Missouri Deer Season 2026-27: Dates, Portions & What to Know

Missouri's 2026-27 deer season opens Tuesday, September 15, 2026, with the archery season, and the firearms November portion — the state's main event — runs November 14-24. The Missouri Conservation Commission approved these dates at its December 2025 meeting, so the full framework has been locked in for months.

012026-27 Missouri Deer Season Dates

Archery

Archery closes during the firearms November portion (Nov. 14-24), then reopens the day before Thanksgiving and runs to mid-January.

Firearms

One structural note: the Commission approved a change allowing the early youth portion to move one week earlier in years when it would overlap Halloween — worth remembering for future seasons.

02County and zone caveats

Missouri's antlerless portions (early October and December) run only in open counties, and antlerless permit numbers vary county by county. CWD Management Zone counties carry extra rules — mandatory sampling on certain dates, carcass movement restrictions, and feeding bans. Antler point restrictions also apply in many counties but are lifted in others. Check your specific county in MDC's fall deer booklet before you assume anything.

03Permit basics

Residents and nonresidents buy permits through MDC's permit system (online, in the MO Hunting app, or at vendors): Firearms Any-Deer, Firearms Antlerless, Archery, and youth permits are the core options. Every harvested deer must be Telechecked — reported through MDC's Telecheck system by 10 p.m. on the day of harvest. Landowner permits are available for qualifying resident landowners.

04Check the official source

The dates above come directly from the Missouri Department of Conservation's announcement: MDC sets deer and turkey hunting dates for 2026-2027 seasons, confirmed on July 1, 2026. County-level detail lands in MDC's 2026 Fall Deer & Turkey Hunting Regulations and Information booklet closer to the season — read it before opening day. If anything here conflicts with current MDC regulations, MDC wins.

05Plan the season, not just the opener

Missouri's November portion sits squarely on the rut, but the two months of archery season before it are where most big deer make their first daylight mistakes:

• Rut timing — our Missouri rut prediction for 2026 breaks down the pre-rut, seeking, and chasing phases week by week so you can decide when to burn vacation.
• Daily windows — the Missouri solunar calendar shows major and minor activity periods for any date, and today's best time to hunt in Missouri gives you the live read on the day you're heading out.
• Conditions — Trail Pro Intel's free Hunt Forecast combines weather, wind, pressure, and solunar timing into one hourly score, so you can tell a marginal evening from a great one before you commit.

Eleven straight days of November firearms is generous — but the bucks you're after get four months of education before mid-January. Hunt the calendar, not just the opener.