The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) will increase the prices for some nonresident hunting and fishing permits starting in 2020.
According to MDC, permit prices have not been raised in over a decade and adjustments are needed to help keep up with increasing costs of providing conservation programs and services around the state.
The price increases were given initial approval by the Missouri Conservation Commission at its May 23 meeting. As part of the rulemaking process, MDC asked for public comment on the changes during July. The Commission then considered input received and approved the increases during its August 23 meeting.
The effective date will be February 29, 2020, for these nonresident permit price increases:
NONRESIDENT     PERMIT PREVIOUS PRICE/NEW PRICE
Daily Fishing (1 Day) $7/$8
Daily Fishing (3 Days) $21/$24
Annual Fishing $42/$49
Furbearer Hunting/Trapping $130/$192
Annual Small Game Hunting $80/$94
Daily Small Game (1 Day) $11/$14
Daily Small Game (3 Days) $33/$42
Conservation Order $40/$47
Spring Turkey Hunting $190/$224
Fall Turkey Hunting $110/$130
Firearm Deer Hunting $225/$265
Archery Hunting $225/$265
Managed Deer Hunting $225/$265
Nonresidents account for nearly 100 percent of daily fishing-permit purchases and daily small-game hunting permit purchases.
As part of the changes, MDC will also limit daily fishing permits and daily hunting permits to one and three days and eliminate daily fishing permits and daily hunting permits for other numbers of days (two, four, five, six and seven days).
MDC permit sales account for about 17 percent of the agency’s annual revenue and help fund numerous conservation efforts around the state. Other significant revenue sources include the Conservation Sales Tax at about 61 percent and federal reimbursements at about 16 percent. Sales and rentals, interest and other sources make up the remaining six percent of MDC’s revenue. According to MDC, the average Missourian pays about $19 annually for conservation efforts through the Department’s dedicated sales-tax revenue. MDC receives no funding from property taxes, tickets nor citations (which go to local school districts) or the state’s general-revenue budget.