OUTDOOR CORNER: MISSOURI'S BOW SEASON FOR DEER OPENS OCT. 1

For the 1997 archery season, hunters will be allowed to take two deer and two turkeys of either sex, except that only one antlered deer may be taken from Oct. 1 through Nov. 14.

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. 26 through Jan. 15.

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

Any person killing a deer or turkey must immediately invalidate the harvest log portion of his/her permit by punching or notching the edge of the permit. Also, the hunter must immediately affix the transportation tag to the deer or turkey. The transportation tag shall remain attached to the carcass until it has been submitted with the permit by the taker thereof for inspection and marking at an established checking station.

Deer must be submitted for checking with the head attached. Turkeys must be submitted with head attached and plumage intact.

Tagging game is different this year. Transportation tags are separate from the permit and can be either pre-printed stick on tags (available from all permit vendors) or "homemade" (showing full name and address of the taker) attached to the game.

For additional information, and complete regulations, consult the "1997 Deer and Turkey Hunting Information" booklet available from permit vendors statewide.

A tradition that dates back many thousands of years will be continued this Wednesday. Archers across the state of Missouri will set out in pursuit of white-tailed deer and wild turkey. The 1997 archery deer and turkey hunting season will open Oct. 1 and continue through Nov. 14. Following an 11-day closure for firearms deer season, it reopens November 26 and runs until Jan. 15, 1998.

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 1996, more than 100,000 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 by a growing minority, but the vast majority of the 23,566 deer harvested last year were taken with compound bows.

Hunters statewide enjoyed a 23 percent success rate last year with Southeast Missouri hunters taking their share. Stoddard County, which contains much of both Mingo National Wildlife Refuge and Duck Creek Conservation Area, checked 270 deer to take top honors locally. Bollinger County was next with 206 deer checked. Perry County, with little public land, checked a total of 126 archery deer. Cape Girardeau and Scott counties checked 85 and 59 deer respectively.

Prospects for the 1997 archery deer and turkey hunting season are bright. Strong deer populations in most areas combined with liberal regulations add up to increased opportunities for Missouri archers.

Gene Myers is a Missouri Department of Conservation agent in Cape Girardeau County.