Conservation department calls meeting after CWD found in Texas County

The Missouri Department of Conservation said a public meeting is planned for Jan. 7 in Houston after the discovery of Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) in Texas County.

The Missouri Department of Conservation announced the disease has spread to white-tailed deer within Texas County. Landowners, hunters and conservation partners are invited to learn more during the meeting at 6:30 p.m. at the community building at the Houston Area Chamber of Commerce Fairgrounds on North U.S. 63.

The meeting will discuss what CWD is, how to help slow the spread of the disease and what the Missouri Department of Conservation is doing to manage it.

Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) is a contagious, deadly brain disease of white-tailed deer and other members of the deer family. The disease is caused by a misfolded protein and can be spread by direct contact between deer and when deer encounter the misfolded proteins in the environment after they have been shed by an infected deer.

CWD is considered by some to be one of the greatest conservation challenges of our time and is likely the greatest threat to Missouri’s deer population since the species almost disappeared from the state a century ago, the conservation department said. Because CWD is 100% fatal to deer, it is a significant threat to Missouri’s deer population, hunting culture and economy.

The conservation department is working with hunters, landowners and conservation partners to identify where CWD exists in the state and to implement regulations and other management practices that slow the spread of CWD. By slowing the spread of CWD, these efforts are helping to protect Missouri’s deer population from this significant threat, the department said Tuesday.

Learn more about CWD online at https://mdc.mo.gov/hunting-trapping/species/deer/chronic-wasting-disease