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. 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. A ...