The November portion of Missouri's firearms deer hunting season opens Saturday and runs through Nov. 26.

Last year, 568,339 firearms deer hunting permits were sold and 201,165 deer were taken during the 11-day segment.

The Youth-Only portion of the firearms deer hunting season took place Nov. 2-3. Youngsters harvested 7,580 deer. That figure is 1,303 higher than last year when the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) conducted the first firearms deer hunting season exclusively for state residents aged 15 and under.

Hunters should become familiar with several changes in this year's regulations. The first of these changes involves permits:

The bucks-only firearms deer hunting permit has been discontinued because any-deer permits are available on an open quota basis in all units. In addition, all any-deer permits are now valid statewide instead of only in a specific deer management unit.

In the past, hunters had to specify a unit for their any-deer permit. Now, all any-deer permits, except landowner any-deer permits, are valid for any deer anywhere in Missouri. This change gives you much greater flexibility in where you hunt and what deer you take.

Yet another regulation change involves the wearing of hunter orange. For many years, firearms deer hunters have been required to wear a hat and also a shirt, vest, or coat of hunter orange (also known as daylight fluorescent orange or blaze orange) so that the color is plainly visible from all sides while being worn. (Camouflage orange does not satisfy this requirement.)

This year, for the first time, all persons hunting small game and/or furbearers during firearms deer season must also wear hunter orange. This requirement does not apply to migratory bird hunters.

The transportation tag

Permits have a new look and an integral transportation tag. Immediately after harvest (but not before), separate the transportation tag from your permit and attach it to the game. Do not remove the protective backing from the rest of your permit. The transportation tag must remain attached until the animal has been checked by the taker at an established checking station in the county where taken or in an adjoining open county between the hours of 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. on the day taken. Only the taker may possess and transport deer before checking. Deer must be submitted with head attached.

Some hunters ask, "Why do I have to take my deer and turkey to a check station?" There are two basic reasons: data collection and law enforcement.

Accurate harvest information is critical because hunting is a primary mortality factor for deer. The check station operator records the sex and age of each animal, and the general location where it was harvested. This annual harvest data provides essential information on the status of local deer population, and is considered when setting harvest regulations for subsequent seasons.

Mandatory checking also reduces illegal activities, such as exceeding bag limits and out-of-season shooting.

When you take your deer or turkey to the check station, you are doing your part to help manage these important wildlife resources.

Monitoring for CWD

This year hunters bringing deer to certain check stations will have an opportunity to participate in a statewide monitoring effort.

On Saturday, the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) will begin to test for Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD). Department personnel at check stations in 30 counties will seek help from hunters. Successful hunters will be asked if they would donate the head of their deer for the testing.

The testing is an expansion of MDC's current CWD monitoring efforts. In recent years sick deer with symptoms similar to CWD were tested. Thus far, no deer in Missouri have tested positive for CWD.

This expanded effort will depend on hunter donated heads from deer that are approximately 18 months or more old. To be asked to participate in the study does not indicate anything seems to be wrong with the deer.

The heads will be taken to a research facility in Columbia, Mo., where brainstems will be removed. Those brainstems will be shipped to a research facility either in Wyoming or Georgia to look for signs of CWD.

MDC Wildlife Research Biologist Jeff Beringer works with white-tail deer population management and will be working closely with the brainstem collections. When asked about test results Beringer said, "I am optimistic that we won't find CWD in free ranging deer in Missouri. The intent of these tests is to take a serious, meaningful, look at Missouri's deer herd."

Should hunters agree to participate they will be glad to know that they can donate their deer head and still keep the antlers and skull plate if they wish. Antlers are not needed for testing and take up space in transport. Antler removal will not affect MDC's ability to collect tissue samples.

Testing will take some time to complete. Results may not be available for up to 4 months.

"A lot of states are looking for CWD now, and certified labs are limited, so there is a bottleneck," Beringer said.

In Southeast Missouri, only hunters in certain counties will have the opportunity to donate heads this year. While every county will be sampled over the next three years, only Bollinger, Madison, Ripley, St. Francois, and Jefferson counties will be sampled this year.

MDC hopes to collect 6,000 heads statewide. This works out to roughly 200 heads from each of the selected counties. If all goes well, the collection will only take place during opening weekend.

Intense hunting on public land

Many Missouri hunters do not have access to privately owned property and hunt only on public lands. As a result, almost all public lands, including those owned or managed by the conservation department, receive intense hunting pressure during the various hunting season, and especially during the deer seasons. The result of many years of heavy hunting pressure on department areas is low deer numbers and intense competition for limited hunting opportunity. For most deer hunters, crowded parking lots, high hunter densities and few available deer are not the makings of a successful or enjoyable deer hunting experience. Consequently, it is time to consider new deer management strategies on these public lands.

Firearms deer hunters in Southeast Missouri should be aware of a special regulation that will be in effect on certain MDC areas. The following areas are now antlered only: Apple Creek and Maintz (Cape Girardeau county); Ben Cash, Wilhelmina, and Big Cane (Butler county); General Watkins (Scott county); Seventy-Six (Perry county); Oak Ridge (Stoddard county); Donaldson Point and Girvin (New Madrid county); Gayoso Bend (Pemiscot county); and Chalk Bluff (Dunklin county). On each of these areas, firearms deer hunters may take/possess only antlered deer. An antlered deer is defined as: a deer having at least one antler a minimum of 3 inches long.

Each hunter is responsible for knowing the regulations for the area they hunt. Any restrictions for Department land are posted on the area. In addition, area regulations can be found in the Code of State Regulations maintained by the Secretary of State's office. Regulations for the Department of Conservation are found at: www.sos.state.mo.us/adrules/csr/current/3csr/3csr.asp Special deer hunting restrictions for specified areas begin on page 8 in Chapter 11.

For additional information, consult the 2002 Fall Deer and Turkey Hunting Brochure available from permit vendors statewide.

Gene Myers is a Missouri Department Conservation agent in Cape Girardeau County.