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FeaturesOctober 1, 1995

A tradition that dates back many thousands of years was continued this morning as archers across the state of Missouri set out in pursuit of white-tailed deer and wild turkey. The 1995 archery deer and turkey hunting season opened this morning and continues through Nov. 10. Following an 11-day closure for firearms season, it reopens Nov. 22 and runs until Jan. 15, 1996...

Gene Myers

A tradition that dates back many thousands of years was continued this morning as archers across the state of Missouri set out in pursuit of white-tailed deer and wild turkey. The 1995 archery deer and turkey hunting season opened this morning and continues through Nov. 10. Following an 11-day closure for firearms season, it reopens Nov. 22 and runs until Jan. 15, 1996.

The basic challenge of harvesting a deer or turkey with a bow and arrow hasn't changed much over the years but the equipment used and the regulations that apply continue to evolve. In 1946, the first special archery season was held in Missouri. It was only three days long and was limited to bucks only in Crawford County. Seventy-three archers, using longbows and recurves, participated. No deer were taken until the 1950 archery season.

In 1994, almost 94,000 archery permits were sold in Missouri. Every county was open for a total of 83 days during which archers could take two deer of either sex. Longbows and recurves continue to be used but the vast majority of the 17,136 deer harvested were taken by compound bows.

Hunters statewide enjoyed an 18 percent success rate last year with Southeast Missouri hunters taking their share. Bollinger County checked 174 archery deer to take top honors locally. Stoddard County, which contains both Mingo National Wildlife Refuge and most of Duck Creek Conservation Area, was next with 149 deer checked. Perry County, with little public land, checked a total of 107 archery deer. Cape Girardeau and Scott counties checked 64 and 63 deer respectively.

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Prospects for the 1995 archery deer and turkey hunting season are bright. Strong deer populations in most areas combined with regulation changes add up to increased opportunities for hunters. As stated earlier, the archery season has been extended to Jan. 15, 1996. That means an additional 13 days for both deer and turkey.

Perhaps a more noteworthy change in regulations allows hunters to take both deer at any time during the season with some restriction. For several years archers have been allowed to take two deer of either sex so long as not more than one was taken prior to the November firearms deer season.

For the 1995 archery season, hunters will be allowed to take two deer and two turkeys of either sex, except that only on antlered deer may be taken from Oct. 1 through Nov. 10. This means that you can take two archery deer prior to firearms season but only one of them can be antlered. They could be two antlerless deer or one antlered and one antlerless. An archer who was not successful prior to firearms season could take two deer of either sex during the second segment from Nov. 22 through Jan. 15, 1996.

Hunting hours for deer and turkey are: one-half hour before sunrise until one-half hour after sunset daily. As in past years, deer and turkey must be checked at an established checking station within 24 hours of take.

~Gene Myers is a Missouri Conservation Agent in Cape Girardeau County.

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