City will hold bow hunter orientation, registration sessions

(COLUMBIA, MO) -

The City of Columbia will conduct three hunter orientation and registration sessions for residents interested in bow hunting deer on designated City properties as part of the City’s deer management program. The sessions are open to the public at no charge. The one-hour sessions will be held at the Activity & Recreation Center (ARC), 1701 W. Ash. The following sessions are the only times when City hunting permits will be issued.

• Wednesday, Aug. 21: 3 p.m. at the ARC
• Wednesday, Aug. 21: 6 p.m. at the ARC
• Wednesday, Aug. 28: 6 p.m. at the ARC

The City initiated the program to help reduce the increasing urban deer population. Concern over the number of vehicle accidents involving deer was one of the factors that led to the creation of the deer management program.  

Anyone wishing to receive a permit should register online at CoMo.gov/ParksandRec to attend one of the orientation sessions. Individuals who are pre-registered will be able to obtain their permit upon completion of the orientation session. Those that participated in the 2018 classes have permits that are good for the 2018-2019 and 2019-2020 seasons. City permits from 2017 have expired. Hunters who obtained their permits in 2017 or prior must re-register for the 2019-2020 hunting season.

Bow hunting will be permitted during two seasons: Sept. 15 through Nov. 9 and Nov. 21 through Jan. 15, 2020. To hunt at designated City locations, hunters must attend one of the three orientation sessions and obtain a permit that they must carry while hunting on City property. They will also receive an accompanying permit that must be displayed in vehicles parked in designated areas at hunting locations. Hunters shall also follow all relevant Missouri Department of Conservation rules, regulations and requirements related to hunting.

Since it began in 2004, the deer management program has averaged more than 250 hunters per year. Further details about the program are posted at CoMo.gov (search bow hunting). For more information, call Parks and Recreation at 573.874.7460.