Hunting & Fishing

After the harvest

A clean, honest harvest doesn't end at the shot or the strike. There's a short list of things to do right after — report it, tag it, take care of the meat — and the rules differ by species. Here's the shared shape of it, with links to the deep guides for the specifics.

Report it

Telecheck: whichever comes first

Telecheck is how you report a harvest of deer, turkey, bear, or elk (there's no check-in for fish). Report the same day by 10 p.m., OR before you process the animal, OR before you leave Missouri — whichever comes first. Some species and CWD situations require checking before you leave the county of harvest; elk must be checked before leaving the county or by 10 p.m., whichever is first. You'll get a confirmation number — keep it. The full how-to is in the Hunting guide.

Telecheck at a glance

Reporting your harvest, by species

The deadline is the same idea every time: by 10 p.m., before you process it, or before you leave Missouri — whichever comes first. Species-specific tagging and county rules are in the Hunting guide.

Deer: Notch your permit and keep the required evidence; Telecheck by 10 p.m., or before you process or move it past the booklet's triggers — whichever comes first.
Turkey: Notch your permit (tag it if you leave it unattended); Telecheck by 10 p.m.
Bear: Notch your permit (tag it if you leave it unattended); Telecheck by 10 p.m.
Elk: Notch your permit and keep evidence of sex; Telecheck before you leave the county of harvest or by 10 p.m., whichever comes first.
Fish: No Telecheck — just follow the daily, possession, and length limits and the identification rules.

Tagging differs by species

Follow the species booklet before you cut or move it

Tagging, field-dressing, quartering, keeping evidence of sex, moving an animal between counties, and processing all have rules that DIFFER BY SPECIES — so follow the current species booklet before you cut or move the animal. Don't assume one generic rule covers them all.

Don't take a generic rule into the field. Start with the deer page, and read the current species booklets in the Hunting guide for turkey, bear, and elk.

Fish don't get checked in. Just follow the daily, possession, and length limits and the identification rules for what you keep.

Chronic wasting disease

CWD changed for 2026 — check the current booklet

On chronic wasting disease (CWD): the rules changed, and Missouri removed the statewide CWD Management Zone — so don't picture one big 'management area' anymore. CWD rules now apply only in certain counties and core areas. They can cover things like deer sampling, limits on feeding deer, and moving a carcass — but the exact rules are the deep guide's job. Check the current Fall Deer and Turkey booklet before you hunt or move a deer.

For the designated counties, sampling details, feeding bans, and carcass-movement rules, see the Hunting guide's deer page.

Take care of what you take

Cool it, keep it clean, use it

Take care of what you take: cool game and fish quickly, keep it clean, and process or refrigerate it promptly.

Pass it along

Share the Harvest

Share the Harvest lets deer hunters donate venison at participating processors — the processing is often subsidized or free — and Missouri hunters donate tens of tons of meat to families each year.

Always check before you go

Missouri Porch explains the system; the Wildlife Code is the law.

Last checked: 2026-06-18. Missouri Porch explains how the system works. The Wildlife Code of Missouri and applicable federal law are the authority; the current MDC summaries, species pages, and posted area rules are the practical guide — and they can change. Always check your species, season, water, and location before you go.

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