Missouri Hunting Laws

What makes land legally posted in Missouri?

Posting is one of three ways to close land. First-degree trespass on land applies only if the land is fenced or enclosed to exclude intruders, the owner has told you to stay off, or it is posted in a manner reasonably likely to come to intruders' attention. Unposted, unfenced land can still be second-degree trespass (an infraction) if you enter unlawfully.

Purple paint marks are an alternative form of posting (RSMo § 569.145).

Source: RSMo §§ 569.140, 569.150 · official source

Does Missouri have a purple paint law?

Yes. Owners or lessees may post with purple marks: vertical lines at least 8 inches long, bottom 3 to 5 feet high, no more than 100 feet apart on trees or posts; or posts capped/marked on the top 2 inches, bottom 3 to 5.5 feet high, no more than 36 feet apart. Marks must be readily visible to anyone approaching.

Owners sharing a fence must all agree before marks visible from both sides are applied.

Source: RSMo § 569.145 · official source

Do you need written permission to hunt private land in Missouri?

No state law requires written permission. You need the owner's consent to lawfully enter private land; entering unlawfully is at least second-degree trespass, and first-degree trespass if the land is posted, fenced or you were told to stay off.

Written permission is good practice and is the clearest proof of consent.

Source: RSMo §§ 569.140, 569.150 · official source

Can you retrieve a deer or a hunting dog from posted land in Missouri?

No. You must make a reasonable effort to retrieve game you kill or wound, but this does not authorize trespass, and using dogs to recover game does not authorize trespass either. Get the landowner's permission first.

Drones may be used to locate wounded deer, turkey, bear and elk only with landowner permission to launch or land on the property.

Source: 3 CSR 10-7.410(1)(O) · official source

What is the penalty for hunting trespass in Missouri?

First-degree trespass (posted, fenced, or after actual notice) is a class B misdemeanor punishable by up to 6 months in jail and a fine up to $1,000. Second-degree trespass (any unlawful entry) is an infraction with a fine up to $400.

Source: RSMo §§ 569.140, 569.150, 558.002, 558.011 · official source

How close to a house can you hunt in Missouri?

Missouri has no general hunting setback from homes in its Wildlife Code. State law does make it a crime to discharge a firearm within 100 yards of an occupied schoolhouse, courthouse or church, or to shoot into any outbuilding. Counties and cities may restrict discharge further.

Check local ordinances; MDC notes additional methods may be prohibited locally.

Source: RSMo § 571.030.1(6)-(7) · official source

Can you hunt from or near a road in Missouri?

You may not take or attempt to take any wildlife from or across a public roadway with a firearm, bow or crossbow. Shooting a firearm on, along or across a public highway is also a state weapons offense.

Motor-driven conveyances may not be used to pursue, take or drive wildlife.

Source: 3 CSR 10-7.405(3); RSMo § 571.030.1(7) · official source

What are legal shooting hours in Missouri?

Deer hunting hours in all seasons are one-half hour before sunrise to one-half hour after sunset.

Source: 3 CSR 10-7.431 · official source

What are the blaze orange requirements in Missouri?

During the antlerless, youth and November portions of firearms deer season, all hunters must wear a cap or hat and a shirt, vest or coat in hunter orange, plainly visible from all sides. Camouflage orange does not qualify.

Exempt: migratory bird hunters, archery hunters inside no-discharge city limits or on archery-only public areas, and hunters in counties closed during antlerless portions.

Source: 3 CSR 10-7.410(1)(R); 3 CSR 10-7.431(8) · official source

Is night hunting legal in Missouri?

Deer may not be hunted at night or with artificial light or night vision. Lights may be used for raccoons and other furbearers treed by dogs, and for coyotes during set periods outside the fall deer and turkey seasons. You may not possess night vision or thermal equipment while carrying a weapon.

Landowners may use lights on their own property only without a firearm or bow in possession.

Source: 3 CSR 10-7.405; 3 CSR 10-7.431 · official source

Do you need a hunting license to hunt your own land in Missouri?

Yes, partly. Resident landowners owning 5 or more acres and their immediate households may hunt (except bear, deer, elk and turkey), fish and trap on their land without a permit. Resident landowners with at least 20 contiguous acres can get no-cost landowner deer and turkey permits.

Deer, turkey, bear and elk always require a permit. Landowners using resident landowner permits on their own land are exempt from hunter education.

Source: Wildlife Code of Missouri (MDC Permit Exemptions) · official source

Who needs hunter education in Missouri?

Anyone born on or after Jan. 1, 1967 must complete hunter education to hunt during a firearms season or serve as a mentor. Exceptions: hunters 15 or younger with a permitted adult mentor, Apprentice Hunter Authorization holders (16+) with a mentor, and landowners hunting their own land with landowner permits.

Other states' approved courses are accepted. Mentors must be 18+ and properly permitted.

Source: Wildlife Code of Missouri (MDC Hunter Education) · official source

Is Sunday hunting legal in Missouri?

Yes. Hunting is allowed on Sundays in Missouri. The November firearms deer portion opens on a Saturday and hunters harvest deer through opening-weekend Sunday; MDC requires mandatory CWD sampling in designated counties on both days.

No Sunday restriction appears in MDC's deer regulations. Individual conservation areas may set their own rules.

Source: MDC news release, Nov. 12, 2025 (opening weekend Nov. 15-16) · official source

Is it legal to bait deer in Missouri?

No. Deer may not be taken with the aid of bait (grain or other feed placed to attract deer). An area stays baited for 10 days after all bait is removed. Scents and plain minerals, including salt, are allowed, but mineral blocks with food additives are not.

It is also illegal to place bait in a way that causes another hunter to violate the rule.

Source: 3 CSR 10-7.431(7)(G) · official source

Can you use a crossbow during archery season in Missouri?

Yes. Crossbows are legal archery equipment for all deer and turkey archery hunters, and are allowed during firearms deer seasons.

Archers hunting deer or turkey during archery season may not possess a firearm, with some exceptions.

Source: 3 CSR 10-7.431; 3 CSR 10-7.432 · official source

Can you use a drone to scout or recover game in Missouri?

Drones may not be used to pursue, take, drive or molest wildlife. The one exception: a drone may be used to locate and recover a wounded deer, turkey, black bear or elk, but only with landowner permission to launch or land, with no weapon possessed afield while it flies, and without harassing wildlife.

Drone recovery does not authorize trespass. Drone operators helping recover game don't need a hunting permit if they are not the taker.

Source: 3 CSR 10-7.410 · official source

Is a landowner liable if someone gets hurt hunting on their land in Missouri?

A landowner owes no duty of care to keep land safe for recreational use, or to warn of conditions, for people who enter without charge. Protection does not cover malicious or grossly negligent failure to warn, people who paid to enter, or injuries in residential areas or swimming pools.

See RSMo § 537.348 for the definitions of residential area and noncovered land.

Source: RSMo §§ 537.346, 537.348 · official source