In 2025, Howell County was part of Missouri's CWD Management Zone. In 2026, there is no zone, for Howell or for any other county. For a West Plains or Willow Springs hunter, though, the bigger change this season is about where the deer goes down. Howell County is not on this year's mandatory sampling list. Oregon, Shannon, Carter and Ripley counties are.
If you hunt your own place outside Pomona, opening weekend has no sampling stop. If your deer camp sits in Shannon or Oregon County, a buck shot on Nov. 14 or 15 has to go to a sampling station that same day.
What Leaving the Zone Actually Changed Here
The Missouri Department of Conservation explained the change in its Aug. 17, 2026 regulations release. The department said "a majority of Missouri counties either have had a case of CWD or are within 10 miles of a confirmed case of the disease, so a designated CWD Management Zone is no longer needed." In other words, the zone went away because chronic wasting disease is now found across too much of the state for a zone to mean much.
That reasoning applies to Howell County. MDC confirmed the county's first CWD-positive deer among samples tested between July 2021 and April 2022, as KTLO reported at the time. Several other 2026 headlines change less here than they might seem to:
| Rule | Howell County, 2025 | Howell County, 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| CWD Management Zone | Included | Zone eliminated statewide |
| Antler-point restriction | Did not apply | Did not apply |
| Firearms antlerless permit limit | Four | Four |
| Early and late antlerless portions | Open | Open |
| Mandatory opening-weekend sampling | Not required | Not on the 2026 county rotation |
The antler-point restriction is a good example. MDC removed it from the last 18 counties that still had it. Those counties were in northern and west-central Missouri, from Atchison and Nodaway down to Bates and Pettis. Howell was marked "No" in the 2025 booklet's county table. A local hunter could already take a young buck last year, so that change doesn't reach the Ozarks at all.
The sampling change is the one that reaches past the county line. MDC now runs mandatory opening-weekend sampling on a four-year rotation, so every county in Missouri takes a turn once every four years. Howell's turn is not this year, and the counties around it to the south and east are on the list.
The Feed Ban Didn't Go Anywhere
Removing the zone did not remove the ban on feed and minerals. MDC still prohibits placing grain, salt products, minerals and other attractants for deer in any county within 10 miles of a CWD detection. Because MDC confirmed a case in Howell County in 2022, the county falls under that 10-mile rule. MDC shows the covered counties on a map on page 6 of the 2026 Fall Deer & Turkey booklet, and that map is the place to confirm it for your property.
This affects acreage owners more than anyone else, since the rule covers the ground they manage all year. MDC's feed and mineral prohibition page lists the exceptions:
- Feed placed within 100 feet of a residence or occupied building
- Feed placed so deer can't reach it
- Feed and minerals used only for normal agricultural, forest management or wildlife food-plot practices
- Feed placed as part of a feral swine or CWD management effort authorized by the department
That means a cattle operation's mineral feeder and a planted food plot are treated differently from a pile of corn at a stand. MDC gives its reason plainly: feed and minerals pull deer together, and crowded deer spread disease more easily.
Where the Line Runs on Opening Weekend
For people who hunt across the county line, this is the most practical part. The West Plains Daily Quill reported on Sept. 12 that hunters who take a deer in Oregon or Shannon County on Nov. 14 or 15 must bring the deer, or just the head, to a mandatory sampling station on the day of harvest. The Quill listed these stations:
- Oregon County: Alton High School at 505 School St. in Alton, Thayer High School at 401 E. Walnut St. in Thayer, and the Thomasville Community Center at 134 Old St. in Thomasville
- Shannon County: Eminence Elementary School at 17794 Highway 106 in Eminence, the Timber Volunteer Fire Department shed at 39245 Highway 19 in Timber, and MDC's Twin Pines Conservation Education Center at 20086 U.S. 60 in Winona
Carter and Ripley counties are on the 2026 list too, and MDC's Ozark Region office handles questions for all four counties at (417) 256-7161. That office is at 551 Joe Jones Blvd. in West Plains.
On MDC's mandatory sampling page, the department says stations are open from 7:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. It asks hunters to field dress and Telecheck the deer before arriving. The person who shot the deer must be there, ready to give a Conservation Number and point to the harvest location on a map. You can bring just the head, as long as at least 6 inches of neck is still attached, and you can remove the cape first. Freezer Drop locations are closed that weekend.
What decides whether the rule applies is the county where the deer was taken, not the county where the hunter lives. A Willow Springs hunter on a Shannon County lease follows the Shannon County rule. Someone from Thayer who hunts family ground north of West Plains does not have to stop at a station on the 14th.
The Calendar From Here
The early antlerless portion wraps up today, Oct. 11, and the rest of the season comes quickly. These are the 2026–27 dates MDC set:
- Archery: Sept. 15 to Nov. 13, then Nov. 25 to Jan. 15, 2027
- Early youth portion: Oct. 24–25
- November portion: Nov. 14–24
- Late youth portion: Nov. 27–29
- Late antlerless portion: Dec. 5–13
- Alternative methods: Dec. 26, 2026 to Jan. 5, 2027
The youth weekend is earlier than most families plan for. MDC moved it up a week this year to keep it from running into Halloween, so it now falls three weekends before the November portion instead of the usual two. Trunk or Treat nights and youth season now sit on different weekends.
The 2026 booklet keeps Howell open for the December antlerless portion with a four-permit firearms antlerless limit. Last season's harvest shows how much of the county's deer hunting is about does. MDC's 2025–2026 harvest summary counts 5,474 deer taken in Howell County across all seasons. That includes 2,490 does and 2,458 antlered bucks, with 526 button bucks on top. Does slightly outnumbered antlered bucks. MDC also said it will no longer do targeted deer removals after the season and will rely on hunter harvest during the regular season to manage deer numbers and CWD. That puts even more of the job on those antlerless tags.
On public ground, one change may matter to Howell hunters. Hunters on nonresident permits can now take one antlered buck instead of two. MDC says nonresident deer hunter numbers rose nearly 50% over the last decade, and resident hunters raised concerns about land access. Nonresidents who qualify for landowner permits keep a two-buck limit.
Close to Home, After the Shot
The 2026 booklet lists several Howell County conservation areas for deer, including Archie and Gracie Vanderhoef Memorial, Barn Hollow on the Texas County line, Carrick W. Davidson–Robert G. Paris, Dan and Maureen Cover Prairie, and Dean Davis. White Ranch Conservation Area, about 11 miles south of West Plains, allows archery and firearms deer hunting, and antlerless permits are allowed there.
If you fill an extra antlerless tag and want to donate the meat, MDC's Share the Harvest processor lookup lists P & P Heritage Meats at 611 St. Louis St. in West Plains. It also lists a second P & P location at 90 Industrial Park Rd. in Cabool. MDC recommends calling ahead to check hours and after-hours drop-off before November gets busy.
Hunters who want their deer tested even though Howell isn't on the mandatory list can use MDC's free voluntary testing from Sept. 15 to Jan. 15 at select sites across the state, which are shown on the department's interactive map. Drop-off sites have changed over the years, so check the current map instead of going to last season's spot.
At Wild Hills Realty, we work with hunting ground, timber and small farms all over Howell County and nearby, and we're glad to talk through what your acreage is worth whenever you're ready. Ask us for a free valuation of your land, and good luck on the 14th.
This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.
