Missouri Press Association
Serving Missouri Newspapers Since 1867
Missouri News Network: Statehouse News for MPA Members
This report is written by Missouri School of Journalism students for publication by MPA member newspapers in print and online.
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Missouri News Network this week has stories about two impending events: the increase in speed limits on rural highways and changes to deer season regulations.
If you have thoughts or questions, contact Fred Anklam at anklamf@missouri.edu.
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FRIDAY
Rural highway speed limit increases await MoDOT review
By Jono Edmonson II, Missouri News Network
The Missouri Department of Transportation has started narrowing down potential rural roadway areas where motorists will be allowed to drive 75 mph as the Aug. 28 effective date draws near.
Senate Bill 1408 was passed on May 15, allowing MoDOT to raise speed limits from 70 mph to 75 mph. Gov. Mike Kehoe signed the change into law on July 13.
“We’ve been looking at all of those segments of rural interstate and doing a very objective review to make sure that where (the 75 mph zone) would be is safe to do so,” MoDOT Director Ed Hassinger said.
Hassinger said the agency is looking at all of the individual segments of rural interstate and highways through a criteria-based approach, including elements such as traffic volume, percentage of trucks on the road and whether there is a current crash issue in the area.
“The only one that really I would say we’re not going to look at, at least right now, is I-70 across the state, because most of it is under construction,” Hassinger said. He added that they won’t be looking at metropolitan areas like St. Louis and Kansas City.
“Think places where the road is flat and straight, lower traffic and not as many trucks — those would be the most likely candidates,” Hassinger said.
Hassinger said the department will make a decision in the coming months regarding which roads will see the change. However, that decision doesn’t automatically mean drivers can go 75 mph.
“The speed limit is what the posted sign says at the time,” Hassinger said. “The black and white sign on the highway is the posted speed limit and always is.”
Hassinger said the goal is to have all the decisions made and upgraded speed limit signs put out on the roads by the end of the year.
A fiscal note attached to the law when it passed said MoDOT had determined there are 512 rural interstate and freeway speed limit signs.
“Each location — including materials, installation and labor — is estimated to cost $750 (to replace), for a total of $384,000 if all of the signs are replaced.”
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WEDNESDAY
Deer hunting regulations change in Missouri ahead of the 2026 season
By Emma Becker, Missouri News Network
New changes are coming to Missouri hunting regulations, with a focus on keeping infection rates low and simplifying regulations for hunters.
Starting this year, hunters will be asked to do mandatory sampling for chronic wasting disease in deer, with the requirement cycling among counties every four years. This year, it will take place in 28 counties Nov. 14 and 15.
Last year, less than 1% of disease samples tested positive in the state, but in some counties, the infection rate borders on 5%.
Jason Isabelle, Cervid Program supervisor for the Missouri Department of Conservation, said getting near the 5% mark can lead to rapidly rising higher infection rates that threaten Missouri’s deer herd and strong hunting traditions.
Isabelle said the reason for mandatory sampling is to increase the number of samples collected in the designated counties.
“The reason we pick that weekend is, typically about a third of the deer harvested in the entire four-month deer season happen on those two days,” Isabelle said.
“So, we get the biggest return on our investment by doing it when most people are out there hunting because those two days are the most popular of the entire deer season for most hunters,” he added.
Chronic wasting disease is a fatal neurological illness affecting deer that was first detected in February 2010 in Missouri. If left unmanaged, the disease will increase in prevalence and distribution, leading to increased mortality in deer populations.
Mandatory sampling increases the number of samples the department can collect and gives scientists a better understanding of the distribution and prevalence of the disease.
This year, mandatory sampling affects three mid-Missouri counties — Audrain, Callaway and Montgomery counties. To drop off a sample, hunters must bring the deer or its head.
Hunters will be given information about getting test results for their deer after samples are processed. No-cost voluntary sampling is available during the entirety of the deer hunting season.
Last winter, Missouri paused the strategy of targeted removal in localized areas where chronic wasting disease has been detected, a strategy that had been in place for over a decade.
The Missouri Department of Conservation announced earlier this year that it currently has no plans to resume the operation. Instead, the department will work with hunters to develop a localized approach in which hunter harvest is the primary tool to manage the deer herd and chronic wasting disease during the regular deer season.
Targeted deer removal is the process of removing the animals near locations where chronic wasting disease has been found.
After conducting eight meetings this past spring with hunters and landowners throughout the state, the Missouri Department of Conservation plans to work with hunters and landowners to develop a new strategy they hope keeps levels of the disease low in the deer population.
This strategy shifts the approach to hunter-led efforts, allowing additional deer to be harvested during hunting season in the disease’s core areas.
Missouri deer hunters will face several other regulation changes this fall, including a reduced buck limit for nonresidents and an earlier youth season.
The Missouri Department of Conservation said nonresident hunters will now be limited to one antlered buck, down from two. Nonresidents who qualify for nonresident landowner permits can still harvest two.
The department said the number of nonresident deer hunters in Missouri has increased nearly 50% over the past decade, while resident hunters have raised concerns about land access and their hunting experiences.
The department also moved the Early Youth Portion one week earlier to Oct. 24-25 to avoid conflicts with Halloween activities.
The department removed the antler-point restriction in the final 18 counties where it remained. The department said yearling bucks can travel long distances and spread chronic wasting disease.
For more information for deer hunting season, go to the Missouri Department of Conservation’s website.
Missouri News Network reporter Leore Tal contributed to this report.
