatory CWD sampling significantly increases the number of tissue samples we can collect in a relatively short period of time,” said Jason Isabelle, state Department of Conservation cervid program supervisor. “The large number of samples collected during mandatory CWD sampling gives us a solid understanding of the distribution and prevalence of the disease – where it is and how many deer may have it.”
The size of each county allows the potential for the disease to be found in areas where it has not been detected. In Jefferson County, the 28 positive tests since 2016 have all been discovered in deer in a sliver of the southern part of the county.
“It can help us find new cases in new areas so disease management can begin as soon as possible to slow the spread of CWD and protect Missouri’s deer population,” Isabelle said.
CWD sampling takes only a few minutes and consists of staff cutting an incision across the neck of a harvested deer to remove its lymph nodes. Tissue samples are sent to an independent lab. Hunters get their test results online at mdc.mo.gov/cwdresults.
Because of the timing of the season and the number of participants on opening weekend, about one-third of all deer harvested statewide each year are taken by hunters in those two days. That volume makes for the most efficient use of state resources in collecting tissues for testing.
A change this year for Jefferson and other counties in the management zone is a new season that extends the November portion by five days. Hunters may continue to hunt Nov. 22-26 in the above-mentioned counties with a valid permit.
Hunters who harvest deer on dates other than opening weekend or in areas where the disease has not been detected may get their deer tested for free at participating taxidermists, meat processors, conservation offices or at freezer drop-off sites statewide. Those places are not available on opening weekend.
Locations in Jefferson County are Belmar Taxidermy in Arnold, Bilbrey Studio in Barnhart and Larry’s Life Like Taxidermy in Festus. A self-service freezer is available at the Festus-Crystal City Conservation Club near I-55 and Hwy. 61 south of Festus.
Now get back to packing, and include a copy of the regulation booklet.
John Winkelman has been writing about outdoors news and issues in Jefferson County for more than 30 years and is the associate editor for Outdoor Guide Magazine. If you have story ideas for the Leader outdoor news page, e-mail ogmjohnw@aol.com, and you can find more outdoor news and updates at johnjwink.com.