By FRANK CAMPA
Mo. Dept. of Conservation
Archery season for deer and turkey has been in since Sept. 15, and we just had the early portion of the firearms youth weekend. It's been long enough to see the results on many side roads and pull-offs, that being several deer carcasses dumped and/or disposed of in an inappropriate manner.
The word "conservation" means wise use without waste. We all hope successful hunters utilize as much of their harvest as possible.
We must all remember that we as hunters only make-up a small percentage of the total population and most would be considered non-hunters. These are people that are neither pro-hunting or anti-hunting. We would not want any non-hunters to become against the sport of hunting as it is very important to wildlife management and future generations of hunters.
We all want to set a good example and dispose of our deer properly and out of sight from the general public. No one wants to see decaying deer on every county roadway.
The deer hunting has been very good this year and it looks like there will be a substantial harvest. That is a very good thing.
Hunters need to plan ahead on what to do with their potential harvest. There is no abundance of meat processors in southeast Missouri. So, if you plan on just taking your whole deer to a processor, you may be surprised when you take it in and find out that they are full and are no longer taking any deer to process.
Have a plan B. Processing your own venison is quite economical and you will have the satisfaction of knowing that you processed your own. Several people would like to have the hides off the deer, such as scouts. There are even requests for hides on Facebook.
As much meat should be gleaned off the carcasses as possible. And, your pets might enjoy some of the bones off the deer.
If you share some of your harvest with others, make sure you provide that person with your name and address or your conservation number and date it was taken (or confirmation number from being checked).
If you kill or injure a deer, you must make a reasonable effort to retrieve and include the animal in your season limit. However, this does not authorize trespass. It is illegal to leave or abandon commonly-edible portions of game.
When you do dispose of your deer remnants, please dispose of them in a proper fashion, just as you would your other trash through a trash service or on your own property. Hopefully, you can utilize as much as you possibly can and/or can give it to someone who will appreciate it. There are always several people around that would appreciate venison that may not be incapable of hunting.
Do not dispose of your deer carcass by dumping it into a stream or other body of water or along a public roadway. According to state statutes, this is illegal in Missouri.
There is a comprehensive list of Missouri deer processors in your 2017 Fall Deer and Turkey Hunting pamphlet that can be found at your local permit vendor or online at mdc.mo.gov.
You may want to call ahead to your intended processor before taking them your deer.