2008 Season
Public input, coupled with biological considerations, aided the Conservation Commission's decision in May to add a late portion to youth deer season and expanded the area covered by four-point rule.
| Season | Open Date | Close Date |
|---|---|---|
| Deer Archery |
Mon, Sep 15, 2008 Wed, Nov 26, 2008 |
Fri, Nov 14, 2008 Thu, Jan 15, 2009 |
A Missouri Heritage
Missouri has two deer hunting seasons: firearms and archery. The archery season is in two segments, and the firearms season consists of five portions: urban, youth only, November, muzzleloader and antlerless only.
Next Generation of Conservation
Talk About Outdoor Recreation
Whether your idea of outdoor fun is birding, hunting or fishing, you'll find timely tips and talk about it here. Send your comments and follow related links.
Hunters took 260,162 deer in the 2007 firearms season. The future remains bright for Missouri deer hunters.
Deer regulations are set the summer before the season. For details, see the Fall Deer & Turkey Hunting Information booklet, which is available from permit vendors and Conservation Department offices.
What’s New for 2008
- To provide better management and quality hunts, methods and seasons may be restricted on some conservation areas and some area regulations may have changed from last year.
- An extra weekend in January has been added to the youth portion of the firearms deer hunting season.
- Thirty-six more counties now have antler-point restrictions.
- Webster and Christian counties have been removed from the urban counties portion of the firearms deer season.
- Miller County has been added to the antlerless portion of the firearms deer season, and Barton, Christian, Dade, Jasper, Lawrence, Polk and Webster have been removed.
- Only one purchased firearms antlerless deer hunting permit may be filled in each of the following counties: Barry, Barton, Christian, Dade, Jasper, Lawrence, McDonald, Newton, Polk, Stone, Webster and Wright counties.
- Qualifying landowners who own 75 or more continuous acres may receive one no-cost firearms antlerless deer permit in the 14 counties where those permits may not be filled by non-landowners.
- Deer and turkey hunters have more mentoring options available. See page 14.
- Qualifying nonresident disabled veterans may purchase resident permits beginning Aug. 30.
Share
the Harvest
The Share the Harvest program provides a way for hunters to donate much needed meat protein to needy Missourians. The program is administered by the Missouri Department of Conservation in conjunction with the Conservation Federation of Missouri.
Click here for a list of participating processors in your area.
To minimize lead risk, follow these guidelines for commercial or home processing.
Lead information for hunters
View results from a first-of-its-kind bullet fragmentation study.
Managed Deer Hunts - Drawing Odds
The managed deer hunt drawing odds have been updated for the 2007-2008 season and are now available.
New Selection Process Began in 2007
The new weighted random drawing procedure will help increase the chances of hunters who apply but are not drawn for a hunt in a given year. Unsuccessful applicants will earn points to increase their odds for future hunts.
Are you a new hunter? These pages will help you enjoy the sport and improve your chances of getting a deer.
Missouri Big Bucks Club Ready for New Entries
Apply now to add your trophy deer or shed antlers to a database with more than 8,000 records.
Summaries of Deer harvests by region with information on top counties
2009 Permit Changes Will Save Seniors Money, Boost Federal Funding
After a yearlong review of sport permit regulations, the Conservation Commission passed several changes, which will be implemented during the 2009 permit year. Read how these changes may affect your hunting and fishing experiences.
