Hunting in Missouri: 3 Animals To Hunt in the Spring

Spring is a somewhat slim hunting season in Missouri, but there are still a few small game that are eligible during the spring months of March, April, May, and June.

Probably the most anticipated animal on this list is turkey, which has both a fall and spring open season.

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Here are three animals that are eligible for hunting in Missouri during the spring:

1. Coyote
Since coyotes are considered nuisance animals, they can be hunted almost year-round starting in mid-May until the end of March. However, even during April through the beginning of May, “coyotes can be taken using legal spring turkey hunting methods by hunters holding an unfilled Spring Turkey Hunting Permit and a Resident Small Game Hunting Permit or a Nonresident Furbearer Hunting and Trapping Permit” according to the Missouri Department of Conservation.

2. Squirrel
Squirrels nearly have as long a season as coyotes, as they are eligible for hunting from about the end of May through mid-February. Yet, unlike coyotes, there are bag limits for squirrels, which are 10 per day with a possession limit of 20.

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As the Springfield News-Leader reported in 2014, squirrel season is one of the state’s most popular seasons and explains, "’In the aggregate’ means you can take any combination of fox and gray squirrels, as long as you do not exceed 10 squirrels in one day.”

3. Turkey
Turkey hunting is another hotly awaited time, with youth hunters having the opportunity to snag the first turkeys of the year during the youth open hunting dates in the beginning of April.

After that, adult hunters can join the fun during the permissible shooting hours of 30 minutes prior to sunrise up until 1pm Central time. Hunters can only take one turkey during the first week of the season and only a total of two male turkeys for the entire spring season.

Hunters must also buy either a Resident Spring Turkey Hunting Permit, Resident Landowner Spring Turkey Hunting Permit, or a Nonresident Spring Turkey Hunting Permit.

This article is for information only. Please check current regulations before hunting.

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