Deer hunting season opens Saturday in Missouri

Tomorrow marks the start of Missouri's firearms deer season, which runs from Nov. 15 to Dec. 21.

The firearms season is broken down into five portions: teens only, urban, November, muzzleloader, and antlerless only.

Last season, hunters took 260,162 deer in Missouri, according to the Missouri Department of Conservation.

Through the Share the Harvest program, Missouri hunters donated 260,908 pounds of venison to the needy during the 2007 deer hunting season.

The program is administered by the Conservation Federation of Missouri and the department of conservation.

As of February 2008, more than 1.4 million pounds of deer meat was donated through the program, the equivalent of more than 5.6 million quarter-pound burgers.

During all five portions of the firearms deer season, hunters are required to wear a cap or hat and shirt, coat, or vest in hunter orange so that it can be visible from every angle. Camouflage orange does not satisfy the requirement.

Dogs, bait, electronic calls or live decoys may not be used to take deer.

Hunting in an enclosed area with a fence greater than seven feet in height is prohibited, as is pursuing a deer in a car or truck.

Hunters may take only one antlered deer each during the firearms season.

Anyone born on for after Jan. 1, 1967, must have completed an approved hunter education program.