Hunting and Trapping

PURPOSE: This rule establishes provisions for hunting and trapping on areas under management agreement with the department. PUBLISHER’S NOTE: The secretary of state has determined that publication of the entire text of the material that is incorporated by reference as a portion of this rule would be unduly cumbersome or expensive. This material as incorporated by reference in this rule shall be maintained by the agency at its headquarters and shall be made available to the public for inspection and copying at no more than the actual cost of reproduction. This note applies only to the reference material. The entire text of the rule is printed here. (1) Hunting, under statewide permits, seasons, methods, and limits, is permitted except as further restricted in this chapter and except for deer and turkey hunting as authorized in the annual Fall Deer & Turkey Hunting Regulations and Information booklet published in August and annual Spring Turkey Hunting Regulations and Information booklet published in March, which are incorporated in this Code by reference. A printed copy of these booklets can be obtained from the Missouri Department of Conservation, PO Box 180, Jefferson City, MO 65102-0180 and are also available online at www.missouriconservation.org. This rule does not incorporate any subsequent amendments or additions. (A) Hunting may be further restricted on designated portions of areas which include shooting ranges, residences, work areas, campgrounds, and other public use or service areas. (B) Hunting is prohibited on the following areas: 1. Belton (Cleveland Lake); 2. Bethany (Old Bethany City Reservoir); 3. California (Proctor Park Lake); 4. Cameron (Century Lake, Eagle Lake, Grindstone Lake, Sunrise Lake) 5. Carthage (Kellogg Lake); 6. Columbia (Antimi Lake, Cosmo-Bethel Lake, Lake of the Woods, Twin Lakes); 7. Dexter (Dexter City Lake); 8. Farmington (Giessing Lake, Hager Lake, Thomas Lake); 9. Fenton (Preslar Lake, Upper Fabick Lake, Westside Park Lake); 10. Fulton (Morningside Lake, Truman Lake, Veterans Park Lake); 11. Hamilton (Hamilton City Lake); 12. Hannibal (Huckleberry Lake); 13. Harrisonville (Lake Luna, North Lake, Upper Lake); 14. Jackson (Rotary Lake); 15. Jackson County (Fleming Pond, Lake Jacomo, Prairie Lee Lake); 16. Jefferson City (Hough Park Lake and McKay Park Lake); 17. Kearney (Jesse James Park Lake); 18. Kirksville (Spur Pond); 19. Lawson (Lawson City Lake); 20. Liberty (Capitol Federal® Sports Complex Ponds Nos. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8); 21. Mexico (Lakeview Lake, Kiwanis Lake); 22. Mineral Area College (Quarry Pond); 23. Moberly (Rothwell Park Lake, Water Works Lake); 24. Odessa (Lake Venita); 25. Overland (Wild Acres Park Lake); 26. Perry County (Legion Lake 1); 27. Potosi (Roger Bilderback Lake); 28. Raymore (Johnston Lake); 29. Rolla (Schuman Park Lake); 30. St. Ann (Gendron Lake); 31. St. Charles (Fountain Lakes Pond, Kluesner Lake, Moore Lake, Skate Park Lake); 32. St. James (Scioto Lake); 33. St. Joseph (Krug Park Lagoon); 34. St. Louis County (Bee Tree Park Lake, Blackjack Lake, Carp Lake, Creve Coeur Park Lake, Fountain Lake, Island Lake, Jarville Lake, Simpson Park Lake, Spanish Lake, Sunfish Lake); 35. Savannah (Savannah City Lake); 36. Sedalia (Clover Dell Park Lake Spring Fork Lake); 37. Taos (Countryside Park Lake); 38. Tipton (Tipton Park Lake); 39. Union (Union City Lake); 40. University of Missouri (Thomas S. Baskett Wildlife Research and Education Center); 41. Warrensburg (Lions Lake); 42. Watershed Committee of the Ozarks (Valley Water Mill Lake); 43. Wentzville (Community Club Lake, Heartland Lake); and 44. Windsor (Farrington Park Lake). (C) Firearms hunting is prohibited on Maysville (Willow Brook Lake), except waterfowl hunting is permitted under statewide regulations. (D) On the portion of Melvin Price Locks and Dam Pool 26, which has been designated a waterfowl refuge, shooting, hunting, and off-road vehicles are prohibited at all times. (E) Waterfowl hunting is prohibited after 1:00 p.m. on Odessa (Odessa City Lake, Upper Odessa City Lake). (F) On Springfield City Utilities (Fellows Lake). 1. Hunting of wildlife other than waterfowl is prohibited, except in designated areas, from October 15 through the end of the prescribed waterfowl season. 2. Waterfowl hunting is permitted except as further restricted in this chapter. Statewide permits, seasons, methods, and limits apply unless otherwise provided in this chapter. 3. Waterfowl hunting is permitted until 1:00 p.m. Waterfowl hunters must check out immediately after the close of their hunting trip and prior to processing birds by accurate completion and return of the daily waterfowl hunting tag to designated locations. 4. Blinds and/or blind sites shall be designated and allotted through a system of registration and drawing established by the department. Blinds must be constructed within fifty (50) yards of an assigned site only during the dates assigned by the department. Blinds may be constructed using willows (Salicaceae), cedar (Juniperus virginiana), and non-woody vegetation collected on-site. 5. Waterfowl may be taken only by holders of a valid area daily waterfowl hunting tag and only from a designated blind or blind site, except that hunters may retrieve dead birds and pursue and shoot downed cripples. Blinds or blind sites may not be locked, transferred, rented, or sold. After 6:00 a.m., unoccupied blinds may be used by the first hunter to arrive. 6. Nonhunters are prohibited within the shooting areas during the waterfowl hunting season unless they are members of, and remain with, a party authorized to use the area, except that the north arm of the lake from a line extending from the point separating the north and south arms of the lake to the north end of the buoy line nearest the dam is open to fishing during all or part of the waterfowl season. (G) All hunting is closed on Smithville Lake Waterfowl Refuge from October 15 through January 31 in units designated by posting. (2) Deer and turkey may be hunted on any area managed by the department under cooperative agreement and as authorized in the current Fall Deer & Turkey Hunting Regulations and Information booklet and current Spring Turkey Hunting Regulations and Information booklet. (3) Trapping is allowed only with a special use permit. Trappers must comply with Chapter 8 of this Code. (4) Feral swine may not be pursued, chased, or taken on lands managed by the Department of Conservation under cooperative agreement, except— (A) Feral swine (any swine that is born, living, or has lived in the wild, and any offspring of such swine) may be taken in any number during the archery deer and turkey hunting seasons, the firearms deer hunting season, the fall firearms turkey hunting season, the spring turkey season, and the youth spring turkey season in accordance with the following: 1. Feral swine may not be chased or pursued, and may be taken only on these lands or portions of these lands designated as open to hunting, and only during hours prescribed for taking deer or turkey during the season being hunted; 2. Hunters taking feral swine must possess a valid unfilled deer or turkey hunting permit for the season being hunted and abide by the methods of pursuit allowed for deer and turkey as provided in this section, as well as any other restrictions that may apply on specific areas managed under cooperative agreement. A. During the archery deer and turkey hunting seasons, archer’s hunting permittees may only use archery methods allowed for deer and turkey hunting. B. During the firearms deer hunting season, permittees may only use methods allowed for deer hunting during the portion of the firearms deer hunting season being hunted. C. During the firearms turkey seasons, firearms turkey hunting permittees may only use methods allowed for turkey hunting during the firearms turkey season being hunted. AUTHORITY: sections 40 and 45 of Art. IV, Mo. Const., and section 252.040, RSMo 2016.* This rule previously filed as 3 CSR 104.116. Original rule filed April 30, 2001, effective Sept. 30, 2001. Amended: Filed May 9, 2002, effective Oct. 30, 2002. Amended: Filed Oct. 9, 2003, effective March 30, 2004. Amended: Filed Oct. 8, 2004, effective March 30, 2005. Amended: Filed April 20, 2005, effective Sept. 30, 2005. Amended: Filed Aug. 24, 2005, effective Jan. 30, 2006. Amended: Filed May 23, 2006, effective June 15, 2006. Amended: Filed March 6, 2006, effective Aug. 30, 2006. Amended: Filed Sept. 27, 2007, effective Feb. 29, 2008. Amended: Filed Oct. 10, 2008, effective April 30, 2009. Amended: Filed March 23, 2009, effective July 1, 2009. Amended: Filed Sept. 25, 2009, effective March 1, 2010. Amended: Filed March 12, 2010, effective Sept. 1, 2010. Amended: Filed Aug. 30, 2010, effective Jan. 30, 2011. Amended: Filed March 7, 2011, effective July 30, 2011. Amended: Filed Sept. 12, 2011, effective March 1, 2012. Amended: Filed March 13, 2012, effective Aug. 30, 2012. Amended: Filed Sept. 19, 2012, effective March 1, 2013. Amended: Filed Sept. 27, 2013, effective March 1, 2014. Amended: Filed Aug. 28, 2015, effective March 1, 2016. Amended: Filed March 14, 2016, effective Sept. 30, 2016. Amended: Filed Aug. 29, 2016, effective Sept. 15, 2016. Amended: Filed March 1, 2017, effective March 31, 2017. Amended: Filed Aug. 29, 2017, effective Sept. 30, 2017. Amended: Filed Jan. 29, 2020, effective Feb. 29, 2020. Amended: Filed March 2, 2020, effective Aug. 30, 2020. Amended: Filed Sept. 4, 2020, effective Oct. 1, 2020. Amended: Filed Aug. 27, 2021, effective Feb. 28, 2022. Amended: Filed Feb. 17, 2022, effective Aug. 30, 2022. Amended: Filed Sept. 8, 2023, effective Sept. 18, 2023. Amended: Filed Feb. 7, 2025, effective Aug. 30, 2025. Amended: Filed Oct. 3, 2025, effective April 30, 2026. *Original authority: 252.040, RSMo 1945, amended 1989.