Hunter education is required to buy a firearms hunting permit in Missouri for any hunter born on or after Jan. 1, 1967. Hunters must complete step one, a knowledge portion, and step two, a skills session, in order to become hunter education certified. Either of these two scheduled skills sessions will meet the step two requirement.
“Hunter education has reduced hunting accidents and deaths by more than 70 percent since it became mandatory,” said DeeDee Dockins, MDC outdoor skills specialist. “This is why we recommend all hunters become hunter-education certified.”
Before registering for a skills session, individuals must first complete part one online, through self-study, or by attending a classroom session. To attend the skills session, they must bring their skills session qualifier certificate or a student manual with their completed review questions. Hunter education student manuals are available everywhere hunting permits are sold. Manuals are also available by mail. A final exam is administered at the end of the skills session.
Students must be 11 years of age at the start of the class and those 15 and under must provide proof of age. Students are asked to arrive at least 15 minutes before the beginning of the skills session to make time for registration.
Hunter Education Program provides a foundation in hunting safety and ethics. It instills responsibility, improves skills and knowledge, and encourages interaction between beginner and veteran hunters. Missouri hunter education includes information on how firearms work and firearm safety, wildlife identification, game care, survival and first-aid skills, hunting techniques, awareness about wildlife conservation and management and rules and information unique to hunting in Missouri.
To register for one of these two skills sessions, or to find other courses and more information on hunter education in Missouri, go online to mdc.mo.gov.
Missouri Department of Conservation and MoDOT invite schools to fight litter through "No MOre Trash!" contest. Win School Funds While Having Fun Trashing Trash!!
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Jefferson City, Missouri - The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) and the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) invite Missouri public, private, and home-school students in grades K-8 to help fight litter in the Show-Me State -- and to have creative and educational fun -- by participating in the 2016 "Yes You CAN Make Missouri Litter-Free" trash-can-decorating contest. The annual trash-can contest encourages school classes and groups to join in the fight against litter by decorating and displaying a large trash can with the "No MOre Trash!" logo and a litter-prevention message using a variety of creative media. The annual contest is sponsored by MDC and MoDOT as part of the state's "No MOre Trash!" (NMT) statewide litter campaign. This partnership between MDC and MoDOT, along with thousands of volunteers, is working to prevent and reduce litter in Missouri through education, prevention, and cleanup activities. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, the average American generates about four pounds of trash each day. “Missouri’s six million residents produce nearly 26 million pounds of garbage in one day. That’s more than nine BILLION pounds of trash per year!” said MDC NMT Coordinator Joe Jerek. “Much of that trash shows up on our streets and roadsides, natural areas, and waterways. Litter harms our fish and water quality, plants, and hurts wildlife. Litter also hurts property values, landscape appearance, and our overall quality of life.” Jerek added that littering is illegal in Missouri and can result in a fine of up to $1,000 and one year in jail. "In addition to teaching kids about how litter hurts them, their communities, and their environment, the No MOre Trash! contest gives students an opportunity to help prevent littering by creating and providing trash cans with the No MOre Trash! message in their schools and communities," said MoDOT NMT Coordinator Stacy Armstrong. CONTEST DETAILS Schools may submit one entry in each competition category: K-2, 3-5, and 6-8. Entries are judged based on creativity, adherence to contest rules, and effective use of theme and logo. First-place winners from each competition category receive $200 awarded to the sponsoring schools. All first-place winners are then eligible for a grand prize of a trophy and $600 awarded to the sponsoring school. There is no entry fee for the contest. Participating school groups must submit a completed entry form online with up to three photos to nomoretrash.org by Friday, March 18. Contest rules, entry forms, logo, past contest entries and winners, and educational information can also be found at nomoretrash.org. 2015 WINNERS Southwest Livingston, Ross Elementary, and Schaible Homeschool were the winners of the 2015 trashcan-decorating contest. They were among 21 entries involving more than 240 students. Southwest Livingston County R1 School in Ludlow won the 6–8-Grade Category and the Grand Prize with their entry, "In Recycling We Trust." The 14 students created a trash can featuring Ernie the Eagle made with turkey feathers, paper mache, paint, and construction paper. Kindergarten and first grade Girl Scouts at Ross Elementary School in St. Louis won the K-2-Grade Category for their entry, "Girl Scouts Make the World a Better Place with No MOre Trash!" The 18 students converted an empty 50-gallon plastic drum. Two fourth and fifth graders at Schaible Homeschool in Union won the 3-5-Grade Category for their entry, "Littering Is For the Birds" featuring the Missouri State Bird the Eastern Bluebird. Photo and article submitted by the Missouri Department of Conservation, Joe Jerek, Statewide New Service Coordinator. |
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Jefferson City, Missouri - Preliminary data from the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) shows that deer hunters in Missouri harvested 11,061 deer during the alternative-methods portion of the 2015-2016 Missouri firearms deer-hunting season, which ran Dec. 19-29. Of the total harvest, 2,994 were antlered bucks, 1,594 button bucks, and 6,473 does. Top harvest counties were Franklin with 260 deer harvested, Howell with 247, and Texas with 235. The harvest total for last year's alternative-methods portion was 11,067 and consisted of 2,851 antlered bucks, 1,503 button bucks, and 6,713 does. For 2015 harvest totals by county and season portion, visit the MDC website and under “Telecheck: Deer and Turkey Harvest Data.” For past season numbers, visit the same link under “Deer Harvest Summaries.” Deer hunting continues for this season with statewide archery hunting through Jan. 15 and the statewide firearms late youth weekend Jan. 2-3. During the alternative-methods portion of firearms deer season, hunters are allowed to use muzzle-loading firearms, center-fire pistols, air-powered guns, bows, crossbows, or atlatls. Missouri offers some of the best deer hunting in the country, and deer hunting is an important part of many Missourians' lives and family traditions. Deer hunting is also an important economic driver in Missouri and gives a $1 billion annual boost to the state and local economies. For more on Missouri deer hunting, go online to the MDC website at www.mdc.mo.gov and click on Hunting/Trapping at the top of the home page. Press Release and Photo submitted by Joe Jerek, MDC Statewide New Service Coordinator. |
and Regulation Changes
Jefferson City, Missouri - At its meeting on Dec. 11, the Missouri Conservation Commission approved recommendations by the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) for the 2016-2017 deer-hunting season and the 2016 turkey-hunting seasons. The recommendations include turkey-hunting and deer-hunting season dates, changes to turkey-hunting allowed methods, and changes to the deer-hunting season structure and allowed methods.
SPRING TURKEY HUNTING DATES
Spring Youth Portion: April 9 and 10, 2016
Spring Turkey Season: April 18 through May 8, 2016
FALL DEER AND TURKEY HUNTING DATES
Archery Deer and Turkey: Sept. 15 through Nov. 11, 2016, and Nov. 23, 2016, through Jan. 15, 2017
Firearms Turkey: Oct. 1 through 31, 2016
Firearms Deer Early Youth Portion: Oct. 29 through 30, 2016
Firearms Deer November Portion: Nov. 12 through 22, 2016
Firearms Deer Antlerless Portion: Dec. 2 through 4, 2016
Firearms Deer Alternative Methods Portion: Dec. 24, 2016, through Jan. 3, 2017
Firearms Deer Late Youth Portion: Nov. 25 through 27, 2016
DEER AND TURKEY HUNTING REGULATION CHANGES
The Commission approved the following regulations regarding deer and turkey hunting:
Expand the deer-hunting late youth portion to three (3) days beginning the first Friday after Thanksgiving.
Reduce the length of the deer-hunting antlerless portion from 12 to three (3) days and begin it on the first Friday in December.
Eliminate the urban-zones portion of the firearms deer season.
Allow crossbows as a legal method during archery deer and turkey seasons.
Allow the use of crossbows during the fall firearms turkey season.
Remove the hunting method exemption requirement related to crossbows.
Reduce the limit of antlered deer from three (3) to two (2) during the combined archery and firearms deer hunting season, with no more than one (1) antlered deer taken during the firearms deer hunting season.
Set the 2016 spring turkey season from April 18 through May 8 with a limit of two (2) bearded turkeys during the season; provided only one (1) turkey may be taken during the first seven (7) days of the season.
Set the 2016 youth spring season April 9 and 10.
Set the 2016 fall turkey hunting season from Oct. 1 through 31 with a limit of two (2) turkeys of either sex during the season.
The regulation changes will become effective March 2016.
The Commission initially approved the deer-hunting recommendations at its August 2015 public meeting followed by a public-comment period.
Changes to the deer-hunting season structure and methods come after Department efforts over the past 18 months to gather public input. That public input included hunter and landowner surveys, numerous public open houses around the state, community presentations, media communications, information in various MDC publications, discussions with conservation partner organizations, and other efforts.
The Department will also continue to gather public input through surveys and the MDC website in early 2016 on a variety of deer-hunting-related topics, including nonresident permits and prices.
The approved recommendations were also based on the Department’s use of deer population simulations, biological data, and harvest information.
"The goal of the Conservation Department's deer management program is to use research-based wildlife management combined with public input to maintain deer population levels throughout the state that provide quality recreational opportunities while minimizing human-deer conflicts," said MDC Deer Biologist Jason Sumners. "As deer populations in Missouri have changed over the last 75 years, so have our management strategies. In modifying the hunting-season structure, our aim is to achieve a deer population that is biologically and socially acceptable while also promoting hunter participation, recruitment, and retention."
DEER HUNTING IN MISSOURI
Missouri offers some of the best deer hunting in the country, and deer hunting is an important part of many Missourians' lives and family traditions. Deer hunting is also an important economic driver in Missouri and gives a $1 billion annual boost to the state and local economies.
According to MDC, more than 90 percent of land in Missouri is PRIVATELY owned so landowners are essential to creating and maintaining wildlife habitat on private land. The Department works with more than 25,000 landowners in Missouri to help them manage their land for wildlife, such as deer and turkey.
For more information on deer and turkey hunting, visit mdc.mo.gov and click on Hunting/Trapping on the MDC homepage.
