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

 

 

This isn’t just another patch of woods.
For decades, the tract between Main Street and Jackson Avenue, parallel to 36th Street, has been a gathering place for the Freeman Grove community. Now, that same beloved space has become an active hunting zone.



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.

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



What’s happening

  • Police confirm the land is privately owned. Anyone entering without permission is trespassing.
  • One officer has been granted permission to bowhunt deer and has already set up a blind near the stream.
  • The same officer confirmed poachers with firearms are also active in the area. Firearms are prohibited if you hear gunshots, call police immediately.
Camouflage bow hunter blind


A neighbor’s story

One Freeman Grove resident, already aware of the no-trespassing notice, was frantic when her dog slipped out and ran into the woods. With no contact number for the landowner and no posted signs to guide her, she was in tears terrified her dog might be mistaken for a deer. In the end, she had no choice but to take her chances and go in after her pet.

women chases loose dog in no trespassing hunting zone


This is what the Joplin urban hunting ordinance has created: a once-happy community now living with fear and stress, caught between no-trespassing rules and the risks of active hunting.

Why this matters

This tract, once owned by Larry Abernathy and later Rodney Springs, 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

Final note

This land is more than property lines it’s part of our community’s story. Clear signage should be the bare minimum when hunting is authorized, especially during Joplin’s first urban bowhunting season.

Stay safe. Stay alert. Keep pressing for responsible land use and public transparency.