By FRANK CAMPA
Mo. Dept. of Conservation
With the 2017-2018 archery deer and turkey hunting season now underway, hunters need to be reminded of some basic regulations they need to follow throughout.
While personal computers and smartphones are always a wonderful asset for hunters, they are encouraged to keep printed copies of these regulations; there are times when computers are not available or there is not a signal available on cellphones to look them up out in the field. And, most importantly, please read and research these regulations on a regular basis.
There are some changes to the Wildlife Code each year. If you do not understand something after studying them, conservation agents are always available to promote understanding of these laws.
Always have a copy of your archery hunting permits on your person while hunting for inspection by an agent, and so they are readily available to void immediately after your harvest. These permits must be voided immediately before moving or transporting your game.
This can be accomplished by installing MDC's Mo. Hunting or Mo. Fishing apps on your cellphone and/or carrying a printed copy of your permits.
Plan ahead and always have a full battery charge on your phone if using this method. However, you do not need a signal to bring up your permits on either app or to void (notch) them.
A simple photo or screen shot on your cellphone will not suffice when hunting on permits that require you to void them immediately, such as deer and turkey.
All deer and turkey must be checked in by telephone or computer by 10 p.m. on the day taken. If you have problems locating your deer or turkey by this time, please contact your local conservation agent. That way we will know why an animal is being checked after legal hours. Although we do not and have not had checking stations in 13 years, agents still monitor checking records daily.
Pay attention to season limits, regardless of what your permits say on them. Hunters may have both purchased and landowner permits, but there is a maximum of only one antlered buck allowed to be harvested by archery methods prior to the November firearms deer season, and only two antlered bucks allowed to be harvested in combination with archery and firearms seasons. This does not include managed deer hunts.
This holds true for wild turkeys also. You may hold both purchased and landowner permits for archery turkey, but the limit for every hunter using archery permits is two per season.
The same is true for fall firearms turkey hunters. Each person hunting under fall firearms turkey hunting permits is limited to two turkeys under those permits.
This is just general information, and hunters need to read the actual regulations for themselves as it is a personal responsibility.