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December 8, 2022
When it comes to hunting in the midwest, Missouri is an underrated treasure — the state offers beautiful scenery and big game to hunt during hunting season, including 1.3 million white-tailed deer. Whether you’re looking to bag a buck to mount or enjoy delicious venison, you can find the perfect deer in Missouri’s forests.
If you’re hoping to find new game to hunt, consider taking a trip to Missouri for their next hunting season. The Department of Conservation has streamlined the hunting process to update permits automatically online. So, you can purchase the appropriate permit and join the hunt immediately!
Before you scope out a white-tailed deer in Missouri, you’ll need to know the basics: when, where, and how much to expect. For Missouri hunting seasons, outdoorsmen have various legal hunting methods, dates, and conservation areas to explore.
In Missouri, deer hunting season starts in mid-September and continues into mid-January. But the timeframe is not continuous. If you have preferred hunting equipment or deer gender, you must adhere to specific periods for hunting.
Knowing exactly where you can legally hunt white-tailed deer in Missouri will be important, especially since 93% of Missouri land is privately owned. Here are some popular public hunting lands in the state:
If you or someone you know owns property in Missouri, you may hunt on their private land with the proper permissions and permits.
Here’s a list of approved hunting equipment for the archery and firearm season:
Automatic rifles, equipment that shoots more than one projectile, and motor vehicles (including boats) cannot be used to take down a deer in Missouri. A boat’s forward progress or loud firearms may scare off animals being hunted in surrounding areas. That’d ruin any hunter’s day!
In addition, hunters may not possess night vision equipment, electronically activated calls, or thermal imagery equipment when hunting white-tailed deer.
Depending upon your preferred hunting method and residency status in Missouri, the cost of a deer hunting permit will vary. Here’s what you can expect to pay for the upcoming season:
All permits can be purchased online through the Missouri Department of Conservation website. For immediate needs, hunters have the option to purchase necessary permits over the phone.
Before you enter the deer woods on the hunt , you’ll need to know about Missouri’s specific rules and regulations. Every outdoorsman must complete Missouri’s Hunter Education Course before obtaining a deer hunting permit.
If you are a first-time hunter, don’t worry: Other legal hunting methods in Missouri will allow you to practice hunting with a trained mentor who has previously completed hunter education.
Young hunters must be within the ages of 6 to 15 to qualify for a youth hunting permit. Youth hunters can harvest one deer during their hunting season.
In Missouri, hunters can only secure one antlered deer, or buck, for the entire firearm season. Antler point restrictions state each buck must have four points to be harvested.
For the antlerless portion, the possession limit will vary across Missouri counties. Outside of Dunklin, Mississippi, New Madrid, and Pemiscot counties, outdoorsmen can harvest any number of antlerless deer during archery season — but only if they have the appropriate permits.
When hunting white-tailed deer, hunters are permitted to begin 30 minutes before sunrise and must return 30 minutes following sunset.
Missouri doesn’t just offer deer hunting seasons — even though it’s a favorite among the locals. Here are some other wildlife hunting seasons within the state:
In regards to bear season, every bear harvested needs to be reported to the Missouri Department of Conservation. Once the maximum number of bears have been hunted, the season will be closed.
Every year, Missouri welcomes approximately 576,000 outdoorsmen to participate in hunting season. Whether you’re looking to hunt deer, savage the waters for bullfrogs, or aim for other fur-bearing animals, you’ll find endless opportunities await in the fields of Missouri.
Season dates will vary across the state and by county. To discover specific dates, rules, and regulations for your county, visit the Missouri Department of Conservation website.
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Mike is a lifelong bowhunter and self described “science geek” who has over 50 years experience bowhunting big game animals all over the world. Mikes passion is hunting elk and he has taken 48 elk with a bow to date. Mike has taken 31 big game species with a bow worldwide and counting. Besides being a bowhunting fanatic Mike is also a recognized inventor who is always looking to new innovation to help him become more successful in the field. With 11 patents and involvement in countless outside projects within the hunting industry Mike has a reputation as a innovative problem solver in his 30 year career in the hunting industry.