MDC reminds deer, turkey hunters of regulations this fall

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. – The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) is reminding deer and turkey hunters to please properly tag and Telecheck harvests this season.

“A violation that agents still encounter is hunters who fail to purchase their permit before going hunting, and then failing to notch or Telecheck a deer or turkey after harvest,” said Southeast Region Protection Captain Russell Duckworth. “This is not a change with the Wildlife Code of Missouri and has been in effect for several years.”

Key points to remember:

• Have your deer and turkey hunting permit prior to hunting. Purchasing your permit after harvest is a violation.
• Once you have harvested a deer or turkey, and before transporting the animal, make sure you have “notched” your permit. By doing this you are invalidating your permit. Hunters using paper permits need to notch the date and month of the harvest. For those using the MO Hunting mobile app, simply click on the permit valid for the animal and then click on the “notch” icon.
• The final step is to Telecheck your deer or turkey by 10 p.m. on the day taken. Remember, “notching” your permit is not Telechecking. Also, before you process (skin or quartering) a deer or turkey the animal must be Telechecked, either by phone, computer, or through the mobile application.

Duckworth said remembering these few simple steps can ensure you are following the Wildlife Code of Missouri while hunting any of the four game animals of bear, turkey, deer, and elk where notching and Telechecking is required.

Turkey

If you stay with your harvested turkey, you don't need to attach your notched permit to the bird, but you must keep your permit on hand, he said. If you leave your turkey, you must attach your permit to the turkey's leg.

Visit mdc.mo.gov for more information on how to properly tag and Telecheck your bird.

Deer

Deer hunting archery portion runs through Nov. 11 and then again from Nov. 23 through Jan. 15, 2023. The two firearms youth portions occur on Oct. 29-30 and Nov. 25-27. The firearms November portion runs Nov. 12-22. The antlerless portion runs Dec. 3-11. The alternative-methods portion runs Dec. 24 through Jan. 3, 2023.

New this year

Hunters who are 15 years old or younger are now exempt from the antler-point restriction during the archery season and all portions of the firearms deer season. The antler-point restriction has been removed for Barton and Vernon counties. Hunters may now fill additional firearms antlerless permits in a number of counties. Get details at mdc.mo.gov/hunting-trapping/species/deer/deer-regulations.