The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) set the dates for deer and turkey hunting for the 2023-2024 season.
MDC also released some changes for that hunting season.
Those changes include two new hunting seasons.
2023 Spring and Fall Turkey Hunting Dates
- Spring Youth Portion: April 1 - 2
- Regular Spring Turkey Season: April 17 through May 7
- Fall Firearms Turkey Season: Oct. 1 - 31
2023 – 2024 Archery Deer and Turkey Hunting Dates
- Sep. 15 through Nov. 10 and Nov. 22 through Jan. 15, 2024
2023 - 2024 Firearms Deer Hunting Dates
- New! Firearms Early Antlerless Portion: Oct. 6-8 (in open counties)
- Firearms Early Youth Portion: Oct. 28-29
- Firearms November Portion: Nov. 11-21
- New! Firearms CWD Portion: Nov. 22-26 (in open counties)
- Firearms Late Youth Portion: Nov. 24-26
- Firearms Late Antlerless Portion: Dec. 2-10 (in open counties)
- Firearms Alternative Methods Portion: Dec. 23 - Jan. 2, 2024
The department chose the timing of the new Firearms Early Antlerless Portion to encourage hunters to take deer without antlers before the main November hunting season when most hunters concentrate on taking bucks.
“With deer populations being at desired levels in most counties but continuing to increase, additional antlerless harvest is needed to stabilize deer numbers,” said MDC Cervid Program Supervisor Jason Isabelle, in a release. “The creation of an early antlerless portion of firearms deer season and increasing the availability of antlerless permits in most counties will provide hunters with more opportunities to harvest antlerless deer and help meet our deer-management goals.”
The new CWD (Chronic Wasting Disease) portion will be for counties in the CWD Management Zone.
It will be at the end of the November firearms season.
MDC officials chose that time period to coincide with the end of the primary rut when deer are still active.