Chronic wasting disease (CWD) has been detected among the whitetail deer populations in 31 Missouri counties, including Clay and Ray. The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) urges hunters and other area residents to look for diseased animals and advises hunters to be aware of regulations that apply to CWD management areas. “MDC tested for CWD long before the first detection in free-ranging deer in 2012,” said Deb Hudman, wildlife health program supervisor. Since then, there have been 410 positive cases in over 243,000 deer that have been tested. CWD, a prion disease, continues to affect white-tailed deer and elk in the region. According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), CWD can affect deer of any age; some that become infected may die without showing signs of the disease and currently, there is no vaccine to combat the disease. People are encouraged by the MCD to report any deer looking suspicious of carrying the disease to their county conservation district or a local…