Because of the changing status of chronic wasting disease in Missouri, the Missouri Department of Conservation's CWD Surveillance and Management Plan was revised in 2022 and resulted in a number of regulation changes for deer hunters within the CWD Management Zone.
With deer numbers on the rise in most counties within the state, it was determined that additional deer harvesting was needed to reduce the growth in deer numbers and help minimize the spread of CWD.
According to the MDC website, deer hunting regulation changes for the 2023-24 deer season "will increase hunting opportunities in the CWD Management Zone and give hunters more opportunity to harvest antlerless deer in most counties outside the CWD Management Zone."
"MDC's deer program aims to manage the deer population at a level that satisfies hunters and wildlife viewers and does not create unsafe driving conditions or overburden farmers."
"Regulation changes for the 2023-24 deer season include a new firearms early antlerless portion, a new firearms CWD portion, and changes to firearms antlerless permit numbers in most counties," the website states.
New Firearms Early Antlerless Portion -- Oct. 6-8
The early antlerless portion of the season (open in all Missouri counties except for four in the northwest and 10 in the southeast portions of the state) provides additional hunting opportunities and should help increase the antlerless deer harvest before the November portion of firearms season when many hunters focus on bucks. The timing of the early antlerless portion of the season was designed to occur when weather conditions are usually more favorable for hunters and at a time that will minimize conflict with archery hunters.
New Firearms CWD Portion -- Nov. 22-26
The CWD portion of firearms deer season will be open in all counties within the CWD Management Zone (this includes McDonald County and other counties in the southwest corner of the state except for Newton, Lawrence and Dade counties.) During the CWD portion, hunters can use any unfilled firearms deer hunting permits but must abide by the statewide limit of one antlered deer during the entire firearms deer season, as well as following county-specific firearms antlerless permit numbers.
Testing for chronic wasting disease is not required for deer harvested during the CWD portion of the season, timed at the close of the breeding season when deer activity is typically high.
Hunters may fill four firearms antlerless permits during the 2023-24 deer season in the state's southwest corner, except in Newton, Lawrence and Dade counties, where the limit is two.
Resident landowner firearms antlerless deer hunting permits
Qualifying resident landowners who have 75 or more acres located in a single county or at least 75 continuous acres bisected by a county line may receive two resident landowner firearms antlerless deer hunting permits for all members of their immediate household, age six or above.
Compiled by Randy Moll from the Missouri Department of Conservation website. For more information or for updates and changes regarding Missouri's hunting seasons and regulations, please visit https://mdc.mo.gov/.