Hunting & Fishing

Missouri's conservation story

Missouri citizens built this system on purpose. It started with meetings, votes, and a sales tax. Here is what that bought.

How it started

Built by citizens

Missouri's conservation system was built by citizens. Around 100 conservationists met at Columbia's Tiger Hotel in 1935 (forming the Conservation Federation of Missouri); voters approved Amendment 4 by about 71% to 29% on November 3, 1936, creating the Conservation Commission in the state constitution; and the Department began operating on July 1, 1937. MDC describes the Missouri plan as the nation's first nonpolitical, science-based conservation agency.

A penny on every $8

The 1976 sales tax

In 1976, Missouri voters approved a one-eighth-of-one-percent conservation sales tax — about a penny on every $8 you spend — which MDC describes as one of the nation's first dedicated state conservation sales taxes. It funds conservation areas, nature centers, public accesses, hatcheries, research, and education.

Who pays

Where the money comes from

~61.7%

Conservation sales tax
~16.3%

Permit sales
~15.5%

Federal reimbursements
~6.5%

Other sources

MDC takes no ordinary state general-revenue appropriation. By the FY26 plan, the conservation sales tax funds the majority (~61.7%), permit sales add ~16.3%, federal reimbursements ~15.5%, and other sources ~6.5%. So every Missourian who pays the sales tax chips in — and hunters, anglers, trappers, boaters, and equipment buyers add substantial support through permits and through federal programs (Pittman-Robertson on firearms, ammunition, and archery gear; Dingell-Johnson/Sport Fish Restoration on fishing equipment and motorboat fuel) that return conservation dollars to the states.

What it bought

What it restored

Look at what it bought: deer and turkey restored from near-nothing, river otters and bald eagles back, elk returned to the Ozarks, 1,000-plus conservation areas, free nature centers, and hatcheries that stock waters across the state.

Your part

Where you come in

Your part is simple: buy your permit, follow the Code, take your share, report poaching, and consider giving back through Share the Harvest or by joining one of Missouri's 7,000-plus registered Stream Teams (a partnership of MDC, the Department of Natural Resources, the Conservation Federation, and citizens). You're a steward of a public-trust resource — and that's something to be proud of.

Two easy ways to give back: join a Stream Team to help care for Missouri's waters, or learn about Share the Harvest through the Conservation Federation of Missouri.

Keep going

That is the story behind the system. To see how it works in practice, start with how hunting & fishing work, then dive into the Hunting guide or the Fishing guide.

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