[BackyardBandit]

Isn’t public land in particular a little more busy with hikers, squirrel hunters, fall shotgun turkey hunters, inexperienced bowhunters and whatnot throughout the whole season/year? How can a few days of doe hunts do anything long term??

 

[Bootheel Boy]

I’m not for the early antlerless season but only because I am selfish and want less people in the woods while I bow hunt. With crossbows allowed during archery season I don’t see the need for the season. Especially with most of Missouri allowing archery antlerless tags to be filled already. I’ve never met a hunter that wished we had an early doe season. All the people I know will continue to use archery equipment to kill does just in case a buck we want to shoot wanders by.

 

[rat]

Meat concerns are no different that if ya shoot one with a bow that time of year. Plenty of us shank a doe in early Oct.

I would agree with this if the recovery rates were the same with firearms as they are with archery equipment. I dont know this to be the case but I would guess recovery time would be longer on average with archery equipment.
With the inclusion of crossbows, recovery times might likely improve the overall recovery time with that method.

Bottom line for me, if you are going out to kill a deer, be prepared for whatever weather circumstance you happen to be in. I’ve really taken to early season archery hunting these past few years and I’m always thinking about what to do and how to be prepared when its warm.

Agree with most.. I dont see how it has a huge negative effect. It will be hard for some folks to hold off if it’s a nice buck. There will always be cheaters.

 

[20']

I’m not for the early antlerless season but only because I am selfish and want less people in the woods while I bow hunt. With crossbows allowed during archery season I don’t see the need for the season. Especially with most of Missouri allowing archery antlerless tags to be filled already. I’ve never met a hunter that wished we had an early doe season. All the people I know will continue to use archery equipment to kill does just in case a buck we want to shoot wanders by.

Truly is a senseless addition by the MDC!

 

[bverboy]

im for a year around gun season🤠🤠🤠

 

[pastorcurtis]

This is the same weekend we hunt Youth Season across the river in Illinois. As others have noted, that early in October everything is weather dependent. We've always considered it a terrible weekend for Youth Season: more than half of the years it is just plain hot. Can't imagine it will be much fun for a doe only season either.

This is one area that I think Illinois does better than MO. The antlerless season is in January and only open in counties where DNR has determined the population needs thinning. Different states, different goals, I guess.

 

[callaojoe]

This is one area that I think Illinois does better than MO. The antlerless season is in January and only open in counties where DNR has determined the population needs thinning. Different states, different goals, I guess.

MO handles this by how many antlerless tags you get per county... Some it'll be 0, some 2, and some will be 4 next year.

Honestly, the antlerless and even alt season, so few deer are killed as compared to rifle season, I am not sure how much true impact they have, but enjoy the opportunity when I do decide to go.

 

[20']

This is the same weekend we hunt Youth Season across the river in Illinois. As others have noted, that early in October everything is weather dependent. We've always considered it a terrible weekend for Youth Season: more than half of the years it is just plain hot. Can't imagine it will be much fun for a doe only season either.

This is one area that I think Illinois does better than MO. The antlerless season is in January and only open in counties where DNR has determined the population needs thinning. Different states, different goals, I guess.

I think IL places it there because kids are off for Columbus Day and it affords them 3 days of hunting. And IL caters to archery hunters and understands the need to limit firearm day number during the peak to keep a good age structure. iL does better than MO is so many areas regarding deer hunting!

 

[Pulleye16]

I haven’t seen any thread on this. What do you guys think about this? As a public only hunter I can tell you this is going to completely ruin youth season. I would say the same about bow season but the bow only areas will be safe obviously.

Wait, this will ruin the youth hunt...but the youth hunt doesn't ruin the regular opener hunt???? LOL JK

 

[rockchucker]

I plan on filling my freezer that weekend. Then buck hunt the rest of the season.

 

[trapperBR549]

I plan on filling my freezer that weekend. Then buck hunt the rest of the season.

BRILLIANT!

 

[Dafish]

I plan on filling my freezer that weekend. Then buck hunt the rest of the season.

might as well that is what they do in Kansas as I noted previously
, shoot there you have archery and Muzleloader season plus doe season before youth season.

Crossbows have been legal for maybe 10 years before here in Missouri and like Missouri the "archery" success rate has stayed the same.

 

[fstchkn]

I imagine the majority of people taking advantage of this season will be gun only hunters that hunt private ground. I usually kill a few with a bow sept.-oct. when it's still in the 70s-80s, that never stops me. I'm also not an antler hunter, so I'm not worried about having a gun in hand when a nice buck may come by, I'll just set up where I usually see more does. I like shooting deer with different stuff, so I'll probably shoot a few.

 

[timberdoodle]

We keep tradin turkeys for cougars , and there won’t be any deer left to hunt ! 😡

 

[MOGC]

We keep tradin turkeys for cougars , and there won’t be any deer left to hunt ! 😡

Or turkey. Uh oh, too late.

 

[Jagermeister]

Nope. I'll be bow hunting in October. I do my meat hunting in December

 

[Mork]

3 more days to take youth hunting. With probably warmer weather. And you can still hunt youth season. And regular season.

 

[lopester59]

I’m sure some will abuse the season and kill a buck. That being said I don’t think MDC cares anymore so I don’t see them investigating anything unless a complaint is filed. They opened up a couple youth seasons years ago, then let you hunt with crossbows during archery season and you can use an AR pistol in alternative methods. The way they have liberalized the seasons I don’t think they care how deer die or by who anymore. In CWD counties they will come in and decimate the deer herd to keep it from spreading so I don’t think one guy shooting a buck is much concern to them anymore.

Has the deer harvest increased drastically with all of those changes? I believe you are correct when you say they don't care how deer die or by who. But should they? Isn't their main goal to keep deer numbers in check? I have also been skeptical of some of their changes over the years but total deer harvest seems to be somewhat consistent year after year.

 

[Bootheel Boy]

Has the deer harvest increased drastically with all of those changes? I believe you are correct when you say they don't care how deer die or by who. But should they? Isn't their main goal to keep deer numbers in check? I have also been skeptical of some of their changes over the years but total deer harvest seems to be somewhat consistent year after year.

No I don’t think it has. I don’t think this new antlerless season will result in many more deer being killed either. People like me are the problem for MDC wanting to control the deer population. I haven’t killed a doe in probably 10 years. One deer a year is all I want to eat since I also elk hunt. I love to kill nice bucks and that is what I try to fill my deer tags with each year until Jan 15th. If I don’t kill one my tags will go unfilled. I have absolutely no interest in killing does. In my group of close friends I know of 6 bucks killed last season and none of us killed a doe or even took a shot at one. Hunters in Missouri have plenty of seasons and methods now to fill antlerless tags but choose not to. It’s not for lack of opportunity. We killed 299721 deer in Missouri last year with140736 being antlered bucks. I’d say many hunters are just like me with more becoming like me each year due to the increase in people wanting antlers more than meat.

 

[seth_turner_04]

I doubt I bother with it since I typically don't mess with shooting does until it gets cold. If I had a walk-in cooler at my disposal then it would be different. When I was younger, I'd have to rush out and shank a doe right away to take the edge off. Now I chase fish until November before switching gears and focusing on deer.