Deer hunters in Oregon and Shannon counties will be required to have harvested deer tested for chronic wasting disease during the opening weekend of the November firearms portion, according to the Missouri Department of Conservation.
Mandatory CWD sampling will be required Nov. 14 and 15 in designated counties, including Oregon and Shannon. Hunters who harvest a deer in those counties during that weekend must take the deer, or the head, to a mandatory CWD sampling station on the day of harvest.
In Oregon County, sampling stations listed by MDC include Alton High School, 505 School St. in Alton; Thayer High School, 401 E. Walnut St. in Thayer; and the Thomasville Community Center, 134 Old St. in Thomasville.
In Shannon County, sampling stations listed by MDC include Eminence Elementary School, 17794 Highway 106 in Eminence; the Timber Volunteer Fire Department shed, 39245 Highway 19 in Timber; and MDC Twin Pines Conservation Education Center, 20086 U.S. 60 in Winona.
The requirement is part of several regulation changes for the upcoming deer season. MDC said the changes are intended to simplify regulations and respond to public input.
MDC has moved mandatory CWD sampling during the opening weekend of the November portion of firearms deer season to a four-year county rotation. Mandatory sampling will now be conducted in every county in the state once every four years.
According to MDC, the rotation will allow staff to continue monitoring CWD where it exists and allow for early detection in new areas.
The department also has removed the CWD Management Zone designation. MDC said a majority of Missouri counties either have had a case of CWD or are within 10 miles of a confirmed case, making a designated zone no longer necessary.
However, restrictions on feed and minerals for deer will continue in counties within 10 miles of where CWD has been found. Placing feed and minerals for deer can artificially congregate deer and increase the risk of disease transmission, according to MDC.
MDC also has removed the antler-point restriction from the final 18 counties where it was still in place. The department said removing the restriction will help minimize the spread of CWD and simplify regulations.
For nonresident hunters, MDC has reduced the antlered buck limit from two to one for those hunting on nonresident deer hunting permits. Nonresidents who qualify for nonresident landowner permits will maintain an antlered buck harvest limit of two.
MDC said the number of nonresident deer hunters in Missouri has increased by nearly 50% in the last 10 years, and resident hunters have raised concerns about land access and hunting experiences.
The early youth portion also has been moved one week earlier this year, to Oct. 24 and 25, to avoid conflicts with Halloween activities.
Selected landowners in CWD Core Areas also will see changes to CWD Management Permits. Landowners must now have at least 20 contiguous acres in a CWD Core Area to receive CWD Management Permits, making the acreage requirement consistent with other no-cost landowner deer hunting permits. Qualifying landowners can receive five no-cost CWD Management Permits for use on their property during deer season.
MDC said it will not conduct targeted deer removals after the season and currently has no plans to resume the activity. Instead, staff will work with hunters, landowners and other partners on localized approaches in which hunter harvest is the primary tool used to manage deer numbers and CWD during the regular season.
More information is available in MDC’s 2026 Fall Deer & Turkey Hunting Regulations and Information booklet at mdc.mo.gov, at MDC offices and nature centers and where hunting permits are sold.
