Mother Nature sent a clear message that summer is coming to an end by dropping a nice little cold front into Northwest Missouri. With recent daytime temperatures dropping down into the upper 50s, stepping out of the house into the crisp, wet, cool morning air made many bowhunters yearn to be in their favorite tree stand overlooking a heavily used deer trail.

Those who experienced similar sensations can rejoice in the fact that the 2008 archery season opener begins in just over a week. With a minor adjustment in season dates from past years and a few regulation changes, 2008 may just be the year to harvest the buck of your dreams.

Some have been actively waiting for the season opener, checking trail cameras, placing stands in strategic spots or working on food plots planted earlier this year. Others have simply spent the summer fishing and daydreaming of what the fall deer season may hold.

No matter where each bowhunter falls along this spectrum, now is the time to get out the bow or go purchase one, then get ready to hunt.

Missouri’s archery season has grown leaps and bounds over the past 60 years and with changes implemented after the Missouri Department of Conservation’s (MDC) series of public meetings held throughout the state last year, this fall may prove to be very promising.

One of the primary benefits for bowhunters this season will be the opportunity to hunt several extra days during the initial stages of the rut. While the season will begin on its normal date of Sept. 15, archery hunters will be allowed to continue until Nov. 14, unlike the past several years, when the season stopped on the 10th or 11th.

The next change will be the addition of antler point restrictions in 36 additional counties. MDC found that experimental antler point restrictions proved to be popular with hunters in the pilot study counties in north and central Missouri.

While these restrictions didn’t achieve the management objectives MDC had hoped, there were no negative biological consequences either. Since a majority of hunters in northern and central counties wanted the program expanded to areas where they hunt, the restriction was increased exponentially.

Many bowhunters were relieved to find the proposal to hold an antlerless firearms season in October will not be enacted at this time. Unfortunately, many bowhunters were disappointed to find the proposal of moving the November portion of firearms season back one week was also disregarded.

MDC maintains it will evaluate the impact of current changes on deer population status, harvest trends, hunter and landowner attitudes and overall deer herd health for the next three years. After the evaluation period is complete, it will use the information gained to assist with developing deer hunting regulations for the 2011 season.

Missouri’s total archery deer season runs from Sept. 15 through Jan. 15 making it one of the longest among the central states. Missouri boasts an ever-growing number of successful bowhunters each year, from the initial 73 hunters who purchased tags in 1946 to the more than 100,000 permits purchased and 70,000 landowner permits issued annually in recent seasons.

Over the last 60 years, harvest rates have soared to unbelievable highs. Last year alone, bowhunters harvested nearly 40,000 whitetails, not to mention the nearly 3,000 turkeys (which can also be harvested with an archery permit). It took Missouri bowhunters nearly 38 archery seasons from 1946 until around 1984 to harvest as many deer as were taken during the 2007-2008 season alone.

Outdoors correspondent Jeff Leonard can be reached at outdoors@npgco.com