Public Safety Alert: Hunting Active in South Joplin’s Freeman Grove Area

 

 Confirmed hunting activity in South Joplin’s Freeman Grove area. Learn what residents need to know to stay safe and protect their pets.

This isn’t just another patch of woods. For decades, the tract between Main Street and Jackson Avenue, running parallel to 36th Street, has been more than open land  it has been a gathering place for the Freeman Grove community. Children have run scavenger hunts here in the fall, crunching leaves underfoot as the trees turned gold. Teenagers carved their names into a tree and circled them with a heart. Families have walked the trails, thrilled to spot a deer and, once in a while, a fawn that brought pure joy to young eyes. Neighbors have treated it as an extension of their backyards a space of connection, recreation, and everyday peace.

Today, that same beloved corridor is no longer simply a place of community life. It has become an active hunting zone, introducing risks and stress into an area long valued as safe and shared.

Freeman Grove Community enjoys land close to homes, now is active hunting zone with no signs indicating warning



Map of Freeman Grove Community Joplin MO where active city hunting is occuring



What’s happening

  • Police Officer Jeremiah McGough confirm the land is privately owned. Anyone entering without permission is trespassing.
  • One officer has been granted permission by land owner to hunt and has already set up a blind near the stream east of S. Jackson
  • The same officer confirmed poachers with firearms are also active in the area. Firearms are prohibited if you hear gunshots, call police immediately.
Here are the photos I took while checking out the area for hunting.  
Urban Hunting in Joplin, Blind set up by creek, where Freeman Grove residents hike

Game Camera found in Freeman Grove woods close to area where families walk dog, children play


A Neighbor’s Story

One Freeman Grove resident faced a frightening moment when her small dog slipped into the woods. Already aware of the no‑trespassing notice, she had no posted signs or contact information to guide her. Tearful and afraid her Yorkie might be mistaken for wildlife, she felt she had no choice but to go in after her pet.

This experience illustrates how hunting activity so close to homes and shared spaces can create stress and uncertainty for residents. The current urban hunting ordinance has left neighbors navigating both no‑trespassing rules and the risks of active hunting in areas once felt to be safe.

Why this matters

This tract, once owned by Larry Abernathy and later Rodney Spriggs, is now managed by a land management company that has authorized police access for hunting. No signage has been posted to alert the public.

That means families, children, dog walkers, ATV riders, and unhoused neighbors could unknowingly enter an active hunting zone. The absence of clear warnings puts lives at risk.

Safety recommendations

  • Avoid this wooded tract for now
  • Choose marked public areas like Wildcat Park for recreation
  • Share this alert to help neighbors stay informed

Closing Statement 

As Joplin enters its first urban hunting season, we are reminded that shared spaces carry shared responsibilities. The wooded corridor between Main Street and Jackson Avenue has long been part of our community’s daily life a place of walking, gathering, and peace. Turning it into an active hunting zone changes that reality.

We ask our city leaders to recognize that hunting in areas so close to homes and public paths creates unnecessary risk and stress. Clear signage, transparent communication, and responsible land use should be the baseline. Our community deserves to feel safe in the spaces that have always connected us.