All I want for Christmas
Second youth hunt set for January
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| Billy Becker III with his 8-point deer in 2006. An early portion of the youth deer hunting season will allow children to try out the deer rifles they get for Christmas. |
The season, which runs from Jan. 3-4, will allow youth ages 6 to 15 to take deer according to the permits they hold from the earlier youth and adult seasons. However, according to the Missouri Department of Conservation regulations, each youth hunter may take only one antlered deer during the entire firearms deer season.
According to the Missouri Department of Conservation Web site, youths who don't harvest a deer during the early portion of the youth season can use their permits during the adult portion as well.Jefferson County Conservation Agent Jeff Breuer said youths who have already taken an antlered deer during another portion of deer season may not take another during the late youth portion. However, youth hunters may buy any number of permits to take antlerless deer unless there is a restriction in the county where they are hunting.
Breuer said the late youth portion will allow adults to concentrate their efforts helping the youngsters hunt.
"A lot of times the youth ages 6-15 aren't hunter-safety certified and hunters under 11 can't take the hunter certification class," he said. "They must hunt with an adult, and this will allow mom or dad to be 100-percent dedicated because their hunting season is already over. Adults can concentrate on having a good time with their kids."
In 2006 there were 115 deer harvested during youth season and 99 taken last year.
Breuer said youth hunts have been relatively safe in Jefferson County, with no reported injuries in the last three years.
Most hunting in Jefferson County is done on private land, Breuer said, because there is no rifle deer hunting in the county's conservation areas.
For more information on deer hunting in Missouri, visit the Department of Conservation Web site at www.mdc.mo.gov.
