JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Preliminary data from the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) shows deer hunters in Missouri 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.
Perry County hunters harvested 1,009 (through 9 a.m. Monday): 548 antlered bucks, 87 button bucks and 374 does.
Ste. Genevieve County hunters harvested 941 deer (through 9 a.m. Monday): 577 antlered bucks, 78 button bucks and 286 does.
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.
For current, ongoing preliminary harvest totals by season, county, and type of deer, visit the MDC website at extra.mdc.mo.gov/widgets/harvest_table/
For harvest summaries from past years, visit mdc.mo.gov/hunting-trapping/species/deer/deer-reports/deer-harvest-summaries.
“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.
Get more information on Missouri deer hunting from MDC’s 2023 Fall Deer and Turkey Hunting Regulations and Information booklet, available where hunting permits are sold and online at mdc.mo.gov/hunting-trapping/species/deer.