– Missouri Deer Season –

Deer Season Missouri

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Welcome to the 2020 review of Missouri’s Deer Season. Missouri is the third midwestern state we have covered in our annual deer season overview series.  Indiana was the part one in this series and Ohio was part two. If you have ever driven through Missouri, you will know that it is prime deer habitat, as there are many forests and undeveloped areas. Residents of Missouri love to hunt deer, as can be evidenced by the fact that they took down over 280,000 whitetails last year.

Missouri Trophy Potential

Missouri holds the Boone & Crocket world record Non-Typical whitetail deer. It is interesting story and I won’t spoil it for you, you can read it here. This massive buck scored 333 7/8. That is crazy to think about and I am not a trophy hunter by any stretch.

Bag Limits

Antlered deer limits are fairly uniform throughout the state, though it is important to pay attention to the specific county you will be hunting in. The general statewide rule is, two antlered deer during archery and firearms seasons combined. Archery hunters may only harvest one buck before the November firearms season. Firearms hunters can only take one buck during firearms season. Missouri, like many states, has different bag limits for antlerless deer in different counties. Please consult the regulations for your specific location.

Deer Season Missouri – Season Dates

Season	Start Date	End Date
Archery #1	Sept. 15, 2020	Nov. 13, 2020
Archery #2	Nov. 25, 2020	Jan. 15, 2021
Youth Firearms #1	Oct. 31, 2020	Nov. 1, 2020
Youth Firearms #2	Nov. 27, 2020	Nov. 29, 2020
Firearms	Nov. 14, 2020	Nov. 24, 2020
Firearms Antlerless *	Dec. 4, 2020	Dec. 6, 2020
Firearms Alternate Methods **	Dec. 26, 2020	Jan. 5, 2021

• * Review regulations, not all counties and county sections are open
• ** Review regulations for allowed methods of take

Missouri Public Land

Missouri has 1.67 Million acres of public land. The largest open to hunting is the Mark Twain National Forest which has roughly 1.4 Million acres. There are other locations open to public hunting, but this is bar far the most expansive. As always, private land is an option with land owner permission.

Missouri Deer Season – Alternative Methods

It is also worth mentioning that slingshots, airguns, and spear throwing devices are allowed during the “Alternative Methods” season. This season also encompasses muzzleloaders, and archery, but if you are looking for a different challenge you could break out one of the other alternative methods mentioned. Before you hunt, always make sure to check the rules for that particular area so that you don’t accidentally break a law.

Missouri Deer Season – Wrap Up

It is important that hunters and potential hunters always check the bag limit and rules for the county or counties that they will be hunting in, as rules can vary from county to county. Please make sure to research laws thoroughly before hunting season this fall. As always, check out our Whitetail 101 content where we cover anything and everything for the whitetail deer hunters.