Already banned in Callaway, Boone and Cole counties, a state deer feeing ban has been expanded in an effort to curb chronic wasting disease.
The Missouri Department of Conservation expanded restrictions on feeding cervids to seven new counties: Bollinger, Cape Girardeau, Grundy, Madison, McDonald, Mercer and Perry. The feeding ban for these seven new counties becomes effective July 1.
These seven new counties join 41 existing counties in the MDC's CWD Management Zone where feeding deer and placing minerals for deer is restricted. The zone consists of counties in or near where cases of the disease have been found. The 48 counties also include Adair, Barry, Benton, Bollinger, Cape Girardeau, Carroll, Cedar, Chariton, Cooper, Crawford, Dade, Franklin, Gasconade, Grundy, Hickory, Jefferson, Knox, Linn, Livingston, Macon, Madison, McDonald, Mercer, Miller, Moniteau, Morgan, Osage, Ozark, Perry, Polk, Putnam, Randolph, Schuyler, Scotland, Shelby, St. Charles, St. Clair, St. Francois, Ste. Genevieve, St. Louis, Stone, Sullivan, Taney, Warren and Washington.
According to the Wildlife Code of Missouri, the placement of grain, salt products, minerals, and other consumable natural and manufactured products used to attract deer is prohibited year-round within counties of the CWD Management Zone. Exceptions are feed placed within 100 feet of any residence or occupied building, feed placed in such a manner to reasonably exclude access by deer, and feed and minerals present solely as a result of normal agricultural or forest management, or crop and wildlife food production practices.
"CWD is spread from deer to deer and the potential for transmission increases when deer are unnaturally congregated," MDC Wildlife Disease Coordinator Jasmine Batten said. "CWD can also spread when healthy deer come into contact with salvia, urine, or feces shed into the environment by infected deer. Placing feed and minerals for deer can facilitate the spread of diseases such as CWD. Recent research has confirmed the presence of CWD at mineral sites, which further supports this ban."
CWD is a contagious neurological disease affecting cervids such as deer, elk, reindeer and moose. It causes a spongy deterioration of the brains of infected animals, resulting in emaciation, abnormal behavior, loss of body function and death. It is unclear if it is transmissible to humans via ingestion. CWD has been detected in captive and wild deer and elk populations in 23 states and two Canadian provinces, including Michigan, the Dakotas, Illinois and Kansas.
For the seven new counties, MDC has also increased the availability of antlerless permits, and expanded the firearms antlerless portion to help harvest more deer in the counties and limit the spread of the disease.
MDC confirmed 33 new cases of CWD following the testing of nearly 24,500 free-ranging Missouri deer through its sampling and testing efforts last season. New cases were found in Adair, Cedar, Franklin, Jefferson, Linn, Macon, Perry, Polk, St. Clair and Ste. Genevieve counties. These new cases bring the total number of free-ranging deer in Missouri confirmed to have CWD to 75.
For more information on the feeding ban, visit MDC at mdc.mo.gov/cwd under "Feeding Ban and Other Regulations."