Deer Management Assistance Program

PURPOSE: This rule establishes general provisions for enrollment in the department’s deer management assistance program and for hunting in the program. (1) Landowners with property located in any county may enroll property in the department-sponsored deer management assistance program in accordance with the following: (A) An enrolled property shall be at least two hundred fifty (250) acres, except inside the boundaries of cities or towns an enrolled property shall be at least twenty-five (25) acres. Individual parcels of land, regardless of ownership, may be combined to satisfy the acreage requirement for an enrolled property provided each parcel of land is no more than onehalf (0.5) air miles from the boundary of another parcel being combined to form an enrolled property. An enrolled property, or parcels being combined to create an enrolled property, may be dissected by public roads. (B) Landowners shall submit an application and have a deer management plan approved by the department to enroll prop erty in the program. Application and deer management plan approval shall be on an annual basis. (2) In addition to the take of deer in accordance with statewide deer hunting regulations, additional antlerless deer may be taken during the archery deer hunting season and the firearms deer hunting season on properties enrolled in the department-sponsored deer management assistance program in accordance with the following: (A) Persons hunting or pursuing additional antlerless deer on enrolled properties must possess the prescribed deer management assistance program permit. Deer management assistance program permits may only be obtained by the persons and in quantities authorized by the participating landowner with property enrolled in the program. A Nonresident Firearms Any-Deer Hunting Permit, Nonresident Landowner Firearms Any-Deer Hunting Permit, Nonresident Archer’s Hunting Permit, or a Nonresident Landowner Archer’s Hunting Permit is required of nonresidents as a prerequisite to this permit. Nonresidents hunting or pursuing deer on a Nonresident Deer Management Assistance Program Permit shall be properly licensed for the season they are hunting. Properly licensed during the archery deer hunting season shall mean possession of one (1) of the archery permits (either filled or unfilled) required by this rule as a prerequisite for obtaining a Nonresident Deer Management Assistance Program Permit. Properly licensed during the firearms deer hunting season shall mean possession of one (1) of the firearms deer hunting permits (either filled or unfilled) required by this rule as a prerequisite for obtaining a Nonresident Deer Management Assistance Program Permit; (B) All deer management assistance program permits are valid only on the enrolled property they were issued for, or in the case of multiple landowners of enrolled property, only on the portion of the enrolled property where the permit holder has obtained landowner permission to pursue and take deer; and (C) Additional antlerless deer may be taken on enrolled properties only in accordance with the statewide deer hunting regulations in this chapter. All applicable statewide season, method, permit, limit, tagging, and checking requirements apply, except deer management assistance program permits filled while hunting on an enrolled property are not included in the antlerless permit limits established by 3 CSR 10-7.437. AUTHORITY: sections 40 and 45 of Art. IV, Mo. Const., and section 252.040, RSMo 2016.* Original rule filed Aug. 28, 2018, effective March 1, 2019. Amended: Filed May 29, 2019, effective June 15, 2019. Amended: Filed May 29, 2020, effective July 1, 2020. Amended: Filed Sept. 4, 2020, effective Feb. 28, 2021. Amended: Filed May 21, 2021, effective July 1, 2021. Amended: Filed May 20, 2022, effective July 1, 2022. Amended: Filed Dec. 8, 2023, effective May 30, 2024. *Original authority: 252.040, RSMo 1945, amended 1989.