Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) is a hot topic among deer hunters and deer managers across the state of Missouri. Some hunters believe that the Missouri Department of Conservation is not handling the management of CWD correctly, while others support what MDC is doing.
I sat down with MDC cervid program supervisor Jason Isabelle last week to discuss the many issues surrounding CWD. Isabelle plays a key role in the management of deer populations in Missouri.
CWD is a fatal, contagious neurological disease in deer, elk, moose, and reindeer, caused by misfolded proteins (prions) that damage the brain, leading to severe wight loss, poor condition, drooling, listlessness, and behavioral changes like loss of fear. Spread through animal-to animal contact or contaminated soil/water/carcasses, CWD is always fatal, with no treatment or vaccine. There is no evidence that the disease is transferable to humans.
MDC utilized targeted deer culling to combat CWD in core areas where CWD was found from 2012 until late 2025. Targeted removal has been very controversial and was halted in December 2025.
“The decision was made to stop the targeted removal of deer for an indefinite period of time,” Isabelle said. “It’s a management tool that we have used for well over a decade to effectively keep our CWD prevalence rates low, and there is plenty of evidence to prove that it is a very effective tool to keep CWD prevalence rates low, but unfortunately, over time we have seen declining rates of support for that specific management tool among landowners, which led to the pause. The success of the program depends on how many landowners are participating and how many deer are removed from those CWD core areas.”
According to Isabelle, deer management in Missouri has always been a partnership between MDC, landowners, deer hunters and other members of the public.
“For deer management to be successful in Missouri that partnership must continue,” Isabelle said. “We will continue to work with the citizens of Missouri to develop a management tool through that partnership to look to the future to work with the public to develop a CWD management strategy that will have their support and help us maintain a healthy, sustainable deer herd in Missouri.”
MDC wants to maintain a healthy deer herd in Missouri.
“We will be engaging more with Missouri citizens to educate them about CWD and get their opinions, but we firmly believe that we have to do everything that we can to minimize the impact of CWD. We want to develop a collaborative strategy that everyone can get behind, but there is plenty of examples from other states that we know if we do not manage CWD the prevalence rates will increase rapidly,” Isabelle said.
The current halt of the targeted culling program is not a halt of CWD management in Missouri,” according to Isabelle.
“We are as committed as ever to managing CWD and the halt of the targeted culling is not an abandonment of our efforts to control the disease.”
Wisconsin was the first state east of the Mississippi River to detect CWD. They maintained a CWD management program for several years and kept CWD in Check. However, after seven years the public was able to halt the CWD management program. The effects have been a dramatic increase in CWD prevalence in those areas where it was detected. Some of those counties now have a prevalence rate over 50 percent. The impact is devastating to the deer herd.
Illinois detected CWD about the same time as Wisconsin. They began a CWD management program and have kept the CWD rate at low levels.
Conspiracy theories about CWD run rampant on social media platforms. Common conspiracy theories and myths about CWD contradict the overwhelming scientific consensus that it is a fatal, transmissible prion disease. These alternative narratives typically downplay the severity, question its cause, or attribute its management to ulterior motives.
One of the most common conspiracy theories is that CWD is a money-making scheme for MDC.
“There is nothing further from the truth,” Isabelle said. “We do receive some federal funds, but ultimately we are spending some of our MDC budget fighting CWD.”
Some extremists even claim that CWD is a ploy by a multitude of government agencies to control our food supply. Yet, no proof of any such collaborative effort has ever surfaced.
Independent outdoor communicators, including myself, have been accused by conspiracy theorists of being paid by MDC to support their position on CWD. During my interview with Isabelle, I asked him if I had been left off of the list of outdoor communicators who are being paid by MDC. He reassured me that no such list has ever existed.
Another phenomenal conspiracy theory is the belief that the upcoming vote on the 1/10th of 1 percent sales tax for Missouri State Parks and soil and water conservation is tied to the Missouri Department of Conservation.
“Again, nothing is further from the truth,” Isabelle said. “MDC has its own dedicated tax that was established by the voters and is a permanent part of the Missouri constitution.”
As Missouri citizens, we are very fortunate to have the best conservation department in the nation and a state park system among the best. I urge you to continue supporting both. If you have further questions about CWD, feel free to call Jason Isabelle at 573-815-7901 at extension 2902.
You can hear more from Bill Cooper on Living the Dream Outdoors Podcast, which can be found on most social media platforms.
