Missouri · License year
Missouri hunting license
Missouri sells permits, not one hunting license, and the annual ones all run out together on the last day of February — the summary that governs them took effect March 1, 2026.
License year
2026-27
Opens
Mar 1, 2026
Last day
Feb 28, 2027
Runs out in
187 days
Today in Missouri is Aug 25, 2026.
The license year, in MDC’s own words
“Unless noted otherwise, permits are valid from the date of purchase through the last day of February 2027.”
— MDC — A Summary of Missouri Hunting and Trapping Regulations 2026, effective March 1, 2026 (page 8), read Aug 25, 2026
So the year on sale now started March 1 and stops Feb 28, 2027 — buying late in it does not buy you more of it.
Hunter education comes first
Hunter education is the gate for anyone born on or after Jan. 1, 1967 — the apprentice authorization buys two years of firearms permits without it, but only with a certified mentor 18 or older alongside.
“Missouri's hunter education course is required for any hunter born on or after Jan. 1, 1967.”
— MDC — Hunter Education, read Aug 25, 2026
What MDC charges
Prices as MDC prints them, resident beside non-resident, each table linked to the page it was read from. MDC sets these and changes them; the agency’s own page is the one that counts.
Small game permits
The small game permit is the closest thing Missouri has to a general hunting license: birds except turkey, mammals except bear, deer and elk.
| License or permit | Missouri resident | Non-resident |
|---|---|---|
| Small game hunting permit | $11.50 | $108.50 |
| Small game hunting and fishing permit | $22.50 | Not offered |
| Apprentice hunter authorization Lets someone without hunter education buy firearms permits for up to two years, with a certified mentor. MDC — Apprentice Hunter Authorization | $12.50 | $12.50 |
Read from MDC — Hunting and Trapping Permits, 2026 summary (pages 8–9) .
Deer permits
Ages 6–15 pay the youth price on every deer permit, resident or not. Resident landowners who qualify pay nothing.
| License or permit | Missouri resident | Non-resident |
|---|---|---|
| Firearms any-deer, age 16 or older | $19.50 | $360.00 |
| Firearms any-deer, age 6–15 | $9.75 | $9.75 |
| Firearms antlerless deer, age 16 or older | $7.50 | $34.00 |
| Archer's hunting permit, age 16 or older Covers deer and small game through the archery seasons. | $22.00 | $360.00 |
| Archer's hunting permit, age 6–15 | $11.00 | $11.00 |
| Archery antlerless deer, age 16 or older | $7.50 | $34.00 |
| Managed deer hunting permit, age 16 or older | $19.50 | $360.00 |
Read from MDC — Hunting and Trapping Permits, 2026 summary (pages 8–9) .
Turkey permits
The spring permit is two bearded turkeys for a resident and one for a non-resident; the fall permit is two of any sex either way.
| License or permit | Missouri resident | Non-resident |
|---|---|---|
| Spring turkey, age 16 or older | $19.50 | $304.50 |
| Spring turkey, age 6–15 | $9.75 | $9.75 |
| Fall turkey, age 16 or older | $15.00 | $176.50 |
| Fall turkey, age 6–15 | $7.50 | $7.50 |
Read from MDC — Hunting and Trapping Permits, 2026 summary (pages 8–9) .
Migratory birds and waterfowl
The migratory bird permit runs on the federal clock, not the February one — MDC prints it as valid until June 30, 2027. Doves need it as much as ducks do, and ducks, geese and coots need a federal duck stamp on top, which the federal government sells rather than MDC.
| License or permit | Missouri resident | Non-resident |
|---|---|---|
| Migratory bird hunting permit Required from age 16 for waterfowl, doves, snipe, woodcock and rails; a small game permit is needed too. | $8.00 | $60.00 |
| Conservation order permit (light geese) | $5.50 | $54.00 |
Read from MDC — Hunting and Trapping Permits, 2026 summary (pages 8–9) .
Tag and permit application deadlines
The dates that do not wait for you. A missed application deadline is a season missed, whatever the license in your pocket says.
Where the state issues them
Missouri runs its own licensing system, and that is where every Missouri license comes from. HuntDates has no part in it and takes nothing from it — the price MDC shows you there is the one that counts.
MDC — Buy Permits — MDC's own system. The same permits are sold by more than a thousand vendors statewide and in the MO Hunting app.
The rest of Missouri
The whole Missouri board · Deer season in Missouri · Application deadlines