The Missouri Department of Conservation is seeking public input on "tenant farmer" hunting privileges.
Tenant farming is an uncommon practice, and the existing regulation has resulted in a misunderstanding and misuse of free landowner permits, MDC officials said in a news release.
The Missouri Conservation Commission initially approved a regulation change in August that will limit free landowner permits for deer and turkey hunting to qualifying resident landowners and members of their immediate households age 6 years or older - starting next year.
MDC is taking public input on this regulation change online during October at short.mdc.mo.gov/Z49 under regulation "3 CSR 10-7.431: Deer Hunting Seasons: General Provisions."
When MDC began offering free deer and turkey permits to landowners back in 1944, "tenant farming" was a common practice, so the department included lessees (renters or tenants) in the offering, according to MDC's news release.
The free landowner permits were never intended to apply to individuals leasing land for hunting or those who live on a property but do not farm the land, according to MDC. The free permits were an incentive for those working private land to create and maintain habitat for deer and turkey. This time in the 1940s was the beginning of Missouri's current firearms hunting seasons for deer and turkey. Game numbers were still low compared to today, and habitat was greatly needed to grow the populations.
Much has changed in nearly 80 years, including the fact that tenant farming is no longer a common practice in Missouri, according to MDC.
In reviewing who now gets these free permits, MDC found that most who lease and live on private land are just renting residences - not the entire farm or acreage and do not manage the properties.
"Our conservation agents have a very good sense of the hunters, landowners and lessees in their counties - and the habitat work being done," MDC Deputy Director Mike Hubbard said in the news release. "Unfortunately, we found that there is significant misunderstanding of the point of the free permits and far more lessees are inadvertently obtaining free permits and not actually farming and managing the land."
The regulation change, which would start in March, does not affect qualifying resident landowners who have at least 5 acres and all members of their immediate households age 6 years and older.
For more information on qualifications for resident landowner permits, visit huntfish.mdc.mo.gov/permits/qualifications-resident-landowner-permits.