Department of Conservation: New record set for Missouri deer harvest

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A new record has been set for harvested deer in a season.

According to a Missouri Department of Conservation press release, there were 326,026 deer harvested during the 2023-24 season, which ended on Monday. The previous record was 325,457 in 2006.

The top-four counties in the state were Franklin County with 7,395 deer harvest, Howell County with 6,346, Texas County with 6,181 and Callaway County with 5,762, according to MDC data. Throughout the state, there were 147,705 were antlered bucks harvested, 29,060 were button bucks, and 149,261 were does, according to the release.

According to the release, a number of factors led to the record this year, including increasing deer numbers and regulation changes that added a new early antlerless firearms portion, a new chronic wasting disease (firearms portion, and an increase in the number of firearms antlerless deer hunting permits in most counties.

“With deer numbers increasing in most counties, additional antlerless deer harvest is needed to slow population growth and help maintain deer numbers at desired levels,” MDC Cervid Program Supervisor Jason Isabelle said in the release. “It was great to see hunters take advantage of the additional hunting opportunities.”