(1) Wildlife may be hunted and taken only in accordance with the following:
(D) Dogs. Dogs may be used during the prescribed open seasons to chase, pursue, or take wildlife (except beavers, black bears, deer, elk, mink, muskrats, river otters, and turkeys). All dogs used to hunt, chase, or pursue wildlife shall wear a collar while hunting that contains the full name and address, Conservation Number, or complete telephone number of the owner, except this provision does not apply to dogs used by waterfowl and game bird hunters. Furbearers, squirrels, and rabbits may not be chased, pursued, or taken with dogs during daylight hours of the November portion of the firearms deer season in Butler, Carter, Dent, Iron, Madison, Oregon, Reynolds, Ripley, Shannon, and Wayne counties or during daylight hours of the firearms portion of the elk season in Carter, Reynolds, and Shannon counties;
(E) Dogs (Training). For training dogs, wildlife (except beavers, black bears, deer, elk, [turkey, ]mink, muskrats, river otters, and turkeys[, and beaver]) may be chased, but not captured or killed. No person, acting singly or as one (1) of a group, may possess or use a firearm while training dogs during the closed seasons, except that a pistol with blank ammunition may be used during daylight hours only. Training dogs shall include any act of allowing dogs to chase wildlife or to teach dogs to hunt wildlife;
(F) Falconry. Birds of prey of designated types may be used to pursue and take wildlife within the specified seasons and bag limits. Birds of prey may be possessed or used only by holders of a falconry permit;
(G) Firearms. Firearms may be used to take wildlife (except beavers, mink, muskrats, river otters, turtles, and fish) during the open seasons, with the following limitations: For hunting game birds (except [the ]crows), pistols, revolvers, and rifles may not be used. Except for hunting black bears, deer, and elk, any shotgun having a capacity of more than three (3) shells must have the magazine cut off or plugged with a device incapable of removal through the loading end, so as to reduce the capacity to not more than three (3) shells in magazine and chamber combined. Fully automatic firearms are prohibited;
(H) Special Firearms Provision. During the November portion and the antlerless portion of the firearms deer season in counties open to deer hunting, other wildlife may be hunted and feral hogs may be taken only with a pistol, revolver, or rifle firing a rimfire cartridge .22 caliber or smaller or a shotgun and shot not larger than No. 4, except that waterfowl hunters, trappers, landowners on their land may use other methods as specified in subsection (1)(G) of this rule;
(I) Bows, Crossbows, and Atlatl. Bows, crossbows, and atlatl may be used to take wildlife during the prescribed hunting seasons. Arrows, bolts, and darts containing any drug, poison, chemical, or explosive are prohibited, but illuminated sights, scopes, and quickpoint sights may be used. Hand-held string releasing mechanisms are permitted with bows;
(J) Slingshot. Slingshots may be used to take wildlife (except black bears, deer, elk, and turkeys) during the prescribed hunting seasons;
(K) Cage-Type Trap. Groundhogs, rabbits, and squirrels may be taken by cage-type trap, the opening of which may not exceed one hundred forty-four (144) square inches, during the open hunting season, at any hour, by the holder of a hunting permit. Cage-type traps shall be plainly labeled on a durable material with the user’s full name and address, or Conservation Number and shall be attended daily;
(L) Electronic Calls. Electronic calls may be used to pursue and take crows and furbearers, but without the aid of an artificial light or night vision, infrared, or thermal imagery equipment, except when pursuing or taking coyotes in accordance with paragraphs (1)(B)2. and (1)(C)2. of this section. Electronic calls or electronically-activated calls may not be used or possessed while hunting other species of wildlife except as specifically authorized;
(M) No person shall place or scatter grain or other food items in a manner that subjects any hunter to violation of baiting rules, as defined by federal regulations and in 3 CSR 10-7.431, 3 CSR 10-7.455,[ and] 3 CSR 10-7.700, and CSR 10-7.900 of this Code;
(N) Wildlife Retrieval. Any person while hunting who kills or injures any wildlife shall make a reasonable search to retrieve the wildlife and take it into his/her possession; however, this does not authorize trespass;
(O) Any properly licensed person with disabilities, as defined in this Code, may hunt and take wildlife from a stationary vehicle, provided while hunting s/he carries a physician’s statement provided by the department and signed by a licensed physician which certifies the person has either a permanent or temporary disability which qualifies him/her to hunt from a stationary vehicle. Printed copies of the physician’s statement form can be obtained from the Missouri Department of Conservation, PO Box 180, Jefferson City, MO 65102-0180 and online at www.missouriconservation.org. This disabled person shall provide a copy of the signed physician’s statement to the department within ten (10) days of receiving the exemption;
(P) Any resident of Missouri under the age of eighteen (18) diagnosed with a terminal illness may use a firearm or approved method for the season to hunt and take one (1) deer and one (1) turkey during any portion of the fall firearms or archery seasons on privately-owned land upon receipt of a method exemption. To receive a method exemption, the person must be sponsored by and participate in a hunt organized by a nonprofit charitable organization that has within its mission to provide opportunities and experiences for terminally ill persons. For purposes of this section, “terminal illness” means an incurable or irreversible condition with a corresponding life expectancy that does not exceed twelve (12) months, which has been documented by a licensed physician. Such person must hunt in the immediate presence of a properly licensed adult hunter who is eighteen (18) years of age or older and who has in his/her possession a valid hunter education certificate card or was born before January 1, 1967. A method exemption shall be issued only once to an individual and will only be valid during the designated seasons within a twelve- (12-) month period;
(Q) Hunter Orange. During the youth, November, and antlerless portions of the firearms deer hunting season, all hunters shall wear a cap or hat and a shirt, vest, or coat having the outermost color commonly known as hunter orange which shall be plainly visible from all sides while being worn. Camouflage orange garments do not meet this requirement. This requirement shall not apply to migratory game bird hunters, to hunters using archery methods while hunting within municipal boundaries where discharge of firearms is prohibited, to hunters on federal or state public hunting areas where deer hunting is restricted to archery methods, or to hunters in closed counties during the antlerless portion of the firearms deer hunting season;
(R) Computer-Assisted Remote Hunting. Except as otherwise permitted in this Code, wildlife may be taken only in the immediate physical presence of the taker and may not be taken by use of computer-assisted remote hunting devices; and
(S) Wildlife may not be hunted, pursued, or taken with the use of poisons or tranquilizing drugs.
AUTHORITY: sections 40 and 45 of Art. IV, Mo. Const. and section 252.040, RSMo 2000.* Original rule filed July 22, 1974, effective Dec. 31, 1974. For intervening history, please consult the Code of State Regulations. Amended: Filed September 4, 2020.
PUBLIC COST: This proposed amendment will not cost state agencies or political subdivisions more than five hundred dollars ($500) in the aggregate.
PRIVATE COST: This proposed amendment will not cost private entities more than five hundred dollars ($500) in the aggregate.
NOTICE TO SUBMIT COMMENTS: Anyone may file a statement in support of or in opposition to this proposed amendment with Regulations Committee Chairman, Department of Conservation, P.O. Box 180, Jefferson City, MO 65102-0180, or via the department’s website at https://short.mdc.mo.gov/Z49. To be considered, comments must be received within thirty (30) days after publication of this notice in the Missouri Register. No public hearing is scheduled.
Official public comment period: