horntagger

Special Column – HISTORICAL DEER REGULATIONS FOR MISSOURI
Allen “horntagger” Morris

If you attended the different meetings around the state of Missouri for
hunters, landowners and general public to voice their opinion about deer
regulations. Then you know what this is all about. If you did not then you
are about to find out.

With 25 meetings held statewide and over 2000 suggestions about deer season
from Missouri resident. With recommendation from biologist, agents and the
general public in consideration by the regulations committee, the
recommendations and decisions have been made.

The Conservation Commission met at the Jerry J. Presley Conservation
Education Center, Salem on April 25 and 26, 2004. The Commission approved
the following deer season dates and regulations, recommended by Regulations
Committee.

REGULATIONS
· Archery Deer Season - Sept. 15-Nov. 12 and Nov. 24-Jan. 15 statewide

· Urban Portion of Firearms Deer Season - Oct. 8-11in Boone, Cass,
Christian, Clay, Cole, Greene, Jackson, Platte, St. Charles, St. Louis and
Webster counties.

· Youth Portion of Firearms Deer Season - Nov. 6 &7 statewide

· November Portion of Firearms Deer Season - Nov. 13-23 statewide

· Muzzleloader Portion of Firearms Deer Season - Nov. 26-Dec. 5 statewide

· Antlerless Only Portion of Firearms Deer Season - Dec. 11-19 in 74
counties

· Approved a pilot program to test a deer management strategy in 29 counties
in central and northwest Missouri. The goal is increasing doe harvest and
increasing the average age of bucks. In the pilot area, bucks can be taken
only if they have antlers with at least four points one inch or longer on
one side. The antler restriction will not apply during the Youth Portion of
Firearms Deer Season. Counties included in the pilot area are Adair, Andrew,
Atchison, Boone, Chariton, Cole, Daviess, DeKalb, Franklin, Gasconade,
Gentry, Grundy, Harrison, Holt, Howard, Linn, Livingston, Macon, Maries,
Mercer, Miller, Nodaway, Osage, Pulaski, Putnam, Randolph, Schuyler,
Sullivan and Worth.
· Approved an incentive program to encourage citizens to buy firearms deer
hunting permits early to reduce the potential for long lines at permit
vendors the day before the opening of the November Portion of Firearms Deer
Season.

You may or may not agree with the regulations but here they are. The pilot
program regulations may not affect you this year but they are possible
regulations statewide in the future.

They may make adjustments to the pilot program regulations in the pilot
programs before a statewide regulation takes place.

Hope to see you in the woods on the water. Horntagger

Bodeen

Thanks for the info Horntagger.

I'm glad to see an earlier start for the archery season. The last two years I've watched a group of bachelor bucks at one of my hunting spots. I would see them almost daily until the third week of September, then they change from their summer pattern and disperse.A couple of them are really nice bucks.

greg-dude

Several other interesting things from MDC website.

The 59 Units has been done away with. From now on, regulations will based upon county boundaries.

The antler point measurement option total from public response feedback was 44%. Moving the season out of the rut had 33% of total responses and earn-a-buck had 25% (or so) of the total.

The Urban firearm season is new and I am not sure what that is about yet.

Also, there is no mention about spikes being legal as was discussed at some of the meetings.