Firearms opening weekend sees 88,843 deer harvested
JEFFERSON CITY – Preliminary data from the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) shows that deer hunters in Missouri harvested 88,843 deer during the opening weekend of the November portion of the fall firearms deer season Nov. 16 and 17. Of the 88,843 deer harvested, 51,086 were antlered bucks, 8,115 were button bucks, and 29,642 were does.
Top harvest counties for opening weekend were Franklin with 2,078 deer checked, Texas with 1,931, and Callaway with 1,735.
Last year, hunters checked 99,470 deer during the opening weekend of the 2018 November portion of firearms deer season.
The preliminary harvest totals for fall firearms season in St. Francois County is: 528 Antler Bucks; 103 Button Bucks; and 344 Does, for a total of 975.
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 huntfish.mdc.mo.gov/hunting-trapping/species/deer/deer-harvest-reports/deer-harvest-summaries
The November portion of fall firearms deer seasons continues through Nov. 26. Archery deer season opens again Nov. 27 through Jan. 15. The late youth portion runs Nov. 29 through Dec. 1. The antlerless portion runs Dec. 6-8. The alternative methods portion runs Dec. 28 through Jan. 7, 2020.
For more information on deer hunting in Missouri, see MDC’s 2019 Fall Deer & Turkey Hunting Regulations and Information booklet, available where permits are sold and online at huntfish.mdc.mo.gov/sites/default/files/downloads/2019FDT.pdf
MDC reports 88,843 deer were harvested during firearms opening weekend, Nov. 16 and 17, including this 10-point buck harvested in Knox County by 10-year-old Chase Bailey. Chase is pictured with his dad Travis.
