Northwest Missouri Hunters Face CWD Sampling Requirement November 14–15

Deer hunters in five northwest Missouri counties need a sampling stop in their opening-weekend plans. In a November 6 announcement, the Missouri Department of Conservation identified Andrew, Atchison, Buchanan, Holt and Nodaway as the region’s counties requiring chronic wasting disease sampling for deer harvested November 14 or 15, 2026.

Those counties are part of a statewide program, not the full statewide list. MDC says it has moved mandatory sampling to a four-year county rotation, with every Missouri county scheduled for mandatory sampling once during that period. Hunters elsewhere should check the department’s 2026 mandatory-sampling county list and station map rather than assume last year’s requirements still apply.

For deer harvested in a designated county during those two days, MDC’s current instructions require taking the deer—or its head—to a sampling station on the day of harvest. Stations operate from 7:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Field dress and Telecheck the deer first. The hunter who harvested it must be present, with their Conservation Number and the harvest location available for staff to identify on a map.

Hunters bringing only the head should leave at least six inches of neck attached. Keep the head and neck accessible in the vehicle. If the deer is headed for a shoulder mount, tell sampling staff before they begin; MDC provides directions for working with participating taxidermists and says staff will not cut through the cape of a deer intended for a shoulder mount.

The northwest stations named in MDC’s announcement are the Andrew County Youth Building and Fairgrounds in Savannah; Atchison City Barn in Tarkio; Agency Community Center in Agency; Loess Bluffs National Wildlife Refuge in Forest City; and Nodaway County Community Fair Building in Maryville. Check the agency’s station map before leaving for the hunt. A sampling location at a refuge is not, by itself, authorization to hunt that refuge.

One important distinction: MDC says freezer drop-off locations are closed during the opening weekend of the November firearms portion. Do not substitute a familiar self-service freezer for the required same-day station visit on November 14 or 15.

Outside that mandatory-sampling arrangement, MDC also offers voluntary sampling for deer harvested in any county during Missouri’s deer seasons. Options include department offices, cooperating processors and taxidermists, and self-service freezers. The department’s voluntary-sampling map and instructions are the place to check the available handoff.

For a self-service freezer submission, MDC instructs hunters to remove the head and antlers beforehand, leaving about six inches of neck attached. Hunters record their contact information, Telecheck ID and harvest location using materials supplied at the site. MDC says bags, zip ties and data sheets are provided, and staff collect the heads for testing throughout the season.

CWD is a contagious, fatal disease of deer and other cervids. Harvested-deer samples help MDC identify where the disease occurs and understand its distribution. For hunters, the immediate job is practical: know whether the county requires sampling, choose the correct collection option and leave time to make that stop after a successful hunt.

Illustrative file photograph of a white-tailed buck; this is not a Missouri sampling scene, and the animal is not identified as having CWD. Photo: USFWS media library. Original image and license. Public domain.

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