By FRANK CAMPA
Mo. Dept. of Conservation
The first portion of Missouri's 2017 firearms deer season is this weekend. It is the early youth-only portion.
While the fall archery deer and turkey season continues through this weekend, the only hunters legally pursuing deer with a firearm are youths 6-15 years of age.
The youth season dates are Saturday and Sunday. Legal shooting hours are one-half hour before local sunrise time until one-half hour after sunset.
All participants are required to have a valid deer hunting permit. There are six different possibilities of valid permits, depending on your qualifications (resident firearms any-deer hunting permit, resident firearms antlerless deer hunting permit only (in certain counties), nonresident firearms any-deer hunting permit, nonresident firearms antlerless permit (in certain counties), resident landowner firearms any-deer permit only (no cost to qualifying landowner or lessee) or a resident landowner firearms antlerless deer hunting permit (in certain counties, no cost to qualifying landowner or lessee).
See "Qualifications for Landowner Permits" on page 20 of the 2017 Fall Deer & Turkey pamphlet.
Only one deer of either sex may be taken during the early youth portion. If you have more than one permit, you must use them in another portion.
Only one antlered deer may be taken during firearms deer season (all portions included).
You may take only two antlered deer during the archery and firearm's deer hunting season combined.
Each county has a limit on the number of firearms antlerless deer hunting permits you may fill during firearms deer season (all portions combined). Refer to page 19 of the 2017 Fall Deer and Turkey Hunting pamphlet.
Some counties allow no antlerless permits some only one. A hunter may not use any purchased firearms antlerless permits in Butler County, for example.
Also, the antler-point restriction in certain counties does not apply during the youth portions.
You must wear hunter-orange if you are hunting any species of game during firearms deer season (any portion-archery hunters included), with some exceptions allowed. Orange also is required if you are hunting on an area that is having a firearms managed deer hunt, you are serving as a mentor to another hunter during firearms deer season (all portions). To satisfy this law, you must wear both a hunter-orange hat and a shirt, vest or coat. The orange color must be visible from all sides. Camouflage orange does not satisfy this requirement.
If a deer is harvested, you must telecheck it by 10 p.m. on the day it is taken, either by telephone, online or through MDC's MO Hunting smartphone app.
These are a few laws pertaining to this weekend's early youth firearm's deer hunting portion. This is general information that can be found in the 2017 Fall Deer & Turkey Hunting pamphlet available at all local permit vendors or on the Missouri Department of Conservation website (mdc.mo.gov), which you can easily reference on your personal computer or smartphone.
Have fun and be safe.