As firearms deer hunting opportunities in Missouri are winding down for 2022, hunters in Jefferson County and other areas have a few new chances to say “wait till next year.”
The state Conservation Commission last week approved dates and new regulations for next season. The primary schedule stays the same for fall deer and turkey hunting in 2023, but two new firearms portions have been added, and the number of antlerless permits available for most of the state, including Jefferson County, will go up.
A new early antlerless deer hunting season and a CWD portion combine to provide eight more days of firearms hunting in specific locations. Those two regulations were among proposals that hunters and the general public were asked to comment on earlier this year, so they come as little surprise.
The increase of available antlerless permits from two to four in 82 of the state’s 114 counties seems more significant. How many hunters will take advantage of those additional opportunities remains in question. The changes respond to the need to harvest additional does and moderate a healthy and growing population.
“The changes to deer hunting regulations for the 2023-2024 deer season were motivated by increasing deer numbers throughout much of Missouri and in response to changes in the distribution of chronic wasting disease (CWD) in the state,” said Jason Isabelle, cervid program supervisor with the state Department of Conservation. “With a growing deer population in most Missouri counties, we’re increasing opportunities for hunters to harvest deer both within and outside of the CWD Management Zone next year.”
Jefferson County has been in a CWD management zone since the disease was detected in Franklin County in 2015. The following year, a deer that was harvested near the Meert Tree Farm south of Festus revealed a positive test result. Since then, pending this year’s numbers, 21 cases have been identified in an isolated area of the county south of Festus and east of De Soto.
The new CWD segment of the fall firearms season will immediately follow the November portion, which is most commonly known simply as deer season. It includes the 11 days that begin on the Saturday two weekends prior to Thanksgiving. The new CWD season will run from the Wednesday prior to the holiday and continue through the weekend.
The late youth portion three-day weekend, which has been the Friday through Sunday after Thanksgiving, will coincide with the new CWD portion in 38 counties. During the new season, hunters may take deer based on the number of unfilled tags they have remaining.
“When looking for the best time to provide hunters with more opportunity in CWD Management Zone counties, we considered a number of factors including the potential for good deer movement, level of hunter interest, and potential conflict with other hunters,” Isabelle said. “The late November time frame avoids peak archery hunting weeks and occurs during a time when deer movement is generally good, and when hunters are eager to be in the woods.”
The new early antlerless season is scheduled for Friday through Sunday, Oct. 6-8, 2023. It will be open in the same 100 counties where the current antlerless season is open. For 2022, that nine-day season ends this Sunday, Dec. 11.
“The early antlerless portion will help to increase antlerless deer harvest prior to the November portion of firearms season when the focus of many hunters is on harvesting a buck,” Isabelle said. “The timing of the early antlerless portion was designed to occur when weather conditions are generally comfortable and during a time that will minimize conflict with archery hunters, who spend the most time hunting during late October and early November as the rut approaches.”
The 2022 fall deer hunting seasons still include one more segment for firearms hunters with the alternative methods season (mostly muzzleloaders) from Dec. 24 through Jan. 3, 2023. Archery hunting season runs concurrently with all firearms hunts, except the November portion, and ends on Jan. 15, 2023.
For more information on the changes for the 2023-24 hunting season, visit mdc.mo.gov.
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.