The Missouri Department of Conservation has announced several changes to Missouri deer-hunting regulations for the upcoming season, including a lower antlered buck limit for most nonresident hunters, changes to youth hunting dates, revisions to chronic wasting disease management, and a new rotation for mandatory CWD sampling.

The department said the revisions to the Wildlife Code of Missouri are intended to simplify regulations and respond to public input.

MDC reduced the antlered buck limit for hunters using nonresident deer hunting permits from two bucks to one. Nonresidents who qualify for nonresident landowner permits will continue to have an antlered buck harvest limit of two.

The department said the number of nonresident deer hunters in Missouri has risen by nearly 50% during the past 10 years. At the same time, an increasing number of resident hunters have raised concerns about effects on land access and their hunting experiences. MDC said reducing the nonresident buck limit is intended to address those concerns and ease increasing hunting pressure associated with nonresident participation.

The Early Youth Portion has also been moved one week earlier to Oct. 24 and 25 to reduce conflicts with Halloween activities near the end of October. The youth portion typically takes place two weekends before the November Portion, but this season it will be held three weekends earlier.

MDC has eliminated the antler-point restriction in the final 18 counties where the requirement had remained in effect. The department said yearling bucks, which were protected under the restriction, can travel many miles and potentially spread chronic wasting disease over long distances. Officials said eliminating the antler-point restriction is intended to help limit CWD transmission while making deer regulations simpler.

The department has also eliminated the CWD Management Zone designation. Most Missouri counties either have recorded a CWD case or are within 10 miles of a confirmed case, according to MDC, making a separately designated management zone unnecessary. The change is also intended to simplify regulations for hunters.

Restrictions on placing feed and minerals for deer will continue in counties near locations where CWD has been detected. Missouri has prohibited the practice in affected areas since CWD was first detected in the state because feed and minerals can artificially concentrate deer in one location, increasing the potential for disease transmission.

MDC will continue prohibiting feed and minerals for deer in counties within 10 miles of locations where CWD has been found. Additional information about the restriction is available through the MDC feed and mineral prohibition webpage and on Page 6 of the Fall Deer & Turkey Hunting Regulations and Information booklet. The booklet is available through the Missouri Department of Conservation website, at MDC offices and nature centers, and at other locations where hunting permits are sold.

Another change eliminates the CWD Portion of the firearms deer season. MDC said removing that portion simplifies the season’s structure without significantly affecting the deer harvest.

Mandatory CWD sampling during the opening weekend of the November Portion of the firearms deer season will move to a four-year county rotation. Under the revised system, mandatory sampling will be conducted in every Missouri county once every four years.

MDC said the county rotation will allow staff to continue monitoring CWD in areas where the disease is already present while supporting early detection in areas where it has not previously been identified. The department said the rotation will also make mandatory sampling requirements easier for hunters to understand.

Mandatory CWD sampling this season will be conducted Nov. 14 and 15 in 28 counties. More information is available through the MDC mandatory CWD sampling webpage and on Page 7 of the MDC Fall Deer & Turkey Hunting Regulations and Information booklet. The booklet can be obtained through the MDC website, at MDC offices and nature centers, and at other locations where hunting permits are sold.

MDC has also increased the minimum acreage requirement for CWD Management Permits and simplified the application process. Landowners must now have at least 20 contiguous acres within a CWD Core Area to qualify for the permits.

According to MDC, the 20-acre requirement makes the standard consistent with other no-cost landowner deer hunting permits and is intended to reduce potential confusion among landowners.

Qualifying landowners within CWD Core Areas may receive five no-cost CWD Management Permits for use on their property during deer season. MDC will mail qualifying landowners information explaining the permit application process.

Details about the program are available through the MDC CWD Management Permit Program webpage.

MDC will not conduct targeted deer removals after the hunting season and currently has no plans to resume the practice. The decision follows public engagement and continued evaluation of the program.

Instead, department staff will work with hunters, landowners, and other partners to develop localized management strategies. Under that approach, hunter harvest during the regular deer season will serve as the primary method for managing deer numbers and chronic wasting disease.

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