Fewer deer harvested in opening weekend of firearms season than last year

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

More than 68,000 deer have been harvested during the opening weekend of firearms season in Missouri, according to a Monday press release from the Missouri Department of Conservation.

Opening weekend for the firearms portion of the season took place this past weekend. Of the 68,312 deer harvested, 42,283 were antlered bucks, 5,105 were button bucks, and 20,924 were does, preliminary data in the release says. Top harvest counties for opening weekend were Franklin with 1,627 deer harvested, Texas with 1,305, and Pike with 1,161, the release says.

Last year, hunters checked 90,253 deer during opening weekend of the November portion of firearms deer season, the release says.

“The calendar shift this year put the November portion a week later than last year, which results in lower deer harvest,” MDC Cervid Program Supervisor Jason Isabelle said in the release. “The peak of the rut in Missouri occurs around Nov. 10. When the calendar shifts, it puts the opener about a week past peak rut when deer movement isn’t as high as it is earlier in the month.

Isabelle said in the release that an abundance in acorns also impacted numbers.

“Throughout much of Missouri, there are a lot of acorns in the woods this year,” said Isabelle. “When that happens, deer don’t need to move as much to find food and they frequent fields and other open areas less often, making them less visible to hunters,” he’s quoted in the release.