October 27, 2025–Missouri deer hunters are once again being encouraged to help feed families in need through the Share the Harvest program, a cooperative effort of the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) and the Conservation Federation of Missouri (CFM).
The program allows hunters to donate venison to local food banks and food pantries across the state. Since it began in 1992, Share the Harvest has provided more than 6 million pounds of lean, high-protein venison to help feed hungry Missourians.
Hunters can donate harvested deer throughout the season by taking them to an approved meat processor and specifying how much venison to share. Processing fees are covered in full or in part by local and statewide sponsors.
“Missouri hunters have always stepped up to make a difference,” said CFM Executive Director Tyler Schwartze. “Through Share the Harvest, they’re helping feed families in need and showing what true conservation stewardship looks like.”
MDC’s Jake Hindman, the agency’s Share the Harvest Expansion Coordinator, said the program helps address a basic nutritional need. “Through Share the Harvest, Missouri hunters can help provide their fellow Missourians in need with high-quality protein in the form of naturally lean, locally harvested deer meat,” he said.
Donating Deer from the CWD Management Zone
Most northeast Missouri counties — including Adair, Clark, Knox, Lewis, Macon, Schuyler, Scotland, Shelby, and Sullivan — are within the Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) Management Zone, and deer harvested in these counties must be tested for CWD before being donated.
Hunters may donate deer taken within the zone to approved processors in any CWD county as long as the deer is delivered to a processor within 48 hours of leaving the county of harvest.
If a deer has already been sampled for CWD before reaching the processor, hunters must provide the CWD barcode number as proof. If not, the processor will collect the sample or submit the deer’s head to MDC for testing.
Processors not participating in the Share the Harvest CWD Testing Program cannot accept deer from counties within the management zone.
Hunters who harvest deer outside the CWD Management Zone may donate them to any approved processor statewide.
For more information, visit mdc.mo.gov/share or check MDC’s 2025 Fall Deer & Turkey Hunting Regulations and Information booklet.
Local Processors Accepting Share the Harvest Donations
Clark County
• Hilltop Butcher Shop LLC, 28579 County Road 197, Alexandria — 660-216-8801
• Kahoka Meat Processing, 115 S. Jefferson, Kahoka — 660-727-3433
Lewis County
• Liberty Locker, 109 Liberty St., La Belle — 660-213-3373
