St. LOUIS, Mo.—The November Portion of firearms deer season opens this Saturday, Nov. 15.  All hunters who harvest a deer from designated counties in the Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) Management Zone during opening weekend (this Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 15 – 16) must take their deer — or just the head  — on the day of harvest to a CWD sampling station for testing.

Hunters should note that both St. Louis and St. Charles Counties are designated counties this year and part of the CWD Mandatory Sampling program. 

To assist hunter harvesting deer in these counties, the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) has established the following CWD testing stations:

• St. Louis County
  • Bellefontaine Conservation Area, just south of Highway 367 and I-270 in North St. Louis County
  • Rockwoods Reservation, off Highway 109 in Wildwood
  • Powder Valley Nature Center, near I-270 and I-44 in Kirkwood
• St. Charles County
  • Weldon Spring Conservation Area Shop, off Highway 94 in St. Charles
  • Parking lot north of Emerald View Turf Farm, off Highway 79 in O’Fallon

These sampling stations will be open from 7:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. both days.

Hunters should also be aware that Crawford, Franklin, Jefferson, and Washington counties are not mandatory sampling counties in 2025.  Hunters in these counties are encouraged to have their deer sampled voluntarily starting on Monday at any MDC office, or by utilizing one of the nine deer head drop-off sites in these counties (http://short.mdc.mo.gov/ooq).  These self-serve stations will not be available Nov. 15 and 16.

MDC recommends that hunters keep in mind the following before visiting a mandatory sampling station:

• Field dress and Telecheck your deer before arrival.
• You can bring the carcass or just the head with at least 6 inches of the neck attached. (It is OK to remove the cape before you get to the sampling station.)
• The person who harvested the deer must be present.
• Be prepared to provide your Conservation Number and point out the location of harvest on a map.
• If using a paper permit, have it detached from the deer for easy access. If using the MO Hunting app, have your permit and Telecheck information readily available.
• Position the deer in your vehicle with the head and neck accessible.

For an interactive map of statewide mandatory sampling stations open this Saturday and Sunday, go to http://short.mdc.mo.gov/ooG.