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Wildlife Code of Missouri (3 CSR 10) and RSMo · 2026-27
Missouri Hunting Laws
Legal and protected species, hunter orange, weapons by season and portion, the bait rules and the 85-county feed and mineral ban, carcass and importation rules, Sunday hunting, 24 method rules, the land rules for conservation areas, MRAP tracts, state parks and federal land, and the penalties in RSMo chapters 252, 569 and 578.
Photo: ZionNPS (CC BY 2.0)
What the Wildlife Code lets Missouri hunters take
The Conservation Commission adopts the Wildlife Code under the Missouri Constitution, and the Code sorts wildlife into game mammals, furbearers, game birds, frogs and a short list with no closed season. Anything not listed is protected unless a rule says otherwise.
No wildlife may be pursued, taken, possessed, sold, imported or released except as the Code allows (3 CSR 10-4.110); hours are prevailing local time. To take means killing, trapping, snaring, netting, capturing; pursuing, molesting, hunting, wounding; setting devices; and assisting another. Tracking wounded deer/turkey with a leashed dog or drone is excluded.
Game mammals (3 CSR 10-20.805)
Black bear, deer (white-tailed, mule), elk, groundhog, cottontail rabbit, swamp rabbit, jackrabbit, fox squirrel, gray squirrel, furbearers.
Open seasons for all except jackrabbit (protected; black-tailed jackrabbit is state endangered).
Furbearers
Badger, beaver, bobcat, coyote, gray fox, red fox, mink, mountain lion, muskrat, nutria, opossum, raccoon, river otter, spotted skunk, striped skunk, long-tailed weasel.
No open season for mountain lion, spotted skunk (endangered) and long-tailed weasel.
Game birds
American coot, American woodcock, crows, ducks, Eurasian collared-dove, geese, gray partridge, mourning dove, northern bobwhite quail, ring-necked pheasant, ruffed grouse, sora rail, Virginia rail, white-winged dove, wild turkey, Wilson's snipe.
No open season for gray partridge and ruffed grouse.
Frogs
Bullfrog, green frog.
Hunting season June 30 (sunset)-Oct. 31; also fishing methods.
No closed season
House sparrow, European starling.
No closed season or limits (3 CSR 10-7.405(2)); feral pigeons not addressed in the rules read.
Feral swine
Feral hog.
Not wildlife under the Code's game lists; taking regulated to support eradication.
All other wildlife
All other birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians.
No wildlife may be taken, possessed or sold except as the Code permits (3 CSR 10-4.110); migratory nongame birds protected federally.
Hunter orange in Missouri
Orange is tied to the firearms deer portions, the firearms elk portion and the whole bear season. Migratory bird hunters never need it, and archers inside city limits where guns cannot be fired are exempt.
All hunters of any game during the firearms deer season (all portions; antlerless portions only in open counties) and on areas holding a managed firearms deer hunt, and mentors; elk hunters and companions in the firearms elk portion (and archery elk Oct. 24-25); bear hunters and companions all bear season.
What to wear
Hunter-orange hat AND shirt, vest or coat, visible from all sides. Camouflage orange does not count. Blaze pink is not mentioned.
Blinds on conservation areas
Recommended (not required) to display orange on portable blinds on MDC areas.
Who is exempt
- Migratory game bird hunters
- Archery hunters inside municipal limits where firearms discharge is banned
- Federal/state land restricted to archery deer hunting
- Archery or small game hunting in counties closed during the antlerless portions
- Archery permit holders during the alternative methods portion
- Small game and furbearer hunters during the alternative methods portion
- Small game/furbearer hunters during the firearms elk portion
Sources: Fall Deer and Turkey booklet, p. 4; MDC hunter orange page; bear digest, p. 8; elk digest, p. 8, looked over again October 29, 2026.
Weapons by season and portion
Missouri lets deer hunters use any legal method, rifles included, in every firearms portion except the alternative methods portion, which allows muzzleloaders, centerfire handguns, air guns and archery gear only. Turkey hunters use shotguns with No. 4 shot or smaller, and waterfowl hunters need nontoxic shot.
| Season or game | Legal | Not legal | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deer/elk/bear firearms ("any legal method") | Centerfire rifles and handguns with expanding bullets (lead or copper), shotguns with slugs (incl. .410), air-powered guns .40 cal+ charged from an external source, muzzleloaders and cap-and-ball .40 cal+ (incl. handguns), bows, crossbows, atlatls (not bear), air bows. | Self-loading firearms holding more than 11 rounds (concealable firearms excepted, not for taking game), buckshot/multiple projectiles, full metal jacket, fully automatic, electronic calls. | Wildlife Code, 3 CSR 10-7 |
| Alternative methods portion | Muzzleloaders/cap-and-ball .40+, centerfire handguns, air-powered guns .40+, bows, crossbows, atlatls. | Rifles loaded other than by the muzzle; shotguns. | Fall Deer and Turkey booklet, p. 30 |
| Archery deer and fall turkey | Longbows, recurve and compound bows (any draw weight), crossbows, atlatls; releases, lighted sights, scopes. | Firearms (except concealable), chemical/explosive arrows, poisons, slingshots for deer/turkey. | Fall Deer and Turkey booklet, p. 20 |
| Turkey firearms (spring and fall) | Shotguns (incl. .410) with shot no larger than No. 4; also bows, crossbows, atlatls in spring. | Rifles, handguns, single-projectile firearms, shotguns holding more than 3 shells (fall), larger shot, electronic calls, live decoys, bait, dogs. | Fall Deer and Turkey booklet, p. 22 |
| Migratory birds and waterfowl | Shotguns 10 ga or smaller plugged to 3 shells; nontoxic shot for waterfowl and coots; electronically switched mechanical calls for waterfowl. | Rifles, pistols, recorded/amplified calls (except crows and the light goose order), sink boxes, live decoys, bait, motor vehicles/aircraft. | waterfowl digest, p. 14 |
| Light goose Conservation Order | Unplugged shotguns, electronic calls, nontoxic shot. | Rifles and pistols. | waterfowl digest, p. 17 |
| General small game | Pistols, revolvers, rifles (single projectile), air/spring guns (not for game birds except crows), shotguns 10 ga or smaller plugged to 3 shells (not required for deer/bear/elk), bows, crossbows, atlatls, slingshots (not bear/deer/elk/turkey). | Fully automatic firearms; poisons, drugs, explosives. | hunting and trapping summary, p. 13 |
| Frogs | .22 rimfire rifle or pistol, pellet gun, bow, crossbow, atlatl, hand, hand net; lights allowed. | Centerfire firearms. | Wildlife Code, 3 CSR 10-7 |
| Trapping | Smooth or rubber-jawed foot-hold, Conibear-type, foot-enclosing, cage and colony traps; snares only in water (loop <=15 in.); cable restraints (12 in. loop, breakaway 350 lb, Nov. 15-Jan. 31 rules per Code); electronic calls allowed. | Dry-land snares, pitfalls, deadfalls, nets; killing traps near public roads except underwater. | hunting and trapping summary, p. 20 |
Deer archery methods
Longbows, compound and recurve bows (any draw weight), crossbows, atlatls. Hours half an hour before sunrise to half an hour after sunset.
Banned for deer
Bait; dogs (leashed tracking dogs allowed); electronic calls; lights, night vision, thermal; motor vehicles/aircraft (drones only to recover wounded game after shooting); from boats with motors attached; deer in water; within fences over 7 ft (except licensed preserves); from or across a public road.
Other game during deer portions
During the November portion statewide and antlerless portions in open counties, other game only with .22 rimfire or shot no larger than No. 4 (not waterfowl hunters, trappers, landowners on own land, elk hunters); furbearers in daylight only with deer methods and an unfilled firearms deer permit; no furbearer dogs Nov. 1-end of November portion.
Sources: Wildlife Code, 3 CSR 10-7; Fall Deer and Turkey booklet, p. 4; waterfowl digest, p. 14; hunting and trapping summary, p. 13, looked over again October 29, 2026.
Bait, feed, carcasses and Sundays
Missouri bans bait for deer, turkey, bear, elk and migratory birds statewide, and in 85 counties within 10 miles of a CWD detection nobody may put out grain, salt or minerals for deer at any time of year. Sunday is an ordinary hunting day.
| Topic | Missouri rule |
|---|---|
| Bait for deer and turkey | Illegal: grain or other feed placed to attract deer or turkeys; area baited 10 days after removal; knowing/should-know standard; placing bait that makes others violate is illegal. |
| What is allowed | Doe urine and other scents not on grain/food; salt and mineral blocks (not with grain/food additives; not on MDC areas; banned year-round in the 85 feed-ban counties); harvested crop fields; manipulating crops for deer/turkey. |
| Bear bait | Any food is bait (grain, feed, pet food, human food, food powders); scents and plain minerals are not. |
| Elk | As deer; minerals and salt not allowed on conservation areas or anywhere in Shannon County. |
| Waterfowl and doves | Federal baiting rules; hunting waterfowl over manipulated crops is illegal; doves allowed over normal agricultural manipulation on the land where grown. |
| Feed and mineral ban | Grain, salt, minerals and other consumables for deer banned year-round in 85 counties within 10 miles of a CWD detection (new 2026: Benton, Johnson, Pettis). Exceptions: within 100 ft of a residence, feed deer cannot reach, normal agriculture/food plots, MDC-authorized hog or CWD work. |
| Carcass disposal | Statewide: unused parts in trash bound for a sanitary landfill or left on the property of harvest. Telecheck before moving a deer out of the county of harvest or by 10 p.m. |
| Deer and elk from other states | Only meat, quarters without spine/head, cleaned hides, antlers/skull plates cleaned, upper canines, finished taxidermy; heads with cape (6 in. neck) only if taken to a licensed taxidermist within 48 hours. |
| Sundays | No Sunday hunting restriction in the Wildlife Code or MDC booklets; seasons run on Sundays (e.g., mandatory CWD sampling Sun. Nov. 15, 2026). |
The 85 counties with the year-round feed and mineral ban
Adair, Audrain, Barry, Barton, Benton, Bollinger, Boone, Caldwell, Callaway, Camden, Cape Girardeau, Carroll, Cedar, Chariton, Christian, Clark, Clay, Clinton, Cole, Crawford, Dallas, Daviess, Dent, Douglas, Franklin, Gasconade, Greene, Grundy, Harrison, Henry, Hickory, Howard, Howell, Jasper, Jefferson, Johnson, Knox, Laclede, Lewis, Linn, Livingston, Macon, Madison, Maries, Marion, McDonald, Mercer, Miller, Moniteau, Monroe, Montgomery, Morgan, Newton, Oregon, Osage, Ozark, Pemiscot, Perry, Pettis, Phelps, Polk, Pulaski, Putnam, Ralls, Randolph, Ray, Ripley, Saline, Schuyler, Scotland, Shannon, Shelby, St. Charles, St. Clair, St. Francois, St. Louis, Ste. Genevieve, Stone, Sullivan, Taney, Texas, Vernon, Warren, Washington, Webster
Sources: Fall Deer and Turkey booklet, p. 4; bear digest, p. 8; waterfowl digest, p. 36; Fall Deer and Turkey booklet, p. 6; MDC feed ban page; Fall Deer and Turkey booklet, p. 7, looked over again October 29, 2026.
How Missouri hunters may hunt: 21 method rules
Grouped by what they govern, each card gives the rule in short form with a link to the Code chapter, booklet page or MDC page it came from.
Lights, calls, drones and night optics
Artificial lights
Not to spot or take game while holding a weapon, except treed furbearers (dogs) and coyotes Jan. 1-Sept. 30 excluding spring turkey season (2026: Jan. 1-Apr. 19 and May 11-Sept. 30); landowners may use lights on their land without weapons.
Night vision and thermal
May not be possessed with a weapon except for coyotes in the same windows, landowners killing feral swine, or with MDC written authorization.
Electronic calls
Only for crows, furbearers and light geese in the Conservation Order; not with lights/night vision except coyotes in season windows.
Drones
May not be used or possessed while hunting; may be used after a bear, deer, elk or turkey is shot to find it, with landowner permission (agent permission on MDC areas); no one with the party may hold a firearm or bow while it flies.
Roads, vehicles and floods
Roads
No taking wildlife from or across a public roadway with a firearm, bow or crossbow.
Motor vehicles, boats, aircraft
No pursuing, taking or driving wildlife from motor-driven air, land or water conveyances; motorboats allowed once the motor is off and progress has stopped (not for bear, deer, elk).
ATVs
Prohibited in streams and rivers (except landowners/lessees and some agricultural workers) and, with few exceptions, on conservation areas.
Floodwaters and fire
Wildlife (except waterfowl) may not be taken while trapped by or fleeing floodwaters or fire; SE Missouri flood zones close at set river gauges.
Dogs, parties and fences
Dogs
Not for bear, deer, elk, turkey, beaver, mink, muskrat, otter (leashed tracking dogs excepted); no furbearer dogs in daylight Nov. 1-end of November portion and antlerless portions; dogs must wear a collar with ID (except waterfowl and game-bird dogs); training only with blanks in closed season.
Party hunting
Pooling permits and shooting game for another hunter are prohibited; assisting (drives, calling) requires a filled or unfilled permit except mentors in youth portions.
Fences
No hunting deer or elk within an enclosure higher than 7 ft (licensed hunting preserves excepted).
Stands, shot and conservation areas
Tree stands and blinds on MDC areas
Portable stands Sept. 1-Jan. 31 only, labeled, no nails or screw-in steps; blinds removed daily; no mineral blocks or salt on MDC areas.
Nontoxic shot
Required for waterfowl and coots statewide; for doves on 26 areas and all shotgun hunting on 46 MDC areas.
After the shot
Retrieval
Reasonable effort to retrieve and tag wounded big game; does not authorize trespass.
Wanton waste
Illegal to leave or abandon edible portions of game.
Carcasses in water
No deer, bear or elk carcass or parts in wells, springs, streams, ponds or lakes.
Possession, labeling and gifts
Keep wildlife separate/identifiable; label stored or gifted game (name, address, permit number, species, date; Telecheck number for bear/deer/elk/turkey); gifts count in the giver's daily limit and recipient's possession limit.
Sale of parts
Feathers, squirrel/rabbit/groundhog pelts, turkey parts, deer and elk heads, antlers, hides, feet may be sold with a bill of sale; buyer keeps the bill for heads/antlers on skull plates. Found dead deer/elk antlers on skull plate: report within 24 hrs. Shed antlers: no authorization needed.
Cervid importation
Only boned meat, quarters without spine/head, cleaned hides, cleaned antlers/skull plates, upper canines, finished taxidermy; caped heads to a licensed taxidermist within 48 hours.
Poisons and property damage
Poisons and explosives
Poisons, tranquilizers, chemicals and explosives may not be used to take wildlife.
Owner protection of property
Most wildlife (not deer, elk, turkey, bear, mountain lion, endangered species) may be killed to stop property damage with agent permission when other measures fail.
Missouri rules by kind of public ground
A conservation area, an MRAP tract, a state park, the national forest, the Riverways, a refuge and Fort Leonard Wood each add rules on top of the statewide ones. These are the short versions; each land page carries the details.
Conservation areas
Portable stands Sept. 1-Jan. 31 only, labeled, no nails or screw-in steps; blinds removed daily; no mineral blocks or salt on MDC areas. Deer hunting only on the 562 areas on the MDC deer list, by the methods each allows. Motor vehicles only on designated roads (45 mph default); camping, shooting, tree stands etc. only as authorized; no dumping.
MRAP tracts
Missouri Outdoor Recreational Access Program: private land open to public hunting; posted rules; tree stands removed daily.
State parks
Closed to general hunting (Missouri State Parks: "No hunting or discharging of firearms is permitted."). Deer hunting only through MDC managed deer hunts by drawing (see managed_hunts); the park closes to the public on hunt dates.
Mark Twain National Forest
Hunting allowed forest-wide under MDC seasons, hours, permits and limits (no Forest Service fee). Hunting is prohibited in or within 150 yards of a residence, building, campsite, developed recreation site or occupied area, and on all administrative sites; only portable deer stands, labeled with name and address. Walk-in turkey hunting areas (foot traffic only in spring turkey season). Some forest lakes are closed to waterfowl hunting (see waterfowl_lakes).
Ozark National Scenic Riverways
Hunting permitted inside most areas of the riverways under Missouri and federal regulations (NPS). Closed to regular hunting and trapping: Alley Spring, Big Spring and Round Spring (former state park boundaries) and within 300 yards of any developed area (buildings, administrative compounds, camping areas, roads, hiking trails, public use facilities). Feral swine hunting prohibited on fee-owned lands except deer/turkey permit holders hunting in compliance.
National wildlife refuges
Hunting only on designated areas of the refuge under Missouri regulations and the refuge-specific conditions in 50 CFR 32.44; check the refuge hunt brochure/map for open units.
Fort Leonard Wood
Open to hunters who meet installation access requirements (FLW: "Fort Leonard Wood is first and foremost a military installation. Access is controlled"). Required: Outdoor Recreation Permit, FLW Sportsman Permit and stamps, Missouri permits, iSportsman check-in/check-out every time, safety brief and quiz, and pre-registration of firearms (registration can take 30 days). Centerfire rifles, centerfire pistols and rimfire pistols prohibited for hunting; only temporary tree stands Sept. 1-Jan. 31; feral hogs only incidentally while deer hunting. Areas shown red on the iSportsman map/status list are closed for military training.
Protected Missouri wildlife and no-season animals
12 listings, from the mountain lion, which may be killed only when it attacks livestock or threatens people, to the state-endangered jackrabbit, spotted skunk and prairie-chicken, and the rule that only lone bears may be taken.
Mountain lion
No season. May be killed only when attacking or killing livestock or domestic animals or threatening human safety; report immediately and surrender the intact carcass within 24 hours.
Black-tailed jackrabbit
State endangered; jackrabbits may not be hunted or trapped at any time.
Eastern spotted skunk
State endangered; no season.
Greater prairie-chicken
State endangered; no season.
Bats (gray, Ozark big-eared, Indiana, northern long-eared)
State endangered.
Birds: northern harrier, interior least tern, Swainson's warbler, snowy egret, king rail, Bachman's sparrow, American bittern
State endangered.
Reptiles/amphibians: western chicken turtle, Blanding's turtle, yellow mud turtle, Mississippi green watersnake, eastern and prairie massasauga, eastern and Ozark hellbender
State endangered.
Long-tailed weasel
Furbearer with no open season.
Elk outside Carter, Reynolds and Shannon counties
No legal harvest of free-ranging elk outside the elk hunting counties; report sightings.
Black bears with cubs or in dens
Only lone bears may be taken; denned bears may not be disturbed or taken.
Black bear gallbladders
May not be bought, sold, given away; extracted gallbladders may not be transported into or within Missouri.
Furbearer dens and nests
May not be molested or destroyed.
What a Missouri wildlife violation can cost
Breaking the Wildlife Code is a misdemeanor under RSMo 252.040, and the Conservation Commission can suspend or revoke privileges through its point system whatever the court decides. Trespass on posted or fenced land is a class B misdemeanor, and interfering with a lawful hunt is a crime too.
Wildlife Code violations
Taking, possessing or disposing of wildlife except as the Commission's rules permit is a misdemeanor (fur dealer record-keeping: infraction, $10-$100).
Hunting injury
The Commission may suspend, revoke or deny hunting privileges up to 5 years for injuring a person mistaken for game; hunter safety course required before restoration.
Point system and privilege revocation
Commission may suspend or revoke hunting, trapping and fishing privileges for multiple or major violations within 5 years regardless of court outcome (3 CSR 10-5.216 point system).
Hunter harassment (first degree)
Intentionally interfering with lawful taking of wildlife, including harassing game to disrupt hunting: class A misdemeanor.
Hunter harassment (second degree)
Entering or remaining in a hunting area intending to interfere: class B misdemeanor.
Failure to desist
Failing to obey an officer's order to stop such interference: class A misdemeanor; conservation agents may enforce.
Trespass in the first degree
Knowingly entering or remaining on fenced or posted land (or after notice): class B misdemeanor.
Trespass in the second degree
Entering another's land unlawfully: infraction (absolute liability).
Firearms accident duty
A hunter involved in a firearms-related accident must identify themselves and render assistance; failure is a class A misdemeanor (as stated by MDC).
Conservation lands
Motor vehicles only on designated roads (45 mph default); camping, shooting, tree stands etc. only as authorized; no dumping.
Operation Game Thief
Report violations to 800-392-1111; rewards available, callers may remain anonymous.
The Wildlife Code of Missouri (Title 3, Division 10 of the Code of State Regulations) is adopted by the Conservation Commission under Mo. Const. Art. IV secs. 40-46. Sources: RSMo 252.040; 3 CSR 10-5.216; RSMo 569.140; Wildlife Code, 3 CSR 10, looked over again October 29, 2026.
Missouri hunting law questions
Can I shoot a mountain lion in Missouri?
No season. May be killed only when attacking or killing livestock or domestic animals or threatening human safety; report immediately and surrender the intact carcass within 24 hours.
Can I use a drone while hunting?
May not be used or possessed while hunting; may be used after a bear, deer, elk or turkey is shot to find it, with landowner permission (agent permission on MDC areas); no one with the party may hold a firearm or bow while it flies.
Can I leave a tree stand on a conservation area?
Portable stands Sept. 1-Jan. 31 only, labeled, no nails or screw-in steps; blinds removed daily; no mineral blocks or salt on MDC areas.
Do Missouri bowhunters have to wear hunter orange?
Usually, during the firearms deer portions. Exceptions include archers inside city limits where firearms cannot be fired, archery-only federal or state land, counties closed during the antlerless portions and archery hunters in the alternative methods portion.
Can I hunt deer with a rifle in Missouri?
Yes, in every firearms portion except the alternative methods portion. Self-loading firearms holding more than 11 rounds (concealable firearms excepted, not for taking game), buckshot/multiple projectiles, full metal jacket, fully automatic, electronic calls.
May Missourians put out corn or feed for deer?
Not in the 85 feed-ban counties, at any time of year, and placing feed to hunt over is illegal everywhere.
Can I use salt or mineral blocks for deer?
Doe urine and other scents not on grain/food; salt and mineral blocks (not with grain/food additives; not on MDC areas; banned year-round in the 85 feed-ban counties); harvested crop fields; manipulating crops for deer/turkey.
What parts of an out-of-state deer may enter Missouri?
Only boned meat, quarters without spine/head, cleaned hides, cleaned antlers/skull plates, upper canines, finished taxidermy; caped heads to a licensed taxidermist within 48 hours.
May I use dogs to hunt deer in Missouri?
No, except a leashed tracking dog under a handler to find a wounded deer or turkey. Leashed dogs under a handler and drones may be used to track and recover wounded deer and turkeys; handlers/drone operators need no permit and may carry only concealable firearms.
What is the penalty for trespassing while hunting?
Knowingly entering or remaining on fenced or posted land (or after notice): class B misdemeanor.
Open the 2026 booklets
MDC posts changes and closures on its seasons page and on each conservation area page after the booklets are printed. Look at both in the week before a trip, especially for managed hunts and wetland closures.
Other photos on this page: Alabama Extension (CC0 1.0); USFWS Midwest Region (Public Domain Mark 1.0); USFWS Mountain Prairie (Public domain); James St. John (CC BY 2.0); USFWS Mountain Prairie (Public domain).