Missouri Department of Conservation MDC Hunting and Fishing

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Deer - Archery

Season Open

Dates:

Sep 15 2020 to Nov 13 2020Nov 25 2020 to Jan 15 2021

Hours:

One-half hour before sunrise to one-half hour after sunset

Notes:

An antler-point restriction applies in some counties.

Archer's Hunting Permit

Limits:

Deer: Two deer of either sex, but only one antlered deer may be taken before November 16.
Turkeys: Two turkeys of either sex.
Furbearers: See Seasons for prescribed limits. Hunters may sell furbearers harvested under this permit. Nonresidents may not harvest furbearers with this permit.
Small game: See Seasons for prescribed limits.

Archery Antlerless Deer Hunting Permit

Limits:

One antlerless deer during archery deer season in open counties. See map.

Allowed

Longbows, compound bows, and recurve bows of any draw weight
Crossbows
Hand-held string-releasing devices
Illuminated sights, scopes, and quickpoint sights
Atlatls

Allowed under special circumstances

Because crossbows are now a legal method, a hunting method exemption is not needed.

Prohibited

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.