Regulations

General Provisions

• The homes, nests or dens of furbearers must not be molested or destroyed.
• No person shall accept payment for furbearers taken by another.
• Wildlife held in traps, snares, or cable restraint devices may be killed or removed only by the user.
• Bobcats and otters or their pelts must be delivered to an agent of the Conservation Department for registration or tagging before selling, transferring, tanning or mounting by April 10. Tagged bobcats, otters or their pelts may be possessed by the taker throughout the year and may be sold only to licensed taxidermists, tanners or fur dealers. It is illegal to purchase or sell untagged bobcats, otters or their pelts. Tagging tip: To make it easier to tag a pelt without damaging it, put a pencil or stick through the upper lip and eye socket before freezing the skin. The tag can be easily placed in those holes when the pelt is registered.
• Restrictions on possession do not apply to tanned pelts, mounted specimens or manufactured products.
• Skinned carcasses of legally taken furbearers may be sold throughout the year.

Special-Use Permit Required to Trap on Conservation Areas

Trapping with dog-proof style and other traps is allowed on many conservation areas. A Special Use Permit is required and these must be applied for at least 30 days before trapping begins. Contact the area manager at the regional office to see what opportunities are available in your area.

Traps

• May be placed and set for furbearers at 12:01 a.m. on Nov. 15 and must be removed by midnight of the last day of trapping season
• Must have smooth or rubber jaws only, and may include foot-hold, Conibear, or other killing-type, foot-enclosing-type, cage-type, colony traps with openings no greater than 6 inches in height and 6 inches wide, snares set underwater only, and cable restraint devices.
• Must be plainly labeled on durable material with the user’s full name and address or Conservation Number.
• Wildlife must be removed or released from traps daily, except for colony and killing-type traps, which must be checked every 48 hours.
• May not be set in paths made or used by people or domestic animals. Killing-type traps may not be set along public roadways, except underwater in permanent waters. Within communities having 10,000 or more inhabitants, only cage-type or foot-enclosing-type traps may be set within 150 feet of any residence or occupied building
• May be used in conjunction with electronic calls

Conibear or Killing-type traps must comply with the following:

• With a jaw spread greater than 5 inches, may be set underwater, but not in any dry land set
• With a jaw spread not greater than 8 inches, may be set 6 feet or more above ground level in buildings

Snares must comply with the following:

• Be set underwater
• Have a loop 15 inches or less in diameter when set
• Have a stop device that prevents the snare from closing to less than 2 1/2 inches in diameter
• Be made with cable that is between 5/64 inch and 1/8 inch in diameter
• Have a mechanical lock and anchor swivel

For your safety, you are urged to wear hunter orange whenever you are hunting.

When Hunter Orange is Required

You must wear hunter orange if:

• You are hunting any species of game during firearms deer season. Some exceptions are allowed. See below.
• You are hunting on an area that is having a managed firearms deer hunt.
• You are serving as a mentor to another hunter during firearms deer season or on an area that is having a managed firearms deer hunt.

To satisfy this rule, you must wear both a hunter-orange hat and a hunter-orange shirt, vest, or coat. The hunter-orange color must be plainly visible from all sides. Camouflage orange does not satisfy this rule.

When Hunter Orange Is Not Required

You don’t have to wear hunter orange during firearms deer season or on an area that is having a managed firearms deer hunt if:

• You are hunting migratory game birds.
• You are archery hunting within municipal boundaries where the discharge of firearms is prohibited.
• You are hunting on federal or state land where deer hunting is restricted to archery methods.
• You are using an archery permit during the alternative methods portion.
• You are hunting in a county that is closed during the urban zones and antlerless portions.
• You are hunting small game or furbearers during the alternative methods portion.

Check permits and seasons for hunting dates and allowed methods

You can find dates, allowed methods and valid permits on the turkey hunting seasons section.

Assisting other turkey hunters

New! Mentors who are assisting youth hunters do not need a permit during the youth spring turkey season and the youth portions of firearms deer season.

At all other times, mentors must possess a valid hunting permit for the appropriate season or be exempt. In the case of deer and turkey permits, the mentor’s permit can be filled or unfilled.

Baiting regulations

• Use of bait - which includes grain or other feed placed or scattered as to attract turkeys – while hunting is illegal.
• An area is considered baited for 10 days after complete removal of the bait.
• A hunter can be in violation if they take or attempt to take a turkey by the aid of bait where the hunter knows or reasonably should know that the area is or has been baited.
• It is illegal to place bait in a way that causes others to be in violation of the baiting rule.
• Mineral blocks, including salt, are not considered bait, but mineral blocks that contain grain or other food additives are prohibited.
• It is legal to hunt over a harvested crop field, but it is illegal to add grain or other crops, such as apples, to the field after it has been harvested.
• Manipulating crops, such as mowing or knocking them down, is not considered baiting for turkeys.

Voiding permits

Hunters who harvest a turkey must void their permit immediately by notching the month and day of harvest.

Tagging and checking

As long as you stay with your harvested turkey, you don't need to attach your notched permit to the bird, but you must keep your permit on hand. If you leave your turkey, you must attach your permit to the turkey's leg. Visit the Telecheck page for more information on how to properly tag and check your bird.

Kansas City urban zone

• Portion of Platte County south of Hwy 92
• Portion of Cass County north of Route 2
• All portions of Clay and Jackson counties

Questions? Contact our regional office

Kansas City Region
12405 SE Ranson Road
Lee’s Summit, MO 64082
816-622-0900

Antlerless Permits

Archery antlerless permits can be used during the archery deer season in open counties. Firearm antlerless permits can be used during all portions of firearms deer season. However, some areas are closed to firearms hunting during the urban zones and antlerless portions.

How many Archery Antlerless Permits can you fill?

Hunters may purchase and fill any number of Archery Antlerless Deer Hunting Permits during the archery deer season in all counties BUT:  Dunklin, Mississippi, New Madrid, Pemiscot, and Scott counties.

Missouri counties (in orange where any number of archery antlerless deer permits can be used.

How Many Firearms Antlerless Permits Can You Fill?

You may purchase as many antlerless permits as you want, but each county or county section has a limit on the number of antlerless permits you may fill. Resident landowners with at least 75 acres may harvest additional antlerless deer using no-cost Resident Landowner Firearms Antlerless Deer Hunting Permits.

Firearms Antlerless Permits Map

• Counties in gray: During firearms season, antlerless deer may be taken only on an any-deer permit or a landowner antlerless deer hunting permit: Butler, Carter, Dunklin, Iron, Mississippi, New Madrid, Pemiscot, Reynolds, Scott. Stoddard, and Wayne.
• Counties in blue: You may fill two firearms antlerless deer hunting permits in these counties during firearms deer season (all portions combined): Adair, Audrain, Barry, Barton, Benton, Boone, Callaway, Carroll, Cedar, Chariton, Christian, Clark, Clay, Cole, Cooper, Crawford, Dade, Dallas, Franklin, Gasconade, Greene, Grundy, Hickory, Howell, Jackson, Jefferson, Knox, Lewis, Linn, Livingston, Macon, Marion, McDonald, Mercer, Miller, Moniteau, Monroe, Morgan, Oregon, Osage, Ozark, Perry, Pike, Putnam, Polk, Ralls, Randolph, Schuyler, Scotland, Shelby, St. Charles, St. Clair, St. Francois, St. Louis, Ste. Genevieve, Stone, Sullivan, Taney, Warren, and Washington.

  You may fill two firearms antlerless deer hunting permits in parts of these counties during firearms deer season (all portions combined): Cass and Platte.

  Resident landowners with at least 75 acres may harvest additional antlerless deer using no-cost Resident Landowner Firearms Antlerless Deer Hunting Permits.

• Counties in orange: You may fill one firearms antlerless deer hunting permit in these counties or county sections during firearms deer season (all portions combined). Resident landowners with at least 75 acres may harvest additional antlerless deer using no-cost Resident Landowner Firearms Antlerless Deer Hunting Permits.

Antlerless Portion of the Firearms Season

Firearms hunting is allowed only in counties or county sections shaded blue or orange in the map below. Areas in white are closed to firearms hunting during the antlerless portion.

Firearms Antlerless Portion Map

Counties closed to firearms hunting during the antlerless portion: Andrew, Atchison, Butler, Carter, Dunklin, Holt, Iron, Mississippi, New Madrid,  Nodaway, Pemiscot, Reynolds, Scott, Stoddard, and Wayne.

All other counties (shaded orange in the map above) are open to firearms hunting during the antlerless portion.

To pursue, take, possess, and transport ducks, coots, and geese in Missouri, except during the Conservation Order, you must possess and carry the following, unless exempt:

1) a Missouri permit to hunt small game is required of:

• Missouri residents age 16 through 64
• Nonresidents age 16 and older

An annual permit is available to residents for $10 and to nonresidents for $80 from any permit vendor. A daily permit is also available to nonresidents from any permit vendor for $11 per day.

Exemption: Missouri resident landowners hunting on their own land do not need a Missouri small game hunting permit, but the Migratory Bird Hunting Permit and Duck Stamp are required (see below).

2) Missouri Migratory Bird Hunting Permit is required of:

• Residents and nonresidents age 16 and over.

This permit is available for $6 from any permit vendor. Purchase of this permit satisfies requirements for Migratory Game Bird Harvest Registration.

3) Federal Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp is required of: Residents and nonresidents age 16 and over. To be valid, the federal Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp (duck stamp) must be signed in ink across the face.

Stamps are available for $25 at some U.S. Post Offices, MDC regional offices, nature centers, and visitor’s centers, but not at permit vendors or waterfowl hunting conservation areas.

Duck stamps are also available online at the Buy e-Permits link below or at Missouri permit vendors. The electronic duck stamp, or e-Stamp, allows customers to purchase the Federal Duck Stamp online and use it immediately. The e-Stamp costs $28.50 and is valid for 45 days from the date of purchase. Within that time, a physical duck stamp will be mailed to the customer. After 45 days, the customer must carry their Federal Duck Stamp while hunting. Retail vendors will still be able to process e-Stamp transactions for hunters.

Permit Requirements for Hunters Younger Than 16

Resident and nonresident hunters age 15 and younger are not required to purchase any permits to hunt ducks, coots or geese in Missouri. However, they must have in their possession a valid Hunter Education Certificate Card while hunting or be in the immediate presence of an adult age 18 or older who possesses a Missouri small game hunting permit and is hunter education certified or born before Jan. 1, 1967.

Permit Requirement for Light-Goose Conservation Order

During the Conservation Order residents and nonresidents age 16 and older only need a Conservation Order Permit to chase, pursue and take snow, blue and Ross’s geese. This permit costs $5 for residents and $40 for nonresidents. Hunters with either a Resident Lifetime Conservation Partner Permit or a Resident Lifetime Small Game Hunting Permit do not need to purchase a Conservation Order Permit to hunt light geese during the Conservation Order.

Hunters 15 years old and younger do not need a Conservation Order Permit, but must possess a valid hunter-education certificate card or hunt in the immediate presence of a properly licensed adult 18 years old or older who is hunter-education certified or was born before January 1, 1967.

Note: A Missouri small game hunting permit, Missouri Migratory Bird Hunting Permit and Federal Duck Stamp are not required during the Conservation Order.

When is Nontoxic shot required?

• All waterfowl hunting (ducks, geese, teal, and coots)
• Hunting dove, rails, snipe, and woodcock on public areas with nontoxic shot requirement posted.
• Hunting with a shotgun (including dove, turkey, quail, rabbit, squirrel) on thirty-seven conservation areas.

Waterfowl hunters in Missouri have used nontoxic shot since 1991. This requirement has been shown to reduce the incidences of lead poisoning in wildlife.

Approved types of nontoxic shot

These shot types have been approved as nontoxic by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (as of January 2019):

• Bismuth-tin
• Copper-clad iron
• Corrosion-inhibited copper (CIC)
• Iron (steel)
• Iron-tungsten
• Iron-tungsten-nickel
• Tungsten-bronze (two types)
• Tungsten-iron-copper-nickel
• Tungsten-iron-polymer
• Tungsten-matrix
• Tungsten-polymer
• Tungsten-tin-bismuth
• Tungsten-tin-iron
• Tungsten-tin-iron-nickel

Dove Hunting

Use or possession of lead shot for hunting doves is prohibited on the following conservation areas:

• Bilby Ranch Lake
• Bois D’Arc
• August A . Busch
• Crowley’s Ridge
• Davisdale
• Harmony Mission Lake
• Lamine River
• William R . Logan
• Maintz Wildlife Preserve
• Pacific Palisades
• Guy B . Park
• Peabody
• Pony Express Lake
• James A . Reed Memorial Wildlife Area
• Reform
• Robert E . Talbot
• Truman Reservoir Management Lands (Bethlehem)
• Weldon Spring
• Whetstone Creek
• White (William G . and Erma Parke) Memorial Wildlife Area

All Hunting

Use or possession of lead shot is prohibited for all hunting with a shotgun on the following conservation areas:

• Aspinwall Bend
• Black Island
• Bob Brown
• Church Farm
• Columbia Bottom
• Cooley Lake
• Coon Island
• Corning
• Deroin Bend
• Diana Bend
• Duck Creek
• Eagle Bluffs
• Franklin Island
• Frost Island
• Fountain Grove
• Four Rivers
• Grand Pass
• B. K. Leach Memorial
• Little Bean Marsh
• Little River
• Lower Hamburg Bend
• Marais Temps Clair
• Montrose
• Nishnabotna
• Nodaway Valley
• Otter Slough
• Ralph and Martha Perry
• Platte Falls
• Plowboy Bend
• Rose Pond
• Rush Bottoms
• Schell-Osage
• Settle’s Ford
• Ted Shanks
• Ten Mile Pond
• Thurnau
• Wolf Creek Bend

Nontoxic shot is safer for wildlife and people

Lead is poisonous to both people and wildlife. Research shows that doves, waterfowl, and many other species of birds can suffer from lead poisoning after consuming lead pellets from spent shotgun shells. Lead poisoning can be fatal to birds and other wildlife, including bald eagles that feed on waterfowl with lead shot in the carcasses.

Hunters may use dogs to take and retrieve game, but there are restrictions by species, times, and locations.

When Dogs are Illegal to Use

Dogs are prohibited when hunting deer and turkey.

Dogs can not be used to harvest muskrat, mink, river otter, and beaver. 

Dogs are prohibited when hunting furbearers (badger, bobcat, coyote, gray fox, opossum, raccoon, and striped skunk) during daylight hours from Nov.1 through the close of the November portion of the firearms deer season and in counties that have an antlerless portion of the deer season.

Dogs are prohibited when hunting squirrels and rabbits during daylight hours of the November portion of the firearms deer season in the following counties:

• Butler
• Carter
• Dent
• Iron
• Madison
• Oregon
• Reynolds
• Ripley
• Shannon
• Wayne

Dogs must wear ID

While hunting, all dogs, except for those used by waterfowl and game bird hunters, must wear a collar with the owner’s full name and address, Conservation Number or complete telephone number.

Training Dogs

During training, dogs may chase but not take wildlife that can be hunted with dogs. You will need a hunting permit appropriate for the wildlife or exception when training dogs that are chasing wildlife.

Only a pistol with blank ammunition may be used during daylight hours to train dogs during closed seasons.

Coyotes may NOT be hunted during daylight hours from April 1 until the start of spring turkey season.

During spring turkey season, coyotes may be taken using only methods allowed for spring turkey, and hunters must have an unfilled turkey permit and a permit to hunt small game.

Dogs may not be used to hunt coyotes during daylight hours statewide from November 1 to the close of the November portion of the firearms deer season and during the antlerless portions in open counties.

Only male pheasants may be taken.

A foot or fully feathered head must be left attached to pheasants during transportation and storage.

Shotguns only.

Nontoxic shot required on posted public areas and conservation areas.

Prohibited Methods:

• Shotguns capable of holding more than three shells, unless plugged
• Hunting from a motor vehicle or motorboat
• Using live birds as decoys
• Using recorded or amplified calls
• Baiting

Birds must be tagged (with the taker's signature, address, total number and species of birds, and the date that the birds were killed), if left any place other than the hunter's home.

During Deer Season

During daylight hours of the November portion of the firearms deer hunting season, squirrels may not be chased, pursued or taken with the aid of dogs in Butler, Carter, Dent, Iron, Madison, Oregon, Reynolds, Ripley, Shannon or Wayne counties.

During the November and antlerless portions (in areas where open) of the firearms deer season, squirrels may be hunted only with a .22 caliber or smaller rim-fire or a shotgun and shot not larger than No. 4. This does not apply to waterfowl hunters, trappers, or to landowners on their land.

Use of Cage-type Traps

In addition to prescribed hunting methods, you may take squirrels with a cage-type trap at any hour during the open hunting season if you possess a hunting permit.

The cage-type trap must:

• be labeled with your full name and address
• be attended daily, and
• have an opening 144 square inches or smaller

Before you go hunting, check Places to Go for any special regulations on areas. Search for a specific area, or all areas with a specific activity associated with it. Once on an area's page, you will find a list of area regulations and seasons at the bottom of the page.

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