JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Preliminary data from the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) shows that deer hunters in Missouri harvested 197,724 deer during the November portion of firearms deer season, Nov. 12-22. Of the 197,724 deer harvested, 102,633 were antlered bucks, 16,929 were button bucks, and 78,162 were does.
Top harvest counties were Franklin with 4,175 deer harvested, Texas with 3,607, and Callaway with 3,416.
Last year hunters checked 188,928 deer during the November portion of firearms deer season with 102,054 being antlered bucks, 16,537 being button bucks, and 70,337 being does.
For current ongoing preliminary harvest totals by season, county, and type of deer, visit the MDC website at extra.mdc.mo.gov/widgets/harvest_table/.
For harvest summaries from past years, visit mdc.mo.gov/hunting-trapping/species/deer/deer-reports/deer-harvest-summaries.
“It would have been hard to ask for much better weather during the November portion than what hunters experienced this year,” said MDC Cervid Program Supervisor Jason Isabelle. “To have sustained temperatures that were well below average for nearly the entire season portion was quite remarkable.”
Isabelle noted that the colder weather likely resulted in increased deer movements, contributing to this year’s higher harvest total.
MDC reported one non-fatal firearms-related hunting incident during the November portion of the firearms deer season. It was self-inflicted and occurred in Bollinger County.
Missouri’s archery deer and turkey season resumes Nov. 23 through Jan. 15, 2023. The late youth portion of firearms season runs Nov. 25-27. The antlerless portion of firearms deer season runs Dec. 3-11 (in open counties) followed by the alternative methods portion Dec. 24 through Jan. 3, 2023.
Learn more about deer hunting in Missouri online at mdc.mo.gov/hunting-trapping/species/deer.
Get more information about deer season and hunting regulations from MDC’s 2022 Fall Deer & Turkey Hunting Regulations and Information booklet, available where hunting permits are sold and online at mdc.mo.gov/about-us/about-regulations/fall-deer-turkey-hunting-regulations-information.
