Missouri Code of State Regulations › Title 3 - DEPARTMENT OF CONSERVATION › Division 10 - Conservation Commission › Chapter 7 - Wildlife Code: Hunting: Seasons, Methods, Limits › Section 3 CSR 10-7.410 - Hunting Methods

Current through Register Vol. 49, No. 14, July 15, 2024
PURPOSE: This amendment adds the new CWD portion of
				  firearms deer season to the Special Harvest Provision section, which restricts
				  the use of methods allowed to hunt other wildlife and to take feral hogs in
				  open counties. This amendment also requires hunters to wear hunter orange
				  during the new CWD portion of firearms deer season in open counties and
				  clarifies the use of a blood-tracking dog for the recovery of wounded black
				  bear, deer, elk, and turkey.
(1) Wildlife may be hunted and taken only in
				accordance with the following:
(A)
				Motor-Driven Air, Land, or Water Conveyances. No person shall pursue, take,
				attempt to take, drive, or molest wildlife from or with a motor-driven air,
				land, or water conveyance at any time. Except as provided in
				3 CSR
				10-7.431, motor boats may be used if the motor has
				been completely shut off and its progress therefrom has ceased.
(B) Artificial Light. No person shall throw
				or cast the rays of a spotlight, headlight, or other artificial light on any
				highway or roadway, whether public or private, or in any field, woodland, or
				forest for the purpose of spotting, locating, or attempting to take or hunt any
				game animal while having in possession or control, either singly or as one (1)
				of a group of persons, any firearm, bow, or other implement whereby game could
				be killed or taken, except as follows:
1. An
				artificial light may be used to spot, locate, attempt to take, and hunt
				raccoons or other furbearing animals when treed with the aid of dogs while in
				possession or control of a firearm, bow, or other implement whereby any game
				animal could be killed or taken during the prescribed furbearer hunting
				season;
2. An artificial light may
				be used to spot, locate, attempt to take, and hunt coyotes while in possession
				or control of a firearm, bow, or other implement whereby any game animal could
				be killed or taken from February 1 through March 31, but only in conjunction
				with other legal hunting methods, and not from or with any motor-driven air,
				land, or water conveyance or from or across a public
				roadway;
(C) Night
				Vision, Infrared, and Thermal Imagery Equipment. Wildlife may not be pursued or
				taken with the aid of night vision, infrared or thermal imagery equipment and
				no person may possess or control night vision, infrared, or thermal imagery
				equipment while acting singly or as one (1) of a group of persons while in
				possession of any firearm, bow, or other implement whereby wildlife could be
				killed or taken, except as follows:
1.
				Landowners and their authorized representatives may possess or control and use
				night vision, infrared, or thermal imagery equipment while in possession of a
				firearm, bow, or other implement whereby wildlife could be killed or taken on
				such landowner's property to kill feral swine. For the purposes of this
				paragraph, a "landowner" is any person (including residents and non-residents)
				owning real property of any size and an "authorized representative" is any
				person who has permission from a landowner to be present on the landowner's
				property;
2. Hunters properly
				licensed to take furbearers may possess or control and use night vision,
				infrared, and thermal imagery equipment to take coyotes from February 1 through
				March 31, but only in conjunction with other legal hunting methods. The use of
				night vision, infrared, or thermal imagery equipment to pursue or take coyotes
				from or with a motor-driven air, land, or water conveyance, or from or across a
				public roadway is specifically prohibited;
3. Any person may possess or control and use
				night vision, infrared, or thermal imagery equipment while in possession of any
				firearm, bow, or other implement whereby wildlife could be killed or taken with
				written authorization of an agent of the department, but only as specifically
				authorized by him/her;
(D) Dogs. Dogs may be used during the
				prescribed open seasons to chase, pursue, or take wildlife (except beavers,
				black bears, deer, elk, mink, muskrats, river otters, and turkeys). All dogs
				used to hunt, chase, or pursue wildlife shall wear a collar while hunting that
				contains the full name and address, Conservation Number, or complete telephone
				number of the owner, except this provision does not apply to dogs used by
				waterfowl and game bird hunters. Furbearers, squirrels, and rabbits may not be
				chased, pursued, or taken with dogs during daylight hours of the November
				portion of the firearms deer season in Butler, Carter, Dent, Iron, Madison,
				Oregon, Reynolds, Ripley, Shannon, and Wayne counties or during daylight hours
				of the firearms portion of the elk season in Carter, Reynolds, and Shannon
				counties;
(E) Dogs (Training). For
				training dogs, wildlife (except beavers, black bears, deer, elk, mink,
				muskrats, river otters, and turkeys) may be chased, but not captured or killed.
				No person, acting singly or as one (1) of a group, may possess or use a firearm
				while training dogs during the closed seasons, except that a pistol with blank
				ammunition may be used during daylight hours only. Training dogs shall include
				any act of allowing dogs to chase wildlife or to teach dogs to hunt
				wildlife;
(F) Dogs (Recovery of
				wounded black bear, deer, elk, and turkey). A black bear, deer, elk, or turkey
				is wounded when a properly licensed hunter has struck an animal with a
				projectile fired from a legal hunting method during the open season. Leashed
				dogs under the direct control of a dog handler may be used to track and recover
				wounded black bear, deer, elk, and turkey. The use of dogs in accordance with
				this subsection is specifically excluded from the definitions of chase, pursue,
				and take as defined in this Code. Dog handlers participating in the recovery of
				a wounded animal as prescribed in this subsection are exempt from hunting
				permit requirements, provided they are not the taker of the wounded animal. Dog
				handlers assisting in the tracking and recovery of a wounded animal may not
				possess a firearm, bow, or crossbow, except for concealable firearms as defined
				in Chapter 571, RSMo. Concealable firearms possessed under this exception may
				not be used to take wildlife.
(G)
				Falconry. Birds of prey of designated types may be used to pursue and take
				wildlife within the specified seasons and bag limits. Birds of prey may be
				possessed or used only by holders of a falconry permit;
(H) Firearms. Firearms may be used to take wildlife
				(except beavers, mink, muskrats, river otters, turtles, and fish) during the
				open seasons, with the following limitations: For hunting game birds (except
				crows), pistols, revolvers, and rifles may not be used. Except for hunting
				black bears, deer, and elk, any shotgun having a capacity of more than three
				(3) shells must have the magazine cut of or plugged with a device incapable of
				removal through the loading end, so as to reduce the capacity to not more than
				three (3) shells in magazine and chamber combined. Fully automatic firearms are
				prohibited;
(I) Special firearms
				provision. During the November portion and the antlerless and CWD portions of
				the firearms deer season in counties open to deer hunting, other wildlife may
				be hunted and feral hogs may be taken only with a pistol, revolver, or rifle
				firing a rimfire cartridge .22 caliber or smaller or a shotgun and shot not
				larger than No. 4, except that waterfowl hunters, trappers, landowners on their
				land may use other methods as specified in subsection (1)(H) of this
				rule;
(J) Bows, crossbows, and
				atlatl. Bows, crossbows, and atlatl may be used to take wildlife during the
				prescribed hunting seasons. Arrows, bolts, and darts containing any drug,
				poison, chemical, or explosive are prohibited, but illuminated sights, scopes,
				and quick point sights may be used. Hand-held string releasing mechanisms are
				permitted with bows;
(K)
				Slingshot. Slingshots may be used to take wildlife (except black bears, deer,
				elk, and turkeys) during the prescribed hunting seasons;
(L) Cage-type trap. Groundhogs, rabbits, and squirrels
				may be taken by cage-type trap, the opening of which may not exceed one hundred
				forty-four (144) square inches, during the open hunting season, at any hour, by
				the holder of a hunting permit. Cage-type traps shall be plainly labeled on a
				durable material with the user's full name and address, or Conservation Number,
				and shall be attended daily;
(M)
				Electronic calls. Electronic calls may be used to pursue and take crows and
				furbearers, but without the aid of an artifcial light or night vision,
				infrared, or thermal imagery equipment, except when pursuing or taking coyotes
				in accordance with paragraphs (1)(B)2. and (1)(C)2. of this section. Electronic
				calls or electronically-activated calls may not be used or possessed while
				hunting other species of wildlife except as specifically authorized;
(N) No person shall place or scatter grain
				or other food items in a manner that subjects any hunter to violation of
				baiting rules, as defined by federal regulations and in
				3 CSR
				10-7.431,
				3 CSR
				10-7.455,
				3 CSR
				10-7.700, and CSR 10-7.900 of this Code;
(O) Wildlife retrieval. Any person while
				hunting who kills or injures any wildlife shall make a reasonable search to
				retrieve the wildlife and take it into his/her possession; however, this does
				not authorize trespass;
(P) Any
				properly licensed person with disabilities, as defined in this Code, may hunt
				and take wildlife from a stationary vehicle, provided while hunting s/he
				carries a physician's statement provided by the department and signed by a
				licensed physician which certifies the person has either a permanent or
				temporary disability which qualifies him/her to hunt from a stationary vehicle.
				Printed copies of the physician's statement form can be obtained from the
				Missouri Department of Conservation, PO Box 180, Jefferson City, MO 65102-0180
				and online at
www.missouriconservation.org
. This
				disabled person shall provide a copy of the signed physician's statement to the
				department within ten (10) days of receiving the exemption;
(Q) Any resident of Missouri under the age of eighteen
				(18) diagnosed with a terminal illness may use a firearm or approved method for
				the season to hunt and take one (1) deer and one (1) turkey during any portion
				of the fall firearms or archery seasons on privately-owned land upon receipt of
				a method exemption. To receive a method exemption, the person must be sponsored
				by and participate in a hunt organized by a nonprofit charitable organization
				that has within its mission to provide opportunities and experiences for
				terminally ill persons. For purposes of this section, "terminal illness" means
				an incurable or irreversible condition with a corresponding life expectancy
				that does not exceed twelve (12) months, which has been documented by a
				licensed physician. Such person must hunt in the immediate presence of a
				properly licensed adult hunter who is eighteen (18) years of age or older and
				who has in his/her possession a valid hunter education certificate card or was
				born before January 1, 1967. A method exemption shall be issued only once to an
				individual and will only be valid during the designated seasons within a
				twelve-(12-) month period;
(R)
				Hunter orange. During the antlerless, youth, November, and CWD portions of the
				firearms deer hunting season, all hunters shall wear a cap or hat and a shirt,
				vest, or coat having the outermost color commonly known as hunter orange, which
				shall be plainly visible from all sides while being worn. Camouflage orange
				garments do not meet this requirement. This requirement shall not apply to
				migratory game bird hunters, to hunters using archery methods while hunting
				within municipal boundaries where discharge of firearms is prohibited, to
				hunters on federal or state public hunting areas where deer hunting is
				restricted to archery methods, or to hunters in closed counties during the
				antlerless and CWD portions of the firearms deer hunting season;
(S) Computer-assisted remote hunting. Except
				as otherwise permitted in this Code, wildlife may be taken only in the
				immediate physical presence of the taker and may not be taken by use of
				computer-assisted remote hunting devices; and
(T) Wildlife may not be hunted, pursued, or taken with
				the use of poisons or tranquilizing drugs.