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NORTHEAST MISSOURI -- Riding along a Heartland road during firearms deer season you may see a different kind of yard display.

Don Fowler shows the buck he harvested proudly in his yard.

“I (have) a 9-point buck that I got yesterday about 4:00,” Fowler said. Fowler said after hunting in the rain and the real cold weather, he is happy to have harvested a buck.

I took a ride with Missouri Conservation Agent Shannon Smith who said this is the busiest time of year for them. He said while patrolling the areas, they make sure people are following the rules.

“When we see a hunter we’re checking him for proper permits (and) proper tags to make sure that they've got either a resident or a non resident permit,” Smith said. “Were checking to make sure that they've got on there hunter orange garments…their hat and their orange vests. We’re checking for firearms if we feel like that’s necessary. (There are) certain regulations that apply to ammunition.”

We journeyed into the woods to see if hunters were in fact following the rules and we came across Larry Shively.

Smith first made sure Shively had done his tags correctly. While there, Shively brought his deer up from the woods and into his truck.

“I got me a nice, fine 8-point buck here this morning,” Shively said. “And, (I) probably made about 100 yard shot or a little over.”

Shively said he doesn’t mind the checks by the conservation agents and thinks the conservation department is doing a great job.

During our time out, hunters were complying with the rules. Agent smith said this is usually the case.

“(There are) a lot of regulations pertaining to deer season when it comes to proper permits, tagging and checking regulations,” Smith said. “Yes. We do find violations, but for the most part deer hunters do a good job and compliance is high.”

For more information on Firearms Deer Season, click here.