The local area has harvested more than 7,600 deer as of Wednesday in the November portion of firearms deer season.
Preliminary data from the Missouri Department of Conservation shows deer hunters across the state harvested 90,334 deer during opening weekend of the November portion of firearms deer season Nov. 11 and 12. Of the 90,334 deer harvested, 53,159 were antlered bucks, 7,163 were button bucks, and 30,012 were does.
Top harvest counties for opening weekend were Franklin with 2,114 deer harvested, Texas with 1,825, and Howell with 1,726.
According to MDC, this year’s opening weekend harvest was similar to the previous five-year average. Last year, hunters checked 93,355 deer during opening weekend of the November portion of firearms deer season.
Local numbers as of Nov. 15 are:
(Antlered bucks; button bucks, does) Total
Butler — (471; 68; 311) 850
Carter — (608; 87; 509) 1,204
Dunklin — (147; 13; 56) 216
Reynolds — (552; 119; 527) 1,198
Ripley — (698; 117; 593) 1,408
Stoddard — (458; 69; 310) 837
Wayne — (1,050; 170; 734) 1,954
“With the cool mornings and comfortable afternoons, it would have been hard to ask for more pleasant conditions to be deer hunting this past weekend,” said MDC Cervid Program Supervisor Jason Isabelle.
The November portion of firearms deer season runs through Nov. 21 followed by the CWD portion Nov. 22-26 in open counties. Archery deer hunting resumes Nov. 22 through Jan. 15, 2024. The late youth portion runs Nov. 24-26. The late antlerless portion of firearms deer season runs Dec. 2-10 in open counties and the alternative methods portion will occur Dec. 23 through Jan. 2, 2024.