Missouri deer hunters who head out during the fall season are being asked to help the state determine the spread of chronic wasting disease, especially in northern counties.
The Department of Conservation will take tissue samples from Sept. 15 through Jan. from deer killed in Adair, Chariton, Linn, Macon, Randolph and Sullivan counties. Hunters are asked to take their deer to collection points that will be set up in those areas.
Joe Jerek is a spokesperson for the MDC. He says it’s easy for hunters to get samples and it’s crucial to the MDC’s containment efforts.
“It only takes a few minutes to get a sample," Jerek says. "There’s no charge for that and taking a sample does not reduce the food or mount value of harvested deer.”
Chronic wasting disease attacks the central nervous system of white-tailed, mule and other types of deer. It can be spread by contact between animals and through the carcasses of diseased deer. The disease has been found in wild deer in north-central Missouri's Macon County.
