Don't be surprised if you see a lot of blaze orange and camouflage this weekend. The sounds of gunshots in the rural parts of Jefferson County could be more frequent as well. The first of the firearms hunting seasons for deer opens on Friday, Oct. 6, and continues through Sunday, Oct. 8.
Hunters may only take antlerless deer in the segment that was added to the schedule for the first time this year. Harvesting does is the best management tool for controlling population increases, and the state Department of Conservation hopes to slow the growth of the herd size.
The season is open in 100 of Missouri's 114 counties, the exceptions encompassing 10 bootheel counties and four in the northwest corner. In Jefferson County, hunters may purchase and fill up to four antlerless-only permits for $7 each after they purchase their resident statewide any-deer permit for $17.
The early October weekend was selected to avoid conflicts with other deer hunting activities. The archery season opened in mid-September, but most archery hunting takes place in late October and early November. The early youth hunting season has been established two weekends prior to the opening of the November portion.
The other advantage of the early hunting days is the prospect of more favorable weather, if you prefer warm to cold. According to the Old Farmer's Almanac online, the average first frost for Festus is Oct. 21. It is much more likely to be cold in early November than this weekend.
The conservation department also hopes hunters will feel more free to fill their permits for antlerless deer in October, and then focus on getting their buck in November. Missouri only allows hunters to take one antlered deer throughout all portions of the firearms hunting season. Despite the availability of multiple antlerless deer permits – and the restriction of just one antlered deer in the all firearms hunting seasons – the harvest totals are about even between antlered bucks versus does and button bucks combined. In all the firearms seasons last year in Missouri, hunters took 240,827 deer, and 115,985 of those were antlered bucks.
Antlered deer in Missouri are defined as white-tailed or mule deer with at least one antler that is three or more inches long. Those small points can be difficult to identify, so hunters in the antlerless-only portion will have to patiently assess the deer they plan to shoot.
The second antlerless-only portion remains the same as it has for the past several years, with the exception of counties being added and more available permits in the areas where the season is open. The nine-day season opens Dec. 2 and concludes Dec. 10.
Another component of the early hunting season is the opportunity for more deer to get tested for chronic wasting disease in those areas where it has been found. Once again this year, hunters may take their deer to approved local taxidermists for free testing or deliver them to designated freezers.
The self-service, drop-off location in Jefferson County is at the Festus-Crystal City Conservation Club off of Highway 61 near Interstate 55 exit 170. Materials available at the freezers will include trash bags, zip ties, and data sheets for hunters to identify their deer with their name, contact information and Telecheck ID number.
Hunters are to leave the deer heads and about six inches of neck for the conservation department to test. The hunter also will have to provide an approximate location where he or she was hunting when the deer was harvested. The freezer drop-off sites will not be available during the opening weekend of the November portion of the season, when mandatory sampling is required.
Hunters participating in the new antlerless hunting season must wear a hat and vest, shirt or jacket in blaze orange. Archers out this weekend in areas where firearms hunting is allowed also must wear the required orange clothing.
John Winkelman has been writing about outdoors news and issues in Jefferson County for more than 30 years and is the Associate Editor for Outdoor Guide Magazine. If you have story ideas for the Leader outdoor news page, e-mail ogmjohnw@aol.com, and you can find more outdoor news and updates at johnjwink.com.