JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – The Missouri Conservation Commission gave final approval to a regulation change from the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) at its Oct. 23 open meeting in Cape Girardeau that would require nonresident deer hunters to purchase a Nonresident Public Land Deer Hunting Permit for $165 to be able to pursue, take, possess, and transport deer on public land in Missouri such as conservation areas and other state and federal public lands. This permit will be required in addition to regular nonresident deer hunting permits. The change will become effective for the 2027 deer season.
Additionally, this permit will be
required for nonresidents hunting small game with a nonresident archery permit
on public land.
The Commission gave initial
approval to the change at its May open meeting. MDC then welcomed public
comments during July and August.
More than 90 percent of land in
Missouri is privately owned. This permit will not be required to hunt private
land.
MDC research shows that
nonresident participation in Missouri’s deer season has increased considerably
in recent years and an increasing number of resident hunters have expressed
concern about how it is impacting their hunts, particularly on public land.
Isabelle noted that the
regulation change is designed to address those concerns and help alleviate the
increasing nonresident deer hunting pressure in the state.
According to MDC data, there were
approximately 20,000 nonresident deer hunters who hunted in Missouri 20 years
ago. That number was about four percent of the state’s nearly 475,000 total
deer hunters. By 2025, that number had more than doubled to about 42,000
nonresident deer hunters in Missouri, accounting for about nine percent of the
state’s total deer hunters.
