Hunters can have deer tested for CWD at MDC self-service freezer head drop sites throughout the St. Louis Region
St. LOUIS, Mo—To make it easier for deer hunters to have their deer tested for chronic wasting disease (CWD), the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) has deployed deer head drop-off sites in six counties throughout the St. Louis Region. These include Crawford, Franklin, Jefferson, St. Charles, St. Louis, and Warren. Each site has a freezer that will preserve the samples, which will be picked up by MDC staff for CWD testing.
The freezers are one way that hunters can have their deer tested for CWD. These self-serve drop sites enable hunters to submit deer heads for sampling at their convenience throughout the 2026-2027 deer hunting season. Hunters should note that that the freezers and other voluntary sampling locations in Lincoln, St. Charles, and Warren counties will not be available Nov. 14-15 when hunters in these counties must take their deer (or the head) to be checked at a mandatory CWD sampling station.
For an interactive map showing all voluntary CWD testing sites throughout the state, including freezer head-drops, taxidermists, meat processors, and MDC offices, go to https://short.mdc.mo.gov/ZCH.
Hunters who utilize a deer head drop-off site will be required to remove the deer’s head in advance, so it can be left in the freezer. Hunters should cut off the head (and antlers for any bucks) while leaving about six inches of neck attached before coming to the drop-off location. Materials will be available at the freezer sites, such as trash bags, zip ties, and data sheets, that hunters can use in labeling the heads.
Hunters will need to record their name and contact information, the Telecheck ID number and the location the deer was harvested. They can then simply leave the head in the freezer. MDC staff will collect the head and pull the samples to be submitted for testing.
Hunters will be able to check the CWD test results themselves online using their Telecheck ID number at https://short.mdc.mo.gov/ZuE within approximately three to five weeks. MDC will notify a hunter directly if their sample returns a positive result. Although there have been no known cases of CWD affecting humans, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention does not recommend consuming meat from a deer that has tested positive for CWD.
CWD is a prion disease that is fatal to deer. A deer may be infected with no visible symptoms. The only way to identify the presence of CWD is to have the deer tested. The disease has been confirmed in Crawford, Franklin, Jefferson, St. Louis, and Washington counties in MDC’s St. Louis Region, as well as counties elsewhere in the state. Hunters are key partners in achieving MDC’s shared goal of maintaining a healthy deer herd and a strong hunting tradition. By having their deer tested, hunters help MDC monitor the disease and the health of the deer herd.
Hunters can visit http://short.mdc.mo.gov/ZVo or see the 2026 Fall Deer & Turkey Hunting Information and Regulations booklet for more information.
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