
Xplor reconnects kids to nature and helps them find adventure in their own backyard. Free to residents of Missouri.
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Xplor reconnects kids to nature and helps them find adventure in their own backyard. Free to residents of Missouri.
A monthly publication about conservation in Missouri. Started in 1938, the printed magazine is free to residents of Missouri.
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Proper disposal of a deer carcass is one of the final steps of the deer hunting process and is as important as any other part of deer hunting.
One reason this part of deer hunting is important is because there are regulations that pertain to the disposal of deer parts. In Missouri the improper disposal of deer parts falls under the state statute that covers the unlawful disposition of a dead animal. Deer hunters violate this statute (and commit a Class C misdemeanor) if they knowingly place or cause to be placed the carcass or offal of any dead animal:
Besides the illegalities involved with the improper disposal of a deer carcass or its parts, dumping deer parts on the landscape is a way to spread chronic wasting disease (CWD), a disease that is fatal to deer. The infectious agent for CWD is a protein called a prion. Prions can remain viable on the landscape long after remains of an infected carcass decompose, which could potentially expose other deer to CWD. Hunters who harvest deer within the 38 counties that comprise Missouri’s CWD management zone should remember there are special restrictions for those counties regarding deer carcass movement. A description of these regulations is in the “2022 Fall Deer and Turkey Hunting Regulations” booklet available at most MDC Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) offices and places that sell hunting and fishing permits.
Leaving deer parts on someone’s property can also show a lack of courtesy on the part of a hunter. If a landowner who is unfamiliar with deer hunting and field-dressing comes across a gut pile on his/her land, your hunting on that property will probably be a one-and-done experience.
Here are proper disposal options hunters can use to get rid of their deer carcass parts:
To report illegal dumping of a deer carcass (and other wildlife-related violations), contact a local conservation agent or call the Operation Game Thief Hotline at 1-800-392-1111.