Deer hunting regulations change for the 2026 season

By Emma Becker, Missouri News Network
New changes are coming to Missouri hunting regulations, with a focus on keeping infection rates low and simplifying regulations for hunters.
Starting this year, hunters will be asked to do mandatory sampling for chronic wasting disease in deer, with the requirement cycling among counties every four years. This year, it will take place in 28 counties Nov. 14 and 15.
Last year, less than 1% of disease samples tested positive in the state, but in some counties, the infection rate borders on 5%.
Jason Isabelle, Cervid Program supervisor for the Missouri Department of Conservation, said getting near the 5% mark can lead to rapidly rising higher infection rates that threaten Missouri’s deer herd and strong hunting traditions.
Isabelle said the reason for mandatory sampling is to increase the number of samples collected in the designated counties.
“The reason we pick that weekend is, typically about a third of the deer harvested in the entire four-month deer season happen on those two days,” Isabelle said.
“So, we get the biggest return on our investment by doing it when most people are out there hunting because those two days are the most popular of the entire deer season for most hunters,” he added.
Chronic wasting disease is a fatal neurological illness affecting deer that was first detected in February 2010 in Missouri. If left unmanaged, the disease will increase in prevalence and distribution, leading to increased mortality in deer populations.
Mandatory sampling increases the number of samples the department can collect and gives scientists a better understanding of the distribution and prevalence of the disease.
This year, mandatory sampling affects three mid-Missouri counties — Audrain, Callaway and Montgomery counties. To drop off a sample, hunters must bring the deer or its head.
• Audrain County drop-off locations: Mexico High School and Little Dixie Fire Station
• Callaway County drop-off locations: Mokane Lions Club Park, North Callaway High School, Whetstone Creek Conservation Area and New Bloomfield Schools Bus Lots
• Montgomery County drop-off locations: Middletown Fire Department, Montgomery County Fairgrounds and Stiers Memorial Park
Hunters will be given information about getting test results for their deer after samples are processed. No-cost voluntary sampling is available during the entirety of the deer hunting season.
Last winter, Missouri paused the strategy of targeted removal in localized areas where chronic wasting disease has been detected, a strategy that had been in place for over a decade.
The Missouri Department of Conservation announced earlier this year that it currently has no plans to resume the operation. Instead, the department will work with hunters to develop a localized approach in which hunter harvest is the primary tool to manage the deer herd and chronic wasting disease during the regular deer season.
Targeted deer removal is the process of removing the animals near locations where chronic wasting disease has been found.
After conducting eight meetings this past spring with hunters and landowners throughout the state, the Missouri Department of Conservation plans to work with hunters and landowners to develop a new strategy they hope keeps levels of the disease low in the deer population.
This strategy shifts the approach to hunter-led efforts, allowing additional deer to be harvested during hunting season in the disease’s core areas.
Missouri deer hunters will face several other regulation changes this fall, including a reduced buck limit for nonresidents and an earlier youth season.
The Missouri Department of Conservation said nonresident hunters will now be limited to one antlered buck, down from two. Nonresidents who qualify for nonresident landowner permits can still harvest two.
The department said the number of nonresident deer hunters in Missouri has increased nearly 50% over the past decade, while resident hunters have raised concerns about land access and their hunting experiences.
The department also moved the Early Youth Portion one week earlier to Oct. 24-25 to avoid conflicts with Halloween activities.
The department removed the antler-point restriction in the final 18 counties where it remained. The department said yearling bucks can travel long distances and spread chronic wasting disease.
For more information for deer hunting season, go to the Missouri Department of Conservation’s website.