Conservation department provides hunting reminders
Oct. 1—The fall firearm turkey hunting season has started and as it intersects with an archery hunting season, the Missouri Department of Conservation wants people to be courteous and make sure they're safe.
"The turkey season opening (on Oct. 1), we're going to check to make sure they have their permits, we're going to make sure they have the right loads for where they're hunting," Conservation Agent Dave Carlisle said. "We want to make sure that if people are harvesting their animals that they are invalidating their permit immediately before they move the animal."
Carlisle said even if you find an area where you think birds may be, it's important to remember the fall season is feast or famine. Seasons like this could depend on luck.
Hunting can take place on private and public property. Carlisle said he wants people using public property to remember there may be others in the area as well.
"You may have a bow hunter that walks in not expecting to see you because he or she is on their way to their deer stand. So especially public areas are something where we seem to see more people that run into each other out there, and it can be a conflicting type thing. Be respectful," he said. "You're gonna have people on ... bicycles, on the trails or walking. Or then you might have a class from the university out there doing birdwatching. So understand it's public land."
When acquiring a permit for hunting, print it or have it displayed on the Missouri Department of Conservation app. Carlisle said knowing the area where you are hunting may determine if you can use that app option. When scouting an area, it's important to watch for cellphone signals.
"That's one of the things we're going to check. If we see somebody coming out of the woods with a deer or with a turkey that requires a tag, we're going to check to make sure that that hunter has invalidated that permit before they move the animal. It's very critical that that's done in that manner," Carlisle said.
Carlisle said it's important hunters follow guidelines set out each year as they can change. For the 2021 season, a person with a permit is allowed to hunt and kill two turkeys for the fall season, which lasts until Oct. 31.
Morgan Riddell can be reached at morgan.riddell@newspressnow.com
