Starting Saturday, squirrel and black bass seasons officially open in Missouri.
According to the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC), squirrel hunters will have an extended season for eastern gray and fox squirrels and will rung through Feb. 15, 2024. Hunters will be able to used a variety of methods including shotguns, rifles, archery equipment, slingshots and atlatls, or spears. Squirrels may also be harvested with cage-style traps during the hunting season as long as hunters have a valid Small Game Hunting permit. Traps must be labeled with the hunter’s full name and address, or Conservation Number, be attended daily, and have an opening of 144 square-inches or smaller.
The daily limit for hunting, including the use of cage-style traps, is ten and the possession limit is 20. Hunters must have a permit valid for hunting small game or be exempt.
Anglers may catch-and-keep black bass, such as largemouth, smallmouth, spotted/Kentucky bass through Feb. 29, 2024. Black bass can be found statewide but have a closed season part of the year in most streams south of the Missouri River. Black bass can be caught and released legally throughout the year anywhere in Missouri, and legal-sized bass may be kept all year long from impoundments and streams with no closed season.
In most state waters, the daily limit on black bass is six and fish taken from most rivers and streams must be 12-inches long. Additional regulations may apply to specific waters or areas. Anglers must have a valid fishing permit or be exempt.
Get more information on squirrel hunting and trapping from MDC’s 2023 Summary of Missouri Hunting and Trapping Regulations online at short.mdc.mo.gov/4AH.
Find more information on bass fishing in MDC’s 2023 Summary of Missouri Fishing Regulations, available where permits are sold, or online at short.mdc.mo.gov/4AV.
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