Missouri's firearms deer season opens Saturday, Nov. 14, and the 2026 rulebook is not the one hunters used last year. The CWD portion that followed the November season is gone, the Chronic Wasting Disease Management Zone designation has been dropped, nonresident hunters are down to one antlered buck, and mandatory CWD sampling now follows a county rotation instead of hitting the same counties every opening weekend. Here is what the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) changed, how the calendar runs, and what the last three November harvests say about the first weekend.
Gear that fits this hunt: a solid blaze-orange Technical Blaze Vest and an Orange Aglow blaze orange beanie make up the hat-plus-vest pairing MDC's orange rule calls for.
What changed for the 2026 season
MDC announced the 2026-27 changes on Aug. 17, 2026. The ones that touch the most hunters:
- Nonresident buck limit drops from two to one. The antlered limit on nonresident deer hunting permits is now one. Nonresident landowner permit holders keep a limit of two.
- The CWD portion is removed. Last year a CWD portion of firearms season ran Nov. 26-30 in much of the state, and the CWD Management Zone covered all but 33 counties. For 2026, MDC removed both the CWD portion and the zone designations.
- Mandatory sampling now rotates. Instead of requiring samples on opening weekend in a set group of counties, MDC will cover every county once every four years. This season, 28 counties are sampled on Nov. 14 and 15. MDC's release does not list them in the text we reviewed, so check the county list in the 2026 Fall Deer & Turkey Hunting Regulations and Information booklet before you hunt.
- Antler-point restrictions come off in the final 18 counties that still had them.
- The early youth portion moved a week earlier, to Oct. 24-25, so it now sits three weekends ahead of the November portion.
- CWD Management Permits now require at least 20 contiguous acres in a CWD Core Area. Qualifying landowners receive five no-cost permits and a mailed notice about applying.
- No post-season targeted removals. MDC says it will not conduct them and has no current plans to resume.
One thing did not change: the feed and mineral prohibition continues in counties within 10 miles of a CWD detection. If you hunt near a detection, confirm the current county list before you set up over anything.
The 2026 calendar
These dates come from MDC's 2026-27 season announcement:
- November portion: Nov. 14-24
- Archery: Sept. 15 through Nov. 13, then Nov. 25 through Jan. 15, 2027
- Late youth portion: Nov. 27-29
- Late antlerless portion: Dec. 5-13, in open counties
- Alternative methods portion: Dec. 26, 2026 through Jan. 5, 2027
The opener lands two days earlier than it did in 2024, when the November portion started Nov. 16. MDC pointed to that later start as one reason 2024's harvest fell, because it moved the season further from the peak of the rut. Our own read on when the rut peaks in 2026 covers where Nov. 14 sits against it.
What the last three Novembers show
Missouri's November portion produced 193,885 deer in 2023, the figure MDC used as the comparison when it reported 2024. It then fell to about 159,000 in 2024 and landed at 158,704 in 2025, which one Missouri outlet reported from MDC data as the second-worst November firearms season in seven years, just above 2024's 158,577. Those totals do not include the CWD portion that ran in many counties.
Opening weekend is where the season is decided. MDC data shows that traditionally 40 to 50 percent of the November harvest happens on opening weekend. In 2025 that weekend produced 70,173 deer, against 68,057 in 2024. The 2025 opener was warm and windy, according to the Lake Expo report. For 2024, MDC cited warm temperatures, high winds and a heavy acorn crop, with the largest declines in heavily forested Ozark counties. Many northern and western counties were flat or up slightly.
The practical takeaway is not a prediction, because no source we reviewed forecasts 2026 weather or mast. It is that the first two days carry roughly half the season's harvest, so how the weather and acorn crop play out in your county matters more than anything in the regulations. The all-day rut sit is worth reading if the opener turns warm and the morning flurry never comes.
Orange, tags and a pre-hunt checklist
MDC's hunter-orange rule applies to any game species during firearms deer season, with some exceptions. You need both a hunter-orange hat and a hunter-orange shirt, vest or coat, visible from all sides, and MDC states plainly that camouflage orange does not satisfy the rule. Hunters taking migratory game birds are among the listed exceptions. If you are also covering other states this fall, our state-by-state blaze orange guide has the comparison, and the Michigan opener rundown shows how another Midwest state is handling its own one-buck changes.
If you need a layer that doubles as your orange, the Orange Aglow Ridgerunner Softshell Vest is a fleece-backed softshell vest sold in blaze orange, with handwarmer pockets for cold sits. Venator has not field-tested this gear; the picks come from the specifications and construction, and they were chosen by people who chase whitetail.
Before Saturday:
- Check whether your county is on the Nov. 14-15 mandatory CWD sampling list.
- Confirm your permit type, county antlerless allotment and, if you are a nonresident, that you plan around a single antlered buck.
- Check the feed and mineral rule if you hunt within 10 miles of a CWD detection.
- Put the orange hat and vest on the same hook as the rifle case so they do not get left behind.
Frequently asked questions
When does Missouri's firearms deer season open in 2026?
The November portion runs Nov. 14-24, 2026. Late youth is Nov. 27-29, late antlerless is Dec. 5-13 in open counties, and alternative methods runs Dec. 26 through Jan. 5, 2027.
Is there still a CWD portion in Missouri?
No. MDC removed the CWD portion of firearms season and the CWD Management Zone designations for 2026-27. Last year's CWD portion ran Nov. 26-30.
How many bucks can a nonresident take in Missouri in 2026?
One antlered buck on a nonresident deer hunting permit, down from two. Nonresident landowner permit holders keep a limit of two, per MDC's Aug. 17, 2026 announcement.
Does camo orange count as hunter orange in Missouri?
No. MDC says camouflage orange does not satisfy the rule. You need a hunter-orange hat and a hunter-orange shirt, vest or coat visible from all sides.
How did Missouri's November firearms harvest do in 2025?
About 158,704 deer, which a Missouri outlet reported from MDC data as the second-worst November firearms season in seven years, essentially level with 2024.
Sources: Missouri Department of Conservation, "MDC changes regulations for upcoming deer season" (Aug. 17, 2026); MDC, "MDC sets deer and turkey hunting dates for 2026-2027 seasons" (Dec. 12, 2025); MDC hunter-orange requirement page; MDC harvest reports for the 2024 November portion; Lake Expo's report on MDC's 2025 harvest data; KOLR/OzarksFirst on the 2025 season rules.
