Keith Lusher 12.19.25
The Missouri Division of Conservation has introduced it would pause its controversial post-season deer elimination program, a method that was designed to gradual the unfold of continual losing illness however had drawn rising criticism from hunters throughout the state.
MDC Director Jason Sumners outlined the shift in an open letter launched Monday, saying the company plans to work extra carefully with hunters and landowners to develop a extra sustainable strategy to managing CWD.
Power losing illness was first detected in Missouri in 2010 and has since unfold to new areas of the state. Whereas an infection charges stay comparatively low, with roughly 1 % of samples testing constructive final yr, MDC officers say analysis exhibits outbreaks can speed up as soon as prevalence reaches about 5 %.
For greater than a decade, the division has relied on a mixture of surveillance and aggressive administration to restrict the illness. These efforts included obligatory testing throughout deer season, restrictions on feeding and on the motion of deer carcasses, and a focused deer elimination program carried out outdoors the common searching season. The post-season removals sometimes ran from January by mid-March and had been carried out with landowner permission utilizing strategies not allowed throughout basic searching seasons.
Based on MDC Deer Program Chief Jason Isabelle, the division collected roughly 22,000 deer samples following obligatory testing in November, leading to 32 constructive CWD instances. Final yr alone, MDC eliminated about 4,700 deer by focused elimination efforts, whereas hunters statewide harvested an estimated 275,000 deer throughout common seasons.
Sumners mentioned the company’s strategy has helped gradual the unfold of CWD however acknowledged that this system has been divisive. Many hunters objected to using bait and spotlights throughout agency-led removals and questioned the effectiveness of killing deer outdoors the season.
In his letter, Sumners emphasised that CWD is a deadly illness that may considerably impression deer populations if left unmanaged, altering age construction and decreasing resilience to different stressors comparable to drought and epizootic hemorrhagic illness. He additionally pressured that long-term success will depend on public assist.
“Presently, MDC might be pausing our post-season focused elimination efforts to work with hunters and landowners to adapt and establish a extra sustainable path ahead,” Sumners wrote.
The division mentioned it stays dedicated to retaining an infection charges low and can proceed surveillance and collaboration efforts because it evaluates future administration methods.
MDC invitations the general public to touch upon these proposed regulation modifications from Jan. 16 to Feb. 14, 2026, at mdc.mo.gov/about-regulations/wildlife-code-missouri/proposed-regulation-changes.
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