MISSOURI KSN/KODE— The M.D.C. is preparing for its latest round of C.W.D. It stands for “Chronic Wasting Disease” — a deadly, infectious disease in deer and other cervids.

Next weekend, the Missouri Department of Conservation will be doing mandatory sample collection for it. C.W.D spreads through improper disposal of deer carcasses and through the environment where a deer comes into contact with infectious material from another deer. There is no cure.

“It’s at a very low prevalence right now, and this mandatory sampling we’ve been doing the last few years has helped keep it at that low prevalence, so that’s why we do it. The reason we’re doing it opening weekend is that is when the bulk of the deer that are harvested throughout the hunting season – throughout archery, throughout muzzle-loader, throughout firearms – all the deer hunting seasons, the bulk of them are harvested in the opening weekend of the deer season, so it’s the most bang for our buck,” said Francis Skalicky, M.D.C.

Between July of 2021 and April of this year — more than 3,200 deer were sampled. Only 86 tested positive for C.W.D.