JEFFERSON CITY, Mo — Missouri is home to more than 1 million anglers, 500,000 hunters, and several thousand trappers. MDC issues nearly 2.6 million hunting, fishing, and trapping permits each year. While MDC permit prices have increased only slightly over the past 20 years, MDC’s cost of doing conservation work have increased significantly.
To keep pace with continual rising costs of goods and services, MDC has implemented initial price adjustments to most permits over the past several years and proposes additional modest and gradual adjustments to permit prices over the coming years.
For 2025, MDC is proposing an incremental increase to non-resident permit prices and a few resident permit prices. The Missouri Conservation Commission gave initial approval to the MDC proposed permit price adjustments at its May 24 open meeting in Jefferson City.
“Costs continue to increase for habitat management and improvements, cost-share funding, fuel, equipment, contract and construction work, and other aspects of the work MDC staff does,” said MDC Director Sara Parker Pauley. “We need to keep up with rising costs and can do that by adjusting permit prices. Even with the minor price adjustments we propose, Missouri permit prices remain good bargains when compared to surrounding states.”
Most MDC proposed permit-price adjustments focus on nonresident permits. Permits for migratory bird hunting, trout fishing, and daily fishing would increase slightly for residents and nonresidents.
Pauley noted that additional revenue from permit sales will help MDC maintain and improve its nationally recognized programs and services for hunters, anglers, wildlife watchers, and others.
Additional revenue from permit prices will also help MDC with the rising costs of improving buildings and other infrastructure at conservation areas, fish hatcheries, shooting ranges, and nature centers that are many decades old and in need of significant repair or replacement. Pauley added that other states also continue to increase permit prices.
Proposed Permit Price Adjustments for 2025
MDC proposes the following permit price adjustments for 2025:
(NR = Non-Resident SS = Surrounding States NA = Not Applicable CP = Conservation Partner)
PERMIT |
| CURRENT$ |
| PROPOSED $ |
| AVG $ SS 2024 |
NR Annual Fishing |
| $51.00 |
| $53.50 |
| $57.50 |
Daily Fishing |
| $8.00 |
| $9.00 |
| $8.31 |
Trout |
| $10.00 |
| $12.00 |
| $12.75 |
Youth Trout |
| $5.00 |
| $6.00 |
| $7.00 |
NR Small Game Hunting |
| $98.00 |
| $102.00 |
| $126.84 |
Daily Hunting |
| $14.50 |
| $15.00 |
| $66.04 |
NR Furbearer Hunt/Trap |
| $200.50 |
| $208.50 |
| $258.69 |
Migratory Bird |
| $6.50 |
| $7.50 |
| $14.81 |
NR Conservation Order |
| $49.00 |
| $51.00 |
| NA |
NR Spring Turkey |
| $233.50 |
| $243.50 |
| $255.22 |
NR Fall Turkey |
| $135.50 |
| $141.50 |
| $202.67 |
NR Firearm Deer |
| $276.50 |
| $288.00 |
| $374.31 |
NR Antlerless Deer |
| $26.00 |
| $27.00 |
| $43.63 |
NR Archery |
| $276.50 |
| $288.00 |
| $436.69 |
NR Managed Deer |
| $276.50 |
| $288.00 |
| NA |
NR Landowner Spring Turkey |
| $172.00 |
| $179.50 |
| NA |
NR Landowner Fall Turkey |
| $100.00 |
| $104.50 |
| NA |
NR Landowner Archery |
| $203.50 |
| $212.00 |
| NA |
NR Landowner Firearm Deer |
| $203.50 |
| $212.00 |
| NA |
MDC Wants Public Comments
MDC will seek public comments about the proposed permit price adjustments from July 2 to Aug. 1. Get more information and submit comments at mdc.mo.gov/contact-engage/public-commenting-opportunities
MDC will then compile comments received and share them with the Commission prior to the Sept. 6 Commission open meeting when it will give final consideration to the proposed permit price adjustments. If approved, the changes would become effective Jan. 1, 2025.
Permit Sales and Funding
Permit sales account for about 16 percent of MDC annual revenue. Other significant revenue sources for MDC include the Conservation Sales Tax at about 61 percent and federal reimbursements at about 17 percent of total MDC revenue. Sales and rentals, interest, and other sources make up the remaining 6 percent of MDC revenue. Missourians on average pay $26 annually for conservation efforts through the Conservation Sales Tax.
MDC receives no funds through fines from tickets or citations and no funding from the state’s general revenue budget. For more information on MDC revenues and expenses and how those monies are used to help MDC take care of nature, connect people with nature, and maintain the public trust, read the MDC Annual Review for Fiscal Year 2023 in the January 2024 issue of the Missouri
Conservationist online at mdc.mo.gov/magazines/missouri-conservationist/2024-01/annual-review-fiscal-year-2023