New Missouri Deer Regs?

[SwampCat]

I saw this posted on another site


Missouri Conservation Commission Meeting – December 12, 2025

1. WELCOME to the Party Pal – Missouri NOW STATEWIDE on CWD policy eliminating the CWD ZONE – Means mandatory sampling can occur in ANY county in Missouri and EVERYONE is basically in CWD rules!

2. Say goodbye to ALL antler restriction – 16 Counties left no longer have.

3. 5-acre Landowners CWD permits in Core AREA is now GONE and you have to have 20 acres.

4. Say goodbye to the CWD Season right after Firearms Season.

5. Youth Season MOVES up a whole week due to interference with Halloween.

6. In May of 2026 they will decide if Feed and Minerals will be banned STATEWIDE or if Some counties will still be allowed.

Yes this passed Commission – 30 days comment period is coming on CWD Zone, Antler Restrictions, etc.

 

[Bill]

MDC sent me that in an email yesterday.
I'll be commenting but it won't matter.

 

[Bill]

But it didn't say anything about mandatory CWD testing. My county was mandatory but they actually did away with that requirement this year.

EDIT: I reread it. They can make it mandatory in areas they choose.

 

[Bill]

Here is the complete e-mail.​

​

MDC announces changes to deer-hunting regulations​

Changes will simplify regulations for hunters and help maintain a healthy deer herd.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – The Missouri Conservation Commission recently gave initial approval to regulation changes for deer hunting proposed by the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) at the Dec. 12 Commission meeting in Jefferson City. The changes will simplify regulations for hunters and help keep chronic wasting disease (CWD) infection rates low, so Missouri’s deer herd remains healthy.

Removal of CWD Portion of Firearms Deer Season

The five-day CWD Portion of firearms deer season was open for CWD Management Zone counties. Harvest data shows that this season portion has not resulted in a significant increase in harvest. Hunters have also expressed concerns about the number of firearms-deer-season portions and the complexity of regulations.

Removing the CWD Portion will simplify the structure of deer season for hunters and not significantly affect deer harvest.

Removal of CWD Management Zone

Missouri’s CWD Management Zone consists of counties with confirmed cases of CWD and those within 10 miles of a confirmed detection. The size of the Management Zone has increased over time from the original six counties in 2012 to 82 counties in 2025. Growth in the Zone has led to increased regulatory complexity between counties.

According to MDC, eliminating the CWD Management Zone will simplify related regulations to minimize the impacts of CWD on Missouri’s deer herd. This change would allow mandatory CWD sampling to be conducted in selected counties to detect the disease as early as possible where it exists. Selected counties would be listed in the annual MDC Fall Deer & Turkey Hunting Regulations and Information booklet that is available starting in July.

Placing feed and minerals for deer would continue to be prohibited in counties with confirmed cases of CWD and those within 10 miles of a CWD detection.

Removal of the Antler Point Restriction (APR)

The APR has been removed in CWD Management Zone Counties in the past because yearling bucks -- which the APR protects -- travel many miles and can spread CWD long distances. Given the current distribution of CWD, the APR remains in place in only 18 counties.

Removing the APR from these counties will help minimize the spread of CWD and simplify regulations for hunters.

Increase Acreage for CWD Management Permits

Currently, a landowner with at least five acres in a CWD core area can receive five no-cost deer hunting permits for use on their property during deer season. Beginning in 2026, landowners will be required to have at least 20 acres in a CWD core area to receive CWD Management Permits.

According to MDC, this change will help with the sustainability of the CWD Management Permit program and make the acreage requirement the same for CWD Management Permits and no-cost landowner deer hunting permits, reducing potential confusion for landowners.

MDC invites the public to comment on these proposed regulation changes from Jan. 16 to Feb. 14, 2026 at mdc.mo.gov/about-regulations/wildlife-code-missouri/proposed-regulation-changes.

 

[buckdeer1]

Too bad they won't spend the money trying find a cure for EHD that actually kill thousands of deer instead of spending millions on a disease that has been around for years

 

[Ben.MN/WI]

Too bad they won't spend the money trying find a cure for EHD that actually kill thousands of deer instead of spending millions on a disease that has been around for years

Ehd should get progressively less severe in the north eventually as it has in the south.

The dropping deer numbers in NW Arkansas because of cwd is very concerning and it sure seems likely that will happen in other areas.

I agree that killing all the deer isn’t the answer, but I have real concerns about what deer hunting will be in 25 years.

 

[swat1018]

Follow the leader, kill them before they die.

 

[Ben.MN/WI]

Follow the leader, kill them before they die.

Did you see the deer numbers in NW Arkansas that drop under 5 dpsm once cwd positive exceeded 50%?

I agree killing then all is just as bad, but cwd is no joke if that data is accurate.

 

[Howboutthemdawgs]

The ark thing is odd to me. Why are they cherry picking that one spot as the cautionary tale when there are plenty of places that have had it just as long or longer. Additionally nw ark is shitty deer habitat so what was the dpsm prior?

 

[bwoods11]

I’m not seeing any real big change ? What would you guys consider a game changer ? If any ?

 

[Mortenson]

Thought I read somewhere that the high prevalence area in AR was where they introduced elk. Not sure if that's true or not.

 

[Ben.MN/WI]

The ark thing is odd to me. Why are they cherry picking that one spot as the cautionary tale when there are plenty of places that have had it just as long or longer. Additionally nw ark is shitty deer habitat so what was the dpsm prior?

That’s the only area that has that high of a positive % rate. 68% of bucks are positive and around 40% of does. Nowhere else is that high. Maybe something in the soil allows it to spread faster there or maybe it has been there longer than Wisconsin. If the deer densities are tied to the positive rate, we are probably all screwed.

I don’t think the Colorado timeline applies much though as mulie densities are naturally lower, so dropping from 10 dpsm to 5 isn’t a major difference and can still have decent hunting. A whitetail property going from 60 dpsm to 5 is pretty much the end.

 

[Ben.MN/WI]

I’m not seeing any real big change ? What would you guys consider a game changer ? If any ?

NW Arkansas deer densities dropped under 5 dpsm when cwd rates exceeded 50%. According to some studies at least.

That’s the only area I’ve seen with that high of a positive rate and it looks like the deer densities dropped after the positive rate exceeded 30.

It looks really bad and in a few years some areas in sw Wisconsin will exceed the 30% mark that started the decline in Arkansas.

 

[hillrunner]

NW Arkansas deer densities dropped under 5 dpsm when cwd rates exceeded 50%. According to some studies at least.

That’s the only area I’ve seen with that high of a positive rate and it looks like the deer densities dropped after the positive rate exceeded 30.

It looks really bad and in a few years some areas in sw Wisconsin will exceed the 30% mark that started the decline in Arkansas.

What are the hunters in that area saying?

 

[Ben.MN/WI]

What are the hunters in that area saying?

I don’t know anyone there, but if the 5 deer per square mile is accurate, deer hunting is over.

 

[Ben.MN/WI]

I hope that area is abnormally bad for some reason or that the data is wrong. If not, things don’t look good long term.

 

[hillrunner]

I don’t know anyone there, but if the 5 deer per square mile is accurate, deer hunting is over.

That's what I'm thinking. If this is accurate, there should be some hunters making some noise.

 

[Bill]

What are the hunters in that area saying?

Good question. But my question “that will never get a straight answer” is how many deer did the state kill with snipers and or extra tags?

1 deer tested positive. Across the state line from me. Close, with in 2 miles. MO decided to give out 10 extra tags and mandatory testing 2 years ago. This year 5 extra tags and no testing.

If anyone thinks the decline in deer in a CWD Zone is “All” caused by CWD. They also believe Anthony Fauci is an expert on Covid.

 

[Ben.MN/WI]

Good question. But my question “that will never get a straight answer” is how many deer did the state kill with snipers and or extra tags?

1 deer tested positive. Across the state line from me. Close, with in 2 miles. MO decided to give out 10 extra tags and mandatory testing 2 years ago. This year 5 extra tags and no testing.

If anyone thinks the decline in deer in a CWD Zone is “All” caused by CWD. They also believe Anthony Fauci is an expert on Covid.

They’ve tried to shoot out deer in multiple states without any luck. I don’t think the dnr sharpshooters caused the decline in that area, especially if the positive rate is actually as high as they say. But that is just my guess and I could be wrong.

It is depressing.

 

[SwampCat]

Deer density in AR in that area was about 20 dpsm or higher. Yes, that is the point where the elk were first stocked and cwd was first detected.