The Missouri Department of Conservation wants you to beware of wildlife with Chronic Wasting Disease, especially white-tailed deer.
CWD is a fatal, neurological disease that impacts animals like deer and elk.
Media Specialist for Central and Northeast Regions Maddie Est said they track how the disease is spreading because it could wipe out an animal population.
She said they have a mandatory sampling process for hunters in Northeast Missouri to make sure their deer are not infected.
“To take the sample, all we do is take out the lymph nodes from the deer so you can still get it mounted,” Est said. “You can still obviously process the meat, but if it has CWD, we can’t recommend that you eat meat from the deer that’s tested positive.”
The two CWD management zones in Northeast Missouri include Knox and Clark Counties.
MDC prohibits you from using grain and other consumable products to attract deer in CWD management zones, but there are a few exceptions:
- Feed placed within 100 feet of any residence or occupied building
- Feed placed somewhere where deer can’t access
- Feed and minerals used only for agricultural, forest management or wildlife food plot production practices
Source : Rebecca Duffy
