The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) reminds hunters of regulation changes for the upcoming deer and turkey hunting seasons. The changes include a new fall turkey permit, new counties in the Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) Management Zone, removal of the antler-point restriction (APR) in some counties, allowing drones for tracking wounded deer and turkeys, and more.
Turkey Changes
The fall turkey season is now divided into archery and firearms portions, and the harvest limit for both portions combined has been reduced from four to two birds of either sex.
Archery turkey hunting in Missouri opens September 15 and runs through November 15. It reopens November 27 and runs through January 15, 2025. Fall firearms turkey hunting runs October 1-31 in open counties.
MDC has created a new fall turkey-hunting permit so turkey permits are no longer included with an archery deer-hunting permit. Both fall firearms turkey hunters and fall archery turkey hunters must purchase this new permit to be able to harvest turkeys during fall seasons.
Deer Hunting Seasons and Portions
Archery deer hunting in Missouri opens September 15 and runs through November 15. It reopens November 27 and runs through January 15, 2025.
Firearms deer hunting in Missouri starts with the Early Antlerless Portion on October 11-13 in open counties followed by the Early Youth Portion November 2-3. The November Portion runs November 16-26 followed by the CWD Portion November 27 – December 1 in open counties. The Late Youth Portion runs November 29 – December 1 followed by the Late Antlerless Portion December 7-15 in open counties and then the Alternative Methods Portion December 28 through January 7, 2025.
New for Deer this Year
Because these counties are now in the CWD Management Zone, the antler-point restriction (APR) has been removed from Audrain, Boone, Cole, Howard, Lewis, Maries, Monroe, Osage, Phelps, Randolph, Saline, Scotland, and Shelby counties.
The CWD Management Zone consists of counties where CWD has been found and those within 10 miles of where CWD has been found. The APR requires an antlered deer to have at least four points on one side to be harvested.
Hunters may now fill four firearms antlerless permits in Dent, Douglas, Maries, Newton, and Phelps counties. Hunters may now use archery antlerless permits in Dunklin, Mississippi, New Madrid, and Pemiscot counties.
Deer hunting regulations have changed for some conservation areas.
Hunters may now use drones to track wounded deer and turkeys.
Prices for deer hunting permits have increased.
Expansion of the CWD Management Zone
MDC has added the following counties to its CWD Management Zone: Audrain, Boone, Cole, Dent, Douglas, Howard, Lewis, Maries, Monroe, Newton, Osage, Phelps, Randolph, Saline, Scotland, Shannon, Shelby, and Webster.
Hunters within the CWD Management Zone must also follow carcass transportation regulations, which are designed to minimize the chances of hunters inadvertently introducing CWD to new areas by improperly disposing of deer carcasses. The best way for hunters to dispose of deer carcass remains is to place them in trash bags and dispose of them through trash collection or a permitted landfill, bury them at or near where the deer was harvested, or leave them on the property where the deer was harvested. All counties in the CWD Management Zone are open during the CWD portion of deer season.
During the Firearms November Portion opening weekend, November 16-17, hunters who harvest a deer in designated CWD Management Zone counties must take the deer (or its head) on the day of harvest to a mandatory CWD sampling station.
Learn more about CWD regulations and requirements online at mdc.mo.gov/CWD.
