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Missouri sets new deer hunting rules for 2026 season

by: Alyssa Mueller

Posted: Aug 17, 2026 / 09:48 AM CDT

Updated: Aug 18, 2026 / 11:36 AM CDT

SHARE Missouri sets new deer hunting rules for 2026 season

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Missouri deer hunters will see several major changes when the 2026 hunting season gets underway, including a lower buck limit for nonresidents, an earlier youth hunting weekend and new rules for managing chronic wasting disease.

The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) says the changes are intended to simplify deer-hunting regulations while addressing concerns raised by hunters and landowners.Download WDAF+ for Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV

One of the biggest changes affects nonresident hunters.

Beginning this season, nonresident deer hunters will be limited to one antlered buck, down from two. Nonresident landowners who qualify for nonresident landowner permits will still be allowed to harvest two antlered bucks.

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MDC said the number of nonresident deer hunters in Missouri has increased by nearly 50% over the past decade. The agency said residents have increasingly raised concerns about land access and the impact of nonresident hunters on their hunting experiences.

The reduced limit is intended to help ease some of that pressure.

Young hunters will also get an earlier opportunity this fall. The Early Youth Portion of deer season has been moved up one week to Oct. 24-25. MDC said the change is designed to avoid conflicts with Halloween activities.

The youth portion typically takes place two weekends before the November firearms portion. This year, it will be three weekends before it.

Several of the biggest regulatory changes involve chronic wasting disease (CWD), a fatal disease that affects deer and other members of the deer family.

MDC has eliminated the antler-point restriction in the final 18 Missouri counties where it remained in place.

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The agency said yearling bucks protected by the restriction can travel long distances and potentially spread CWD to new areas. Removing the restriction will allow hunters to harvest those deer while also simplifying the rules.

MDC is also eliminating its designated CWD Management Zone.

The agency said a majority of Missouri counties have either had a confirmed CWD case or are within 10 miles of one, making a statewide management-zone designation less useful.

However, hunters will still face restrictions in areas where CWD has been detected. Missouri will continue to prohibit placing feed and minerals for deer in counties within 10 miles of where CWD has been found.

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MDC says feeding deer artificially concentrates animals in one location, increasing the risk of disease transmission.

Mandatory CWD sampling is also changing. Instead of broader mandatory sampling requirements, MDC will use a four-year county rotation, meaning every Missouri county will undergo mandatory sampling once every four years.

MDC says the rotation will allow conservation staff to continue monitoring areas where CWD already exists while also helping identify the disease if it appears in new locations.

For the 2026 season, mandatory sampling will be conducted in 28 counties on Nov. 14-15, during the opening weekend of the November firearms portion.

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MDC is also ending targeted post-season deer removals. The agency said it will not conduct targeted removals after the 2026 season and currently has no plans to resume them.

Instead, MDC staff will work with hunters, landowners and other partners on localized strategies that rely primarily on hunter harvest during the regular deer season to manage deer populations and CWD.

MDC also increased the minimum acreage requirement for CWD Management Permits. Landowners must now have at least 20 contiguous acres in a CWD Core Area to qualify.

Eligible landowners can receive five free CWD Management Permits for use on their property during deer season.