Missouri’s months-long 2020-21 archery deer and turkey seasons finally have come to a close, and bowhunters did especially well this year.
Deer hunters surpassed the previous harvest record, set last year, in late December, so every deer taken since then has added to a new record.
This season, the tentative total number of deer taken by bowhunters was 67,180, well above last year’s 61,407. I say tentative because the Department of Conservation always audits the numbers and usually finds a few double checks and other errors.
Most of our local counties ended up with bigger numbers than last year, and some were substantially higher.
Butler County bowhunters tagged 725 deer this year, compared to 587 a year ago.
In Carter County, bowhunters shot 764 deer, up from 584 in the 2019-20 season.
Reynolds County bowhunters killed 785 deer compared to last year’s 568.
In Ripley County, 749 deer went home with bowhunters, while last year, the total was 594.
Stoddard County bowhunters managed to just surpass last year’s total of 733 deer with 745 this season.
Wayne County again led the region with 1,308 deer taken, up from the 1.017 taken there last season.
The only local county to see a drop in its archery deer harvest was Dunklin, where 112 were taken this year. Last year, bowhunters there took home 130 deer.
Combined with the firearms harvest, the total number of deer taken in Missouri this year was around 296,516, a number which represents a 4% increase in the overall harvest compared to last year.
The archery turkey season also ended up being a pretty good one, with hunters taking 2,905 birds compared to 2,406 last year.
Locally, there were some substantial increases in the archery turkey harvest, which hopefully is a good sign for the spring season in April and May.
In Butler County, bowhunters took home 13 birds compared to five a year ago.
In Carter County, this year’s harvest was 21 birds, up quite a bit from six last year.
Two turkeys were arrowed in Dunklin County this season, where none were taken last year.
Reynolds County saw a big increase this year, with hunters taking 23 turkeys. Last year, they killed six.
Ripley County saw an even larger increase, percentage-wise. This year, 27 turkeys were taken there compared to just four a year ago.
In the turkey-hunting stronghold of Stoddard County, 35 birds were arrowed this fall compared to 25 last season.
The harvest also jumped significantly in Wayne County, where 46 birds were taken. Last year, the number was 12.
Duck numbers in Missouri’s South Zone haven’t changed appreciably for a long time, and the hunting has been pretty tough, except in a few pockets here and there.
The ducks have been here a long time and aren’t flying much, if at all, during daylight hours.
At the Coon Island Conservation Area in Butler County, biologist Luke Wehmhoff reports about 12,000 ducks, almost all of them holding tightly on the refuge on the east side of the river.
The Little River Conservation Area near Kennett is only holding about 5,000 ducks. If you decide to go there, remember it’s only hunted on Tuesdays, Thursday and the weekends.
The Ten Mile Pond Conservation Area near East Prairie is holding the most birds in the South Zone, by far, with about 53,000 earlier this week.
Interestingly, mallards made up slightly less than half of the total, according to biologist Keith Cordell.
The season continues through the end of the month, and if we get any significant changes in the weather, hunting could improve.
In talking with MDC migratory game bird coordinator Andy Raedeke last week, he said it’s probably better at this point in the season for most hunters to look for birds coming back north from points farther south, especially after a couple days of a warm south wind.
Fishing reports from Wappapello Lake continue to be mixed, with some days of good catches, but one thing is for certain - there have been more people on the lake lately.
Fishing deep along the river channel in the upper lake still seems to be the go-to method, though you’d still probably have some success in the nearby flats on a warm, sunny afternoon.
If you’re more into fishing for bronze backs, the Current River Smallmouth Association will host a winter tournament Saturday, based out of Van Buren.
The launch is set for 7 a.m., with a weigh-in at 4 p.m. at the Watercress ramp, just north of the Riverways office.
If you have questions, give Paul Henderson a call at 573-686-5476.