Any Missouri game wardens here ?

Trying to figure out the reasoning behind landowners not being
able to use lights for night hunting on our own properties.
Same for agents of the landowners. I do predator control for
quite a few farms and ranches in my area.

Way to many coyotes and dogs killing calves, goats, etc. and
that usually happens at night.

As it stands now, we're supposed to call and get help from the
local DNR folks or wildlife damage control folks. That takes
time and usually doesn't do much good.

I was going to ask the same question.

Here is what a Mo Dept of conservation agent responded in another forum

The question:

I have a question regarding Artificial Lights and hunting in Missouri. I have been advised both ways and wanted to get it straight from the state. I saw a thread that addressed lights but not landowners. I read at http://mdc4.mdc.mo.gov/Documents/2116.pdf on page 15 “Artificial Lights may be used only to hunt bullfrogs and green frogs, or to hunt raccoons and other furbearing animals when treed with the aid of dogs. Using lights or any other night vision or thermal imagery equipment to search for, spot, illuminate, harass or disturb other wildlife is a violation of the Wildlife Code. This rule does not apply to landowners on their property.”

May I, as a landowner, on my property, not on a roadway, use an artificial light to shoot nuisance coyotes who have been eating my chickens?

The reply:


The answer to your question is No. Landowners may not use a light to hunt coyotes.
(B) Artificial Light. No person shall throw or cast the rays of a spotlight, headlight, or
other artificial light on any highway or roadway, whether public or private, or in any
field, woodland, or forest for the purpose of spotting, locating, or attempting to take or hunt any game animal, except raccoons or other furbearing animals when treed with the aid of dogs, while having in possession or control, either singly or as one (1) of a group of persons, any firearm, bow, or other implement whereby game could be killed.

The landowner exemption is for landowners checking on their property and livestock.

My opinion: You should contact your local agent and ask for permission to use a light on predators destroying livestock on your own land. I can tell you for certain that if you do get their blessing or offer to look the other way, that it will not apply to property you do not own.

Well, I sure don't agree with that law.
Livestock owners need to be able to protect their property.
I wonder how it would play out in court.
In these parts, I'm guessing if you were on your own land it
would probably get dismissed.

Methinks you are most likely correct, or a very minimum fine. It wouldn't hurt to contact your area agent and see what he says on the subject. Some of them are more understanding than others

I inspect dairy farms in S. Mo. and had a farmer at West Plains who was checking his cows about 20 or so years ago with a spotlight and rifle. The coyotes were killing calves. Then got to eating them as the cows were giving birth. Then got to eating the hind end out of the cows while they were giving birth. The MDC saw him one night from a plane. The guy on the ground gave him a ticket for spotlighting. He fought it in court for about 3-4 years and ended up losing. Even had vids of the coyotes eating calves during the birthing process. The game wardens WILL ticket people for this, farmer or not. I do not agree with it either. I think farmers should be exempted IF they call the GW and let him know prior.

The only way to legally hunt coyotes at night is under a moon on the snow with a mouth call. No light or electronic call. I have done this, but how often do we get snow here with a full moon?

Bad law.

Hard to let the GW know ahead of time.
Those predators don't give advance notice when they are going
to go after calves or goats.

Are you sure you can't use an e-caller at night? I thought you were allowed to use an e-caller if you wanted but of course no electronic/artificial lights can be used. I think that portion of the law changed a few years ago but I could be wrong.

You are right GC. Now you can use electronic calls at night without artificial light or night vision equipment.

I'm making some inquiries to find out the whys on this.
Makes no sense to be able to use dogs and lights on coons
but not other predators.
Makes no sense that landowners can't check their own property
with a light and a gun either.

Kind of goes against the state law on defending your property.

I know that Indiana has a specific section for Nuisance animals. Perhaps your state has one as well.

This law mainly exist because missouri is a big deer hunting state, and we dont need people spot lighting the deer.
This is what i was told by the missouri department of conservation.
Me personally i think its crap.
But we cant run hounds durying day light hours of deer season either.
Poachers dont care what the law says there gonna do it anyway.

I'm working on it and will let everyone know when and where
to start writing letters in support of changing the law.

This is an easy fix to cut the deer out of the Equation. Make a night hunting season Jan 15-April 1.

My first fight will be for landowners or their agents being
able to get out and protect their stock at night without
getting arrested or hassled for using a light and a gun.

Hawkin, i like your idea. That may work, it would be a start.

Just found this thread... great Idea guys. I am in.

So any update on this RJM Acres?

I moved to MO from IL 1 1/2 years ago. MO has great gun laws, but terrible hunting laws. The only thing they care about is deer and turkey hunting of which I could care less about. IL had a 24/7 predator season from 10/15-2/15, NV & Thermal OK. MO has no predator season, no night hunting, no NV or thermal. My Gen 3 D740, Gen 3 PVS14 and LS64 are useless. I own 466 ac that is nothing but work, that is useless to me. It is for sale, I'm moving on.

I would have to disagree with you on the hunting laws. Mo is one of the most friendly Gun AND Hunting states in the nation.

What do you need a season for? You can hunt coyotes year round here except for a short window in the spring. That beats out a 4 month season in my book.

Your wrong about night hunting. You can hunt at night in Mo just with no artificial light. I have called a bunch in and killed them under the moon light. Change up your equipment and get it done.

No NV or thermal when you have a firearm on you or persons with you would be correct.

The purpose of bringing this back up was to find out what RJM has done and accomplished in the 3 years that have passed since he said he was going to do something. A friend and I were talking about it a while back so I thought about asking him and it took a while for me to hunt the thread down.

I'm not sure he'll see your request. He last posted in August, saying:



Perhaps he hasn't gotten the memo that the individual he had an issue with no longer participates here.

No one said anything about a 4 month season. For 4 months it's 24/7 day and night. The rest of the year there is NO closed season, just no night hunting. Post in the night hunting forum and see how many guys would like to hunt at night with no artificial light, even on private property. Yeah guys are just beating down the doors to night hunt in MO. Hunting regs im MO suck except for deer and turkey. Won't matter for deer much longer CWD will take care of that.

Can you point me to the Missouri hunting regulation that stipulates the "no night hunting" part of your post?

Ah didn't know that. Thanks.

Looks like we all would be better off by you taking your hate back to wonderful IL. Life is too short to be mad all the time. Good luck with your move.

No. Referring to IL in comparison to MO. The poster thought I was saying there was ONLY a 4 month season in IL. It's 24/7 for 4 months and anytime during daylight hours all year long. During those 4 months, when hunting at night in IL you can use NV and thermal.

In MO you can hunt at night but no artificial light, no NV and no thermal. You cannot be in posession of NV or thermal at the same time in MO. I guess if you catch a night with full moon, you might be able to see one, if it does not happen to be cloudy. There is little snow, so no help there. I guess you could use NV or thermal and try to kill them with a spear.

No real night hunting opportunities here for public land hunters, so I just kill them during the day. Maybe you should take up fishing. Good luck getting sorted out.

Gotcha,
You were comparing the Illinois season to Missouri's season. I think overall Missouri game law is very common sense, quite easy to understand and provides lots of opportunities for outdoorsmen and firearm owners. I'll readily agree that the law against using lights to night hunt is silly. Another one is that a shotgun must be plugged and limited to three shots even for coyote hunting. Deer hunters using shotguns could have a 10+1 capacity. There's no reason to limit predator hunters to three shots when using a shotgun. Other than those two things I don't have many other complaints.

And why no coyote hunting during turkey season, not to mention can only turkey hunt till 1 pm instead of until sundown-crazy.

My guess is that MDC doesn't want centerfire rifles cracking shots where fully camouflaged turkey hunters are sneaking around near field edges or out in the thick greened up woods. You can hunt coyotes during turkey season at night or in day hours if in possession of a turkey tag and using weapons approved for turkey hunting. None of that bothers me and I wouldn't press much of an argument against it.

Anyone who realistically thinks you can hunt coyotes at night in a state that hardly got 10” of snow is the last 2 years with no lights NV or thermal is delusional. I would rather have properly equipped hunters out at night who can report poachers and can safely ID what there shooting at, then some one shooting blindly in the dark.

Can’t leave here soon enough. You can have your merh labs and puppy mills, because that’s all that’s here. It’s also one of the easiest states to home school in, because the schools are so bad, any home schooling will be better. The teachers have single digit IQ’s. Poor kids-they don’t stand a chance anywhere else. They stay here because they have no choice.

So you haven't moved back to heavenly Illinois yet? Must be better than you let on in Mo.

Never said I was going back to IL. I'm not. MO isn't better than I think, it's worse. It only took living here a year to figure that out. I've lived here for 2 years, but owned the 477 acres for 13 years. It takes a while to sell off that much property. I did sell 105 acres so far.

Bye...

I miss you already-NOT!

LOL... the air just got fresher in Missouri. Thanks!

No, it's still stale. Guys like you who see nothing wrong with the way things are insure there will never be any improvement. The guy who said life is too short was right; life is too short to fix the level of stupid that exists in MO.
I suggest you contact the powers that be on this board and organize a night hunt in MO to showcase it's positives. That would be a sight. A hundred two man teams shooting blindly in the dark, after all, night hunting is "allowed" in MO.

And I suggest YOU... have a nice day!

Oh come on Cmatera, we have some real dandy voters here in MO. We actually elected a dead democrat to the US Senate. I have lived here for the better part of 56 years, and I actually like this state. It is better than many of the 50 we have.Yes we need some better laws. I suggest you start a movement and get night hunting with suppressors/lights, electric calls,and any other useful items legal here.

I moved to KampKumbaya in the Ozarks in 95 and I have to say it is the best place I have ever lived. Sure things could be better but its not bad at all. It is now home and I cant see going any where else.
If you don't like it you should move and I mean yesterday.

I'm too old to deal with it. First thing we need is old minds to accept that maybe the night hunting laws could be better in MO. Then we need some younger guys to take up the torch and try to get the laws changed. You should at least be able to use lights, NV, and thermal on private property or a 3 month 24/7 season after deer hunting is over.

Missouri has some good things, but their predator night hunting laws are not one of them. In fact, they are more repressive than many Eastern areas that are worse on guns laws in general. To re-state, I am in the process of selling the 477 acres I purchased 13 years ago and leaving.

This started out as a discussion of MO night hunting predator laws. This site is called Predator Masters correct.? It was never an attack on MO or it's people, just an honest look at the night hunting predator laws. Too bad some posters had to take it personal, and start personal attacks, To those who did, you are where you belong. Life at my age is too short, I realize it, and am in the process of taking the appropriate action.

Why would a person who has owned property in MO for 13 years, only lived here for 2, but already decided to move after 1, undertake such a task? Where are the guys who have lived here for 30 years, who love the place? What have they been doing?
I can be objective about the subject, because my heart is not connected to MO.

"Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country."

In your case you could apply that to your state too.

I will never forget that quote. Mr Conners, my 7th grade teacher made us write that hundreds of times when we got into trouble.