Deer season is upon us, here in the great state of Missouri. The regular firearms season
started on Nov. 15 and lasts until Nov. 25. One antlered deer may be taken during the firearms season statewide. Antlerless permit allowances vary by county and are not confined by a number statewide

Permits valid during the season are Resident or Nonresident Firearms Any-Deer Hunting Permit; Resident or Nonresident Firearms Antlerless Deer Hunting Permit; Resident Landowner Firearms Any-Deer Hunting Permit; Resident Landowner Firearms Antlerless Deer Hunting Permit. Permits can be obtained at any location selling permits, the MO Hunt smart phone application and online at www.missouriconservation.com. The application stores your permits on your phone and you can notch the permit even if phone service is not available. Later, you can check the deer or turkey on the permit when you have service through the application. After leaving your harvested animal, identification must be present on the animal in the form of the taker’s name, telecheck I.D. and confirmation number, and the date the animal was taken. Please purchase your permits early to avoid the rush of the day before season. Also remember to purchase multiple permits to take advantage of opportunities as they come along during the season. Permits must be obtained prior to hunting and prior to taking the animal pursued.

If you are in one of the Chronic Wasting Disease managed counties, there may be mandatory sampling on the opening weekend of the season. Please refer to the 2025 Fall Deer and Turkey hunting pamphlet to see where to take your deer to have it sampled if you are in a Chronic Wasting Managed zone. Locally, the antler point restriction was receded in more counties in relation to chronic wasting disease being found in new counties. The antler point restriction has been rescinded in the CWD management zone. Currently, the only county bordering Audrain with an antler restriction is Pike. Along with the antler point restriction being rescinded in those counties, it is a violation to put out any grain or minerals which can attract deer year round. The reasoning behind the prohibition of feeding is due to the spread of disease. CWD is spread several ways between deer. They can transmit the disease through contact with infected deer’s salvia. The disease can also be put into the ground and once on the ground, it stays there. The licking of the ground can infect a deer with CWD if the ground has been contaminated.

Methods allowed during the firearms deer season are as follows: centerfire pistol, revolver or rifle using expanding-type bullets; legal ammunition includes lead bullets, copper bullets and bullets made of other material designed to expand; shotgun (including .410) with slugs only; air-powered gun, .40 caliber or larger, charged only from an external high compression power source (external hand pump, air tank, or air compressor); a muzzleloading or cap-and-ball firearm .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; a longbow, compound bow or recurve bow of any draw weight; hand-held string releasing devices, illuminated sights, scopes and quickpoint sights are allowed; crossbow; atlatl, which is 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 in length.

Methods prohibited (in use or possession) are as follows: self-loading firearms with a 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(full metal jacketed bullets); fully automatic firearms; any sighting device that casts a beam of light on the game; electronic calls or electronically activated calls; the use of bait; sharing or use or other people’s tags.

Remember, deer may not be hunted with the aid of bait. Baiting is the placing of grain, feed or other natural food source such as peanut butter or molasses, so as to attract deer. The area is considered baited for 10 days, even after the complete removal of the bait. The person who places the bait, even if they are not hunting can be in violation of the baiting rule. Doe urine and other scents such as apple, acorn and persimmon may be used to attract deer while hunting, as long as the scents are not used on or with grain and other food products. Mineral blocks, including salt, are not considered bait; however, mineral blocks that contain grain or other food additives are prohibited. It is legal to hunt crop fields, but not legal 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 deer, however it is illegal to hunt waterfowl over manipulated crops.

Please do not trespass while hunting. It is a common complaint that I receive during the season. You may not cross land boundaries to retrieve game without permission. As well as signs, purple paint is the same as being marked “no trespassing.” If you are hunting Department of Conservation areas, please remember that unattended tree stands must be labeled with the full name and address or conservation ID number of the owner and be removed before Feb. 1. The use of nails, screw in steps or any material that would damage trees is prohibited.

After you have harvested your deer, there are several things to remember, to transport a deer a permit either has to be notched on a physical permit or through the Mo Hunt application. A deer must be telechecked prior to leaving the county of take, 10 p.m., processing past field dressing, or giving to another individual. Deer either whole or processed, must be labeled with the taker’s full name, address and telecheck confirmation number. If you take a deer to a commercial processor, remember you must claim your meat prior to May 1 following the deer season or the owner will be in violation of Rule 3 CSR 10-4.140. After you have finished processing your deer, if you process it yourself, please discard the carcass discretely. Do not place the carcass into any stream, waterway, or public roadway ditch as this is a violation of Missouri law and causes an eye sore.

New this year, deer must be telechecked prior to leaving the county. Deer must be either taken to a processor, disposed of properly into a landfill (trash service) or taken back to the location where the deer was harvested if taken from private ground. Disposal of carcasses on public ground is prohibited and considered littering.

There are several area Share the Harvest participating meat lockers. Please refer to the MDC website to locate Share the Harvest providers. If the deer was taken from a CWD management county, the deer must be tested prior to entering the program. Some processors do the testing on site, some do not. Please contact the individual processor to take appropriate steps to sample the deer.

Following the regular deer season is the second youth season. The second youth season will occur on Nov 28-30 over Thanksgiving weekend. The antler point restriction does not apply for youth during the youth seasons. In CWD management counties, a CWD firearms season extends from the last Tuesday of regular firearms season through Thanksgiving weekend.

Archery season concluded its first portion on Nov. 14 and will reopen Nov. 26 through Jan. 15, 2026. Archery methods may be used during firearms season, but a firearms permit is needed to hunt. Archery hunters need to remember during firearms seasons, except alternative season, hunter orange is required.

Good luck deer hunters, be safe and be courteous to your neighbors.

If you have any wildlife information or questions, please call me, Norman Steelman Audrain County Conservation Agent at 573-473-8000. You may also call the Operation Game Thief Hotline at 1-800-392-1111 if you witness or have information about a wildlife violation. All information and names are kept confidential.