Deer - Missouri Department Of Conservation

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Deer

In This Section

• Better Deer Habitat
• Bowhunter Observation Survey
• Chronic Wasting Disease
• CWD Management Zone Regulations
• How to Telecheck a Deer
• Deer: Permits
• Deer: Regulations
• Deer Reports
• Deer: Where to Hunt
• Managed Deer Hunts
• Missouri White-Tailed Deer Management Plan (2025-2034)
• Deer: Safety and Health
• Regulation Changes: 2023-24 Deer Season
• Share the Harvest

Image 1/1 Image Species Description

In summer, they are reddish-brown to tan above; the winter the colors are grayish to grayish brown. Fawns are reddish, brown or reddish-yellow spotted with white; they lose their spots and acquire uniform coloration at 3-5 months of age. Antlers normally occur only in males and are formed and shed each year. Antler growth starts in April or May. During the growth period, the soft skin and short hair covering the antlers have a plush quality, giving this stage the name of "velvet." The white-tailed deer is aptly named because the white undersurface of its flaglike tail is about all that we see in the fleeting glimpse we get as it bounds across an opening in the woods.

Topic Category Hunting / Fishing Guide Regulations Seasons Biological Information White-Tailed Deer Management Information Deer Management on Your Property Title Seasons

Season	Dates	Hours	Limits/Notes
Deer: Archery	Nov 26, 2025 - Jan 15, 2026 Sep 15, 2026 - Nov 13, 2026 Nov 25, 2026 - Jan 15, 2027	One-half hour before sunrise to one-half hour after sunset	Archer's Hunting Permit: two deer of either sex. Only one antlered deer may be taken before the November firearms portion. Hunters may purchase and fill any number of archery antlerless deer hunting permits. You may take only two antlered deer during the archery and firearms deer hunting seasons combined. An antler-point restriction applies in some counties.
Deer: Firearms: CWD Portion	Nov 26, 2025 - Nov 30, 2025	One-half hour before sunrise to one-half hour after sunset	You may take only one antlered deer during the entire firearms season (all portions combined). You may take only two antlered deer during the archery and firearms deer hunting seasons combined. Each county limits the number of antlerless deer hunting permits you can fill during the entire firearms season (all portions). See map. Only select counties are open to firearms hunting during the CWD portion. See CWD Regulations.
Deer: Firearms: Alternative Methods	Dec 27, 2025 - Jan 06, 2026 Dec 26, 2026 - Jan 05, 2027	One-half hour before sunrise to one-half hour after sunset	You may take only one antlered deer during the entire firearms season (all portions combined). You may take only two antlered deer during the archery and firearms deer hunting seasons combined. Each county limits the number of antlerless deer hunting permits you can fill during the entire firearms season (all portions). See map. An antler-point restriction applies in some counties.
Deer: Firearms: Antlerless Portions	Oct 09, 2026 - Oct 11, 2026 Dec 05, 2026 - Dec 13, 2026	One-half hour before sunrise to one-half hour after sunset	Only antlerless deer may be harvested during the Antlerless. Each county limits the number of antlerless deer hunting permits you can fill during the entire firearms season. See antlerless regulations. Only select counties are open to firearms hunting during the antlerless portions. See antlerless regulations.
Deer: Firearms: Youth Portions	Oct 24, 2026 - Oct 25, 2026 Nov 27, 2026 - Nov 29, 2026	One-half hour before sunrise to one-half hour after sunset	Only one antlered deer may be taken during the entire firearms season (all portions combined). You may take only two antlered deer during the archery and firearms deer hunting seasons combined. Each county limits the number of antlerless deer hunting permits you can fill during the entire firearms season. See map. To participate, you must be at least 6 and no older than 15 on the opening day of the early youth portion. Hunters who are 15 years or younger on Sept. 15 of the current year are exempt from the antler-point restriction during the archery deer season and all portions of the firearms deer season.
Deer: Firearms: November Portion	Nov 14, 2026 - Nov 24, 2026	One-half hour before sunrise to one-half hour after sunset	Only one antlered deer may be taken during the entire firearms season (all portions combined). You may take only two antlered deer during the archery and firearms deer hunting seasons combined. Each county limits the number of antlerless deer hunting permits you can fill during the entire firearms season. See map. An antler-point restriction applies in some counties. If you harvest a deer from certain counties in the CWD Management Zone during the opening weekend, you must take your deer to a designated CWD sampling station.