Urban Hunting in Joplin: What the City Won’t Say

 

Uncovering the overlooked risks, biological contradictions, and emotional fallout behind Joplin’s urban deer hunting ordinance.

When Joplin’s city council approved its urban bow hunting ordinance on June 16, 2025, they cited neighboring cities Springfield, Columbia, Branson, and Cape Girardeau as models of success. But extensive research reveals a different story: repealed ordinances, wounded wildlife, public backlash, and biological red flags. This article documents the dangerous gap between policy and lived reality and why Joplin’s wooded corridors deserve better. 

Joplin’s city council approved its urban bow hunting

 

What the Council Claimed

City officials stated the ordinance would:

  • Reduce deer-vehicle collisions
  • Minimize property damage
  • Prevent the spread of Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD)
  • Mirror “successful” programs in other Missouri cities

They referenced Branson, Columbia and Springfield, as examples of safe, effective urban hunts. Assistant Police Chief Brian Lewis called it “a win for folks.” But what defines success? Revenue from out-of-state permits? Field-dressed meat near public trails? Or simply fewer deer sightings? 

Note Branson link is a key distinction worth documenting. The Branson ordinance link opens directly to a downloadable PDF, not a browsable city page like Columbia or Springfield.   

 What the Record Shows: Red Flags Across Missouri

Cape Girardeau: Ordinance Repealed by Voters


Cape Girardeau: Ordinance Repealed by Voters

In 2012, Cape Girardeau passed an urban hunt ordinance. Within months, residents launched a petition, gathering 3,911 signatures. In 2013, voters repealed the ordinance by a 53.7% majority. The hunt was never implemented.
📎 Archery Wire
📎 Bowhunting.com

 

Columbia: Quiet Retraction After Public Discomfort

Columbia: Quiet Retraction After Public Discomfort

Columbia allowed urban hunts in the early 2010s but faced growing discomfort over deer passing away near homes and trails. Hunting zones were quietly scaled back, and city land was removed from eligibility.
📎 Columbia Tribune

 


Branson: Field Dressing Near Trails

Branson’s urban hunting ordinance permitted bowhunting on parcels over two acres, but residents voiced concerns about field dressing near public trails and the absence of clear signage. These complaints prompted the city to pass Ordinance 2023-0054, PDF which added discharge restrictions such as prohibiting archery within 150 yards of parks, churches, and schools but stopped short of requiring signage or public notification. The lack of visible warnings left many residents feeling blindsided. My image captures that emotional fallout: frustration, disbelief, and a growing disconnect between policy and lived experience.

📎 Branson Ordinance PDF
📎 Deer & Deer Hunting

Springfield: Wounded Deer and Emotional Fallout


 Springfield: Wounded Deer and Emotional Fallout

A deer smashed through two storefront windows on Campbell Avenue before collapsing and being euthanized by police. Councilwoman Cindy Rushefsky warned of child safety risks, but was dismissed. Managed hunts continue today, despite trauma reports.
📎 Springfield News-Leader
📎 Springfield Urban Deer FAQ  

 Biological Contradictions Ignored by Council

No CWD Protocols in Joplin’s Ordinance

Despite citing disease prevention, Joplin’s ordinance includes no CWD testing or containment protocols. MDC’s own CWD Management Plan outlines targeted removal zones and mandatory sampling but these are not enforced in urban hunts.
📎 MDC CWD Regulations  

Lyme Disease Myth

Council members claimed deer spread Lyme disease. But according to the CDC and Dartmouth Health, deer are not hosts of Lyme bacteria. Ticks acquire the bacteria from small mammals like mice and chipmunks. 

 Tick Burden and Grooming Imbalance

This year, local does showed unusually high tick burdens. Research suggests this may be due to a decline in mature bucks, which normally groom does during rut.
📎 Growing Deer TV

 The Collision Claim: Where Are the Numbers?

Missouri cities often justify urban deer hunts by citing deer-vehicle collisions. But according to the Missouri Department of Conservation’s Community Deer Management guide, cities are encouraged to track and document collision data before proposing lethal solutions. Despite this, no standardized, public-facing collision counts are included in the ordinances for Joplin, Branson, Columbia, or Springfield.

Instead, vague references to “increased incidents” are used to support harvests that disproportionately target all deer no matter the age, lactating does and fawns the very demographic needed to stabilize herd dynamics and reduce ecological stress. This undermines the biological rationale and raises serious questions about transparency, ethics, and ordinance integrity.

 

Late-Season Fawns Signal Herd Stress

 Late-Season Fawns Signal Herd Stress

Spotted fawns were seen in late August and September well past the normal birth window. This suggests disrupted breeding cycles, poor nutrition, and herd imbalance. Original image of late season fawn standing next to Four O' Clock flowers that do not bloom in the spring.  Have timestamp from camera to prove the late season fawn image. 
📎 Deer & Deer Hunting
📎 Times News Online  


 Footnote: Youth Hunters and Wounded Deer Incidents

Across Missouri's urban hunting programs including those cited by Joplin’s city council youth participation is permitted under state guidelines, often with minimal archery experience. According to Joplin’s ordinance, hunters must be at least 16 years old, and anyone under 18 must be accompanied by a licensed adult who is at least 18 and has completed hunter education or was born before January 1, 1967.

However, the ordinance still lacks any mandate for archery proficiency, bow draw weight minimums, or anatomical training before urban harvest. This is a critical gap. Ethical bowhunting standards recommend a draw weight of 45–60lbs to ensure humane penetration on adult deer yet many youth hunters use bows in the 30–40 lb range, which may be insufficient for clean harvests, especially in steep-angle urban settings.

Ethical bowhunting standards recommend a draw weight of 45–60lbs to ensure humane penetration on adult deer


Without required skill assessments or anatomical education, urban hunting becomes a high-risk practice where wounded deer, public trauma, and ordinance failure are not exceptions, but predictable outcomes. This raises a critical question:

Could the high number of wounded deer those found collapsed in yards, storefronts, and trails be linked to inexperienced youth hunters?

📎 Missouri Bowhunters Association

This is not an indictment of youth hunters it’s a call for stricter skill assessments, buffer zones, and ethical oversight in urban hunting ordinances. 

 Author Disclaimer

This article is written by Susang6, a long-time wildlife observer, ordinance researcher, and community advocate based in SW, Missouri. All claims are supported by publicly available documentation, firsthand observation, and cited sources. The author does not oppose ethical wildlife management, but advocates for trauma-informed policy, responsible sourcing, and the protection of vulnerable populations human and animal alike. This work is part of an ongoing archive documenting the real-world impact of urban hunting ordinances across Missouri.  

 Attention Readers: Take Action: Your Voice Matters

If you live in Joplin or care about the ethical treatment of wildlife and vulnerable populations contact your city council and ask them to revisit the urban hunting ordinance. Ask for trauma-informed signage, exclusion zones near encampments where homeless reside, and biological oversight that reflects the realities documented here.

📎 Contact Joplin City Council
📎 Reach Missouri Department of Conservation

Whether you’re a resident, a conservationist, or someone who’s seen the quiet suffering of wounded deer and displaced humans, your voice can help close the gap between policy and reality.

I’m a professional writer, digital artist, and nature photographer. I document seasonal patterns, creative work, and the quiet wild that lives beside us through blog posts.

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