Missouri's hunting seasons are almost here. What to know about dates, methods and permits

Hunting seasons are upon us.

Missouri Department of Conservation lists when hunting seasons are taking place on its website. Here's a rundown on what's ahead for hunters as far as black bear, white-tailed deer, elk and turkey hunting seasons.

Black bear hunting season

The second annual bear season will be one-half hour before sunrise to one-half hour after sunset Oct. 17 to Oct. 26 within Bear Management Zones (BMZ).

Bear permits are for one black bear of either sex with some restrictions, such as:

• Permit holders must call 800-668-4045 to determine the daily season quota/closure status prior to hunting each day. In addition, if the harvest has reached or exceeded 80 percent of the harvest quota, MDC may close hunting within that Black Bear Management Zone on the following day.

• Once the harvest quota is met or the season closes for the BMZ in which you are hunting, the season is over, and you may not harvest a black bear.

• Black bears that have taken refuge in a den may not be harvested or harassed.

• Only lone black bears may be harvested. You may not harvest a bear that is with one or more other bears, including female bears with cubs.

A random permit drawing was held in May with results posted in July.

• BMZ 1: Permit quota of 200 issued with a harvest quota of 20 bears.

• BMZ 2: Permit quota of 150 issued with a harvest quota of 15 bears.

• BMZ 3: Permit quota of 50 issued with a harvest quota of five bears.

More: Christian County couple catches juvenile black bear snoozing on a tree limb in backyard

When is deer season in Missouri?

Archery

Archery season for deer has two portions: Sept. 15 to Nov. 11 and Nov. 23 to Jan. 15, 2023 from one-half hour before sunrise to one-half hour after sunset. An archer hunting permit is for two deer of either sex. Only one antlered deer may be taken before Nov. 12.

Allowed archery methods include:

• Longbows, compound bows, and recurve bows of any draw weight

• Crossbows

• Hand-held string-releasing devices

• Illuminated sights, scopes, and quickpoint sights

• Atlatls

Prohibited archery methods include:

• Any sighting device that casts a beam of light on the game

• You may not possess night vision or thermal imagery equipment while carrying a firearm, bow, or other implement used to take wildlife.

• Use of electronic calls, electronically activated calls, bait, dogs, or night vision equipment

• Live decoys may not be used to take turkeys.

• Motor driven conveyances may not be used to take, drive or molest wildlife. Deer may not be hunted from a boat with a motor attached; however, a motorboat may be used to hunt other wildlife if the motor is shut off and the boat’s forward progress has stopped.

• Archers hunting deer or turkeys during the archery season may not be in possession of a firearm. Some exceptions apply. See 3 CSR 10-7.432 and 3 CSR 10-7.455 of the Wildlife Code of Missouri.

Firearms youth portion

Firearms youth season is from Oct. 29-30 and Nov. 25-27 one-half hour before sunrise to one-half hour after sunset.

Hunters 15 years or younger on Sept. 15 are exempt from the antler-point restriction during the archery deer season and all portions of the firearms deer season. To participate, you must be at least 6 and no older than 15 on the opening day of the early youth portion.

Firearms November portion

The firearms November portion of deer season is from Nov. 12-22 from one-half hour before sunrise to one-half hour after sunset.

If you harvest a deer from certain counties in the CWD Management Zone during the opening weekend, Nov. 12-13, you must take your deer to a designated CWD sampling station.

Antlerless portion of firearms season

As for the antlerless portion of firearms season, the dates are Dec. 3-11 from one-half hour before sunrise to one-half hour after sunset.

Allowed firearms methods are:

• Centerfire pistols, revolvers or rifles using expanding-type bullets; legal ammunition includes lead bullets, copper bullets and bullets made of other material designed to expand.

• Shotguns (including .410) with slugs only

• Air-powered firearms, .40 caliber or larger, charged only from an external high compression power source (external hand pump, air tank, or air compressor)

• Muzzleloading or cap-and-ball firearms, .40 caliber or larger and capable of firing only a single projectile at one discharge; in-lines and scopes are allowed.

• Multiple-barreled muzzleloading or cap-and-ball firearms and/or muzzleloading or cap-and-ball handguns, including revolvers, .40 caliber or larger, are allowed and may be carried in addition to a muzzleloading or cap-and-ball rifle.

• Longbows, compound bows, and recurve bows of any draw weight; hand-held string releasing devices, illuminated sights, scopes, and quickpoint sights are allowed.

• Crossbows

• Atlatls

There are prohibited methods, including:

• Self-loading firearms with capacity of more than 11 cartridges in magazine and chamber combined

• Ammunition propelling more than one projectile at a single discharge (such as buckshot)

• Full hard metal case projectiles

• Fully automatic firearms

• Any sighting device that casts a beam of light on the game

• Electronic calls or electronically activated calls

• Night vision equipment

• Use of bait

• Use of dogs

• Additional methods may be prohibited by local ordinances.

• Motor driven conveyances may not be used to take, drive or molest wildlife. Deer may not be hunted from a boat with a motor attached.

Firearms portion for alternative methods

Alternative methods for deer season go into the New Year with starting Christmas Eve and going to Jan. 3, 2023 from one-half hour before sunrise to one-half hour after sunset.

The limit for the season limit is one antler deer for all portions of the firearms deer season and an antler point restriction applies in some counties.

Methods allowed and prohibited under the firearms portion still apply as well as any additional methods prohibited by local ordinances.

More: Man 'definitely hooked' on bowfishing after getting state record fish on Lake Taneycomo

Missouri Elk hunting

Elk season will have a nine-day archery portion Oct. 15-23 and a nine-day firearms portion Dec. 10-18 both one-half hour before sunrise to one-half hour after sunset.

Applications for elk permits were held earlier this year. Five permits were drawn for bull elk and valid for both portions.

Permit holders may take one elk with at least one antler no less than six inches in length.

Allowed archery methods include:

• Longbow, compound bow, or recurve bow of any draw weight

• Atlatls, which are defined as a rod or narrow board-like device used to launch, through a throwing motion of the arm, a dart 5 to 8 feet long

• Hand-held string releasing devices

• Illuminated sights, scopes, and quickpoint sights

• Crossbow

Prohibited archery methods are:

• Any sighting device that casts a beam of light on the game

• Use of electronic calls, electronically activated calls, bait, dogs, or night vision equipment

• Hunting elk from a boat with a motor attached

• Hunting elk while they are in a stream or other body of water

• Hunting within any area enclosed by a fence greater than seven feet (7’) in height

• Archers hunting elk during the archery portion may not be in possession of a firearm. Some exceptions apply. See 3 CSR 10-7.705 of the Wildlife Code of Missouri.

Allowed methods during the firearms portion include:

• Centerfire pistols, revolvers, or rifles using expanding-type bullets such as lead or copper.

• Shotguns (including .410) with slugs only.

• Air-powered guns, .40 caliber or larger, charged only from an external high-compression power source (external hand pump, air tank, or air compressor).

• Muzzleloading or cap-and-ball firearms, .40 caliber or larger and capable of firing only a single projectile at one discharge. In-lines and scopes are allowed.

• Multiple-barreled muzzleloading or cap-and-ball firearms and/or muzzleloading or cap-and-ball handguns, including revolvers, .40 caliber or larger, are allowed and may be carried in addition to a muzzleloading or cap-and-ball rifle.

• Longbows, compound bows, and recurve bows of any draw weight. Hand-held string-releasing devices, illuminated sights, scopes, and quickpoint sights are allowed.

• Crossbows

• Atlatls

Prohibited methods are:

• Self-loading firearms with capacity of more than 11 cartridges in magazine and chamber combined

• Ammunition propelling more than one projectile at a single discharge (such as buckshot)

• Full hard metal case projectiles

• Fully automatic firearms

• Any sighting device that casts a beam of light on the game

• Use of electronic calls, electronically activated calls, bait, dogs, or night vision equipment

• Hunting elk from a boat with a motor attached

• Hunting elk while they are in a stream or other body of water

• Hunting within any area enclosed by a fence greater than seven feet in height

• Additional methods may be prohibited by local ordinances.

More: What to do if you encounter a black bear? For starters, never play dead, biologist says

Missouri turkey season 2022

Archery

Archery for turkey season is Sept. 15 to Nov. 11 and Nov. 23 to Jan. 15, 2023 from one-half hour before sunrise to one-half hour after sunset.

Allowed methods for this portion include: longbows, compound bows and recurve bows of any draw weight, crossbows, hand-held string-releasing devices, illuminated sights, scopes and quickpoint sights, atlatls and crossbows.

Prohibited archery methods are:

• Any sighting device that casts a beam of light on the game

• Use of electronic calls, electronically activated calls, bait, dogs, or night vision equipment

• Live decoys may not be used to take turkeys.

The fall firearms portion for turkey season is Oct. 1 to Oct. 31 from one-half hour before sunrise to sunset. Fall firearms turkey hunting is not allowed in Dunklin, McDonald, Mississippi, New Madrid, Newton, Pemiscot and Scott counties.

Allowed firearm methods for fall turkey season include:

• Shotguns (including .410) with shot not larger than No. 4

• Longbows, compound bows, or recurve bows of any draw weight

• Crossbows

• Atlatls

• Hand-held string-release devices

• Illuminated sights, scopes and quickpoint sights

• Archers hunting deer or turkeys during the archery season may not be in possession of a firearm. Some exceptions apply. See 3 CSR 10-7.432 and 3 CSR 10-7.455 of the Wildlife Code of Missouri.

Prohibited methods for fall firearms turkey season include:

• Shotguns capable of holding more than three shells in magazine and chamber combined

• Shot larger than No. 4 (in use or possession)

• Rifles, pistols, and other firearms that propel a single projectile at one discharge

• Any sighting device that casts a beam of light on the game

• Night vision / thermal imagery equipment

• Use of electronic calls, electronically activated calls, live decoys, bait, or dogs

• Anyone hunting turkeys during the fall firearms turkey season may not be in possession of both a firearm and a bow. Some exceptions apply. See 3 CSR 10-7.455 of the Wildlife Code of Missouri.

For more information regarding these seasons and others, visit https://mdc.mo.gov/hunting-trapping/seasons

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Sara Karnes is an Outdoors Reporter with the Springfield News-Leader. Follow along with her adventures on Twitter and Instagram @Sara_Karnes. Got a story to tell? Email her at skarnes@springfi.gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: What to know about Missouri hunting seasons for deer, turkey and more