ST. LOUIS (AP) — The state conservation department wants to meet with hunters across Missouri to discuss a new deer management plan and possible regulatory changes.
The Missouri Department of Conservation has scheduled a series of open-house meetings starting in mid-June and continuing through early July.
The regional meetings will be held in Chillicothe, Columbia, Hannibal, Jackson, Joplin, Kansas City, Kirksville, Rolla, Springfield, St. Joseph, St. Louis, Van Buren, Warsaw and West Plains.
The department says it has no specific agendas but wants to hear public comments in an informal setting.
Deputy conservation director Tom Draper says the state’s free-ranging white-tailed deer population supports 12,000 jobs and generates more than $1 billion in economic activity annually in Missouri.