MDC now requires landowner registration for free and discounted permits

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) reminds Missouri resident and nonresident landowners who qualify to receive free or discounted deer and turkey hunting permits to register their properties in MDC’s new Landowner Permit Application either online or by completing a paper application.

Starting this year, resident landowners with 20 or more contiguous acres and nonresident landowners with 75 or more contiguous acres qualify for landowner deer and turkey permits and must submit their property information to the MDC Landowner Permit Application to receive them.

The new landowner permit application will provide MDC and permit vendors with secure records of landowners and members of their households who qualify for the free and discounted permits, along with proof of land ownership and boundaries of the properties for which the free and discounted permits apply.

According to MDC, the landowner permit application is needed by both the Department and permit vendors to help eliminate misuse of landowner permits and privileges. Conservation agents around the state find several hundred violations each year related to the misuse of landowner permits and privileges.

Learn more about the MDC Landowner Permit Application and apply online through the secure MDC webpage at mdc.mo.gov/landownerpermits. The page also provides answers to common questions.

For a paper application and more information on the landowner permit application, go online, email permits@mdc.mo.gov, call MDC Permit Services at 573-522-0107 and select Option 1, or mail a request to: Missouri Department of Conservation, Permit Services – Landowner, PO Box 180, Jefferson City, MO 65102-0180.

The landowner permit application cannot be completed by a permit vendor or by MDC staff. Each qualifying landowner and each member of their qualifying household must apply to receive free or discounted permits. Submissions remain valid for three years from the original entry or from the last update. In some cases, landowners may be required to submit additional information if ownership cannot be verified through county records.

Those completing their landowner permit application online will be able to obtain free or discounted landowner deer and turkey permits as they become available from permit vendors, online at mdc.mo.gov/buypermits, or through MDC’s MO Hunting free mobile app, available for download through Google Play for Android devices or the App Store for Apple devices.

Those who choose to complete their application through a paper application must submit the form 60 days prior to the opening day of the desired season to guarantee the application is processed.

This year’s spring turkey season starts with the spring youth portion April 4 and 5, followed by the regular spring season that opens April 20. Fall deer and turkey hunting opens with archery season Sept. 15.  Learn more at mdc.mo.gov/newsroom/mdc-sets-deer-and-turkey-hunting-dates-upcoming-seasons-0

Starting this year, MDC has increased the minimum acreage requirement from five to 20 contiguous acres for resident landowners and members of their immediate households to receive free landowner permits for deer and turkey hunting. Resident landowners with five or more acres and members of their immediate households are not required to register their property and may continue to hunt small game, fish, and trap on their qualifying properties without a permit.

Also starting this year, MDC is offering discounted deer and turkey hunting permits for nonresident landowners with 75 acres or more in a contiguous tract.

More than 90 percent of land in Missouri is privately owned and landowners play a key role in maintaining healthy deer and turkey numbers by providing essential habitat.