Deer: Chronic Wasting Disease Management Program; Permit Availability, Methods, Limits

PURPOSE: This rule establishes requirements for obtaining and using no-cost Chronic Wasting Disease Management Permits. (1) Landowners may enroll property in the department-spon sored Chronic Wasting Disease Management Program to ob tain no-cost Chronic Wasting Disease Management Permits in accordance with the following: (A) For the purposes of this rule a landowner shall include any person owning at least twenty (20) contiguous acres within two (2) miles of a confirmed Chronic Wasting Disease-positive; (B) The landowner shall submit an application on a form pro vided by the department to enroll in the program. Application for enrollment in the program shall be on an annual basis; (C) Approval of applications received less than thirty (30) days prior to any deer hunting season cannot be guaranteed; and (D) The landowner may designate persons who are autho rized to receive no-cost Chronic Wasting Disease Management Permit(s) for use on the enrolled property. The landowner or his/her authorized representative shall submit the following information to the department for any person who is autho rized to obtain no-cost Chronic Wasting Disease Management Permit(s): Name, domicile address, email, phone number, con servation identification number, and property identification number assigned to the enrolled property by the department. (2) The number of permits allocated for use on an enrolled property will be determined by the department based on localized disease-management goals. (3) In addition to the take of deer in accordance with statewide deer hunting regulations, additional deer may be taken during the firearms and archery deer hunting seasons on properties enrolled in the department-sponsored Chronic Wasting Disease Management Program in accordance with the following: (A) Persons hunting or pursuing additional deer on enrolled properties must possess a valid no-cost Chronic Wasting Disease Management Permit. No-cost Chronic Wasting Disease Management Permits may be obtained only by a person whose name, domicile address, email, phone number, conservation identification number, and the enrolled property identification number has been submitted to the department by a partici pating landowner with property enrolled in the program. A valid resident, nonresident, or landowner Firearms Any-Deer Hunting Permit, Firearms Antlerless Deer Hunting Permit, Archer’s Hunting Permit, or Archery Antlerless Deer Hunting Permit is required as a prerequisite to obtain a no-cost Chronic Wasting Disease Management Permit; (B) Each no-cost Chronic Wasting Disease Management Permit is valid for one (1) deer of either sex. All no-cost Chronic Wasting Disease Management Permits are valid only on the enrolled property they were issued for; (C) Persons hunting or pursuing deer on a no-cost Chronic Wasting Disease Management Permit shall be properly licensed for the season they are hunting. Properly licensed during the Archery Deer Hunting Season shall mean possession of one (1) of the archery permits (either filled or unfilled) required by this rule as a prerequisite for obtaining a no-cost Chronic Wasting Disease Management Permit. Properly licensed during the Firearms Deer Hunting Season shall mean possession of one (1) of the firearms deer hunting permits (either filled or unfilled) required by this rule as a prerequisite for obtaining a no-cost Chronic Wasting Disease Management Permit; and (D) Additional deer may be taken on enrolled properties only in accordance with statewide deer hunting regulations in this chapter. All applicable statewide season, method, permit, limit, tagging, and checking requirements apply, except antlered and antlerless deer limits established by 3 CSR 10-7.431, 3 CSR 10-7.434, and 3 CSR 10-7.437 shall not apply to deer taken on a no-cost Chronic Wasting Disease Management Permit. AUTHORITY: sections 40 and 45 of Art. IV, Mo. Const., and section 252.040, RSMo 2016.* Original rule filed Aug. 26, 2019, effective Feb. 29, 2020. Amended: Filed Jan. 22, 2021, effective Aug. 30, 2021. Amended: Filed Dec. 12, 2025, effective June 30, 2026. *Original authority: 252.040, RSMo 1945, amended 1989.