What Hunting Season Is It In Missouri?
The state of Missouri is home to some of the most thrilling hunting seasons in the United States, with opportunities to pursue white-tail deer, dove, coyote, and pheasant. Not only do Missouri’s deer have some of the largest antlers in the country, but the state is also frequently disregarded as a potential destination for hunters.
Over two million acres of high-quality hunting area are available to sportsmen in the state of Missouri. There are only a very small number of hunters in Missouri, despite the state having a population of over 1.3 million whitetail deer, hence the state’s hunting seasons should not be missed. Hunting permits for the various seasons in Missouri are now accessible to be purchased online and through a mobile app developed by the Department of Conservation.
This was done in an effort to make hunting in the state as convenient as possible. Seasons for Deer Hunting in Missouri
| Youth Firearms | Oct.29-30 Nov.25-27 |
| Antlerless Firearms | Dec.3-11 |
| Firearms, Alternative Methods | Dec.24-Jan.3 |
| Firearms, November Portion | Nov.12-22 |
| Archery | Sept.15-Nov.11 Nov.23-Jan.15 |
*Dates of the seasons differ from zone to zone. Missouri Turkey Times of the Year
| Fall Firearms | Oct.1-31 |
| Fall Archery | Sept.15-Nov.11 Nov.23-Jan.15 |
| Spring Youth Hunt | TBD |
| Spring General Season | TBD |
In the state of Missouri, the dates for the spring turkey hunting season are typically announced in December of the year before. Please visit the website of the Missouri Department of Natural Resources for any more information. Missouri’s Seasons for the Hunting of Small Game
| Squirrel | May 28-Feb.15 |
| Groundhog | May 9-Dec.15 |
| Coyote | Jan.1-Dec.31 |
| Crow | Nov.1-March 3 |
| Dove | Sept.1-Nov.29 |
| Fox | Nov.15-Jan.31 |
| Opossum | Nov.15-Jan.31 |
| Pheasant | Nov.1-Jan.15 |
| Quail | Nov.10-Jan 15 |
| Woodcock | Oct.15-Nov.28 |
| Sora and Virginia Rail | Sept.1-Nov.9 |
*Dates of the seasons differ from zone to zone. Some hunting seasons in the state of Missouri are zone specific. Visit the website of the Missouri Department of Conservation for further details on the days that will be observed in each region. The hunting seasons in Missouri are often considered to be among the most hospitable in the country.
What can be hunted right now in Missouri?
Elk, deer, turkey, coyote, bobcat, fox, pheasant, quail, duck, geese, and dove are all available for hunting in the state of Missouri.
Is squirrel season open in Missouri?
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — This summer, the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) urges residents and visitors to get outside and explore nature by going fishing for black bass or hunting squirrels. On Saturday, May 22, both seasons will officially begin.
- SQUIRRELS The shooting season for eastern gray and fox squirrels begins on May 22 and lasts through February 15 of the following year.
- Archery equipment, slingshots, and atlatls are also permitted, in addition to shotguns, rifles, and any other legally permissible ways of acquiring a firearm.
- Ten is the day limit for hunting and trapping, and twenty is the total that can be brought into possession.
The following types of hunting licenses allow for the harvesting of squirrels by hunters: Archery Hunting, Daily Small Game, Small Game Hunting and Fishing, and Small Game Hunting. According to the MDC Education Program Coordinator Justin McGuire, the pursuit of small game is an excellent method to introduce individuals to the sport of hunting.
- Squirrel hunting in Missouri offers a great deal of flexibility in terms of when and where it may be done, as the season is rather long, there are few restrictions placed on daily bag limits, and there is an abundance of prey.
- During the hunting season, cage traps are another method that may be used to collect squirrels.
However, the hunters must obtain the appropriate licenses in order to do so. Traps are required to be attended daily, labelled with the hunter’s complete name and address, or have a Conservation Number, and have an aperture that is no more than 144 square inches in size.
You may see the MDC’s 2021 Summary of Missouri Hunting and Trapping Regulations at https://short.mdc.mo.gov/ZKt for further details on hunting and trapping squirrels in the state of Missouri. Have you been successful in your quest, and are you looking for some dish ideas? Browse recipes for squirrel at https://short.mdc.mo.gov/ZcQ,
BLACK BASS From May 22 to February 2022, anglers are allowed to capture and keep black bass, including largemouth, smallmouth, spotted/Kentucky, and Kentucky bass. You may find these fish in just about every stream that is located south of the Missouri River.
- In the state of Missouri, it is lawful to catch and release black bass at any time of the year.
- Additionally, bass of the appropriate size may be retained at any time of the year from impoundments and streams because there is no closed season.
- The daily catch limit for black bass is six in most of the state’s waterways.
In most rivers and streams, the minimum length of fish that can be taken is 12 inches. There is a possibility that some waterways or places will be subject to additional rules. Anglers are required to hold a valid fishing permit or else they are excused from the requirement.
- Find further information about bass fishing in the MDC’s 2021 Summary of Missouri Fishing Regulations, which is accessible anywhere permits are sold or online at https://short.mdc.mo.gov/ZKv.
- This document is available in print at locations where permits are sold.
- Visit https://short.mdc.mo.gov/Zrk for advice on how to prepare fish from the Missouri Department of Conservation.
KEEP PERMITS HANDY WITH MDC MOBILE APPS If you use the Mo Hunting or Mo Fishing mobile app from the MDC, you may take your permits with you wherever you go in the great outdoors. Users are able to save their hunting and fishing permits on the applications, as well as locate spots nearby to hunt or fish, verify local rules, and more.
Is rabbit season open in Missouri?
RATIONALE: The purpose of this regulation is to set the open season and bag limits for shooting rabbits. (1) During the period beginning on October 1 and ending on February 15, cottontail and marsh rabbits may be taken between sunrise and dusk.
When can you shoot squirrels in Missouri?
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (KY3) – A report from a concerned citizen led to many arrests for the illegal killing of squirrels. The Department of Fish and Wildlife has issued citations to a group of sixteen hunters who are not residents of the state for taking an excessive number of squirrels.
- After two days of hunting in the area around the Current River Conservation Area, agents with the Missouri Department of Conservation located the group with 471 squirrels that they had taken, according to Francis Skalicky, who works with the department.
- Skalicky believes that after looking at this, some people may conclude that it is simply squirrels.
“Well, squirrels are game animals, and in the hunting rules of the state of Missouri, there are no game animals that are less significant than other game animals,” the hunter said. The season for shooting squirrels begins in May and lasts until about the middle of February, and there are many guidelines to follow.
- According to the rules of the state of Missouri, a daily harvest limit of 10 squirrels and a possession limit of two daily harvests are both permitted.
- Additionally, the squirrels need to be isolated from one another and easily recognized to each individual hunter; they cannot be in a huge group.
- This bunch of squirrel hunters was captured with 151 more animals than the legal limit allows.
According to Skalicky, this reduces the number of opportunities available to persons who wish to hunt squirrels in an ethical and lawful manner. “What I mean is that there were a lot of squirrels that got run over here.” Skalicky asserts that this violates the regulations governing hunting.
People who don’t hunt, who perhaps don’t entirely understand hunting, they see something like this and they believe all hunters are reckless,” adds Skalicky. “People who hunt responsibly would never do anything like this.” “They are not, in fact. The hunters that behave in this manner make up only a small portion of the overall population.” A concerned member of the public brought this to the attention of the department.
Skalicky believes this to be the primary reason why the Operation Game Thief hotline is so important. Skalicky explains that it is a hotline that is staffed by live operators around the clock. “It’s not the kind of thing where if you phone us on the weekend, we won’t get to it until the following Monday.
There is always someone available to take your call at that hotline, and they will do their best to put you in touch with a representative who can assist you with the investigation.” Those 151 squirrels that were caught in excess of the allowed number have been brought into custody and are being held as evidence.
According to Skalicky, the investigation is not yet complete, and the prosecutor in charge of the case will decide the appropriate punishments. In the event that you observe something that could be in violation of the Wildlife Code of Missouri, you are urged to get in touch with the local conservation agent in your area or call Operation Game Thief at 1-800-392-1111.