MDC reports 68,312 deer harvested during firearms opening weekend Top harvest counties were Franklin, Texas, and Pike. Preliminary data from the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) shows deer hunters in Missouri harvested 68,312 deer during opening weekend of the November portion of firearms deer season Nov. 16 and 17. Of the 68,312 deer harvested, 42,283 were antlered bucks, 5,105 were button bucks, and 20,924 were does.
Top harvest counties
for opening weekend were Franklin with 1,627 deer harvested, Texas with 1,305,
and Pike with 1,161.
Last year, hunters
checked 90,253 deer during opening weekend of the November portion of firearms
deer season.
Warm temperatures were
another factor that contributed to this year’s lower opening weekend harvest
total according to Isabelle.
“Although the warm
temperatures this weekend made it comfortable for hunters to be in the woods,
it likely had an adverse effect on deer movement,” said Isabelle.
Isabelle noted that
the unseasonably mild temperatures probably also affected the desire of some
hunters to harvest deer given the necessity for rapid processing.
“Fortunately, there
are cooler temperatures in the forecast for the latter half of the November
portion, which should result in better hunting conditions,” said Isabelle.
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/.