Missouri Department of Conservation puts pause on post-hunting season deer cull
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
EDITOR'S NOTE: AI was used for background in researching this story.
The Missouri Department of Conservation is pausing its chronic Wasting Disease management efforts to find a more sustainable option.
The disease was detected in the state in 2010, and is reportedly on the rise, with around 1% of samples last year testing positive for CWD. However, MDC experts add that a 5% positive test rate tends to be at risk for outbreaks.
"As with many diseases, early detection and aggressive management have the greatest impact on the future distribution of the disease. So we embarked on an aggressive strategy to minimize the likelihood of spreading the disease within Missouri," MDC Director Jason Sumners wrote in an open letter Monday.
The Missouri Department of Conservation implemented a series of strategies aimed at controlling the spread of CWD. Among these is a mandatory sampling procedure conducted annually during deer season, during which hunters can have their deer tested at no cost. The department has also implemented regulations for feed use and carcass disposal to prevent the spread.
The department typically uses the findings from the November sampling in conjunction with an annual targeted deer removal program that runs from January to mid-March. This program is intended to help control the population of infected deer in areas where CWD is prevalent. All non-CWD-affected meat harvested from the hunts is either returned to the landowners or donated.
The post-season program is being put on hold this time.
"We remain committed to keeping our deer herd heathy and working collaboratively with the hunters and landowners that are critical to our conservation mission," Sumners wrote. "We cannot be successful in this work, and at the scale needed, without hunters’ and landowners’ support and participation. At this time, MDC will be pausing our post-season targeted removal efforts to work with hunters and landowners to adapt and identify a more sustainable path forward."
Deer culling has been a criticized strategy in the past, with opponents arguing that the action causes ecological impacts and affects local hunters.
"Regardless of where you stand on the issue of CWD, most share the same goal — a healthy sustainable population of deer in Missouri that can be appreciated and utilized by future generations," Sumners said.
This is an ongoing story.
