Deer harvest figure up compared to last year

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. –  The deer harvest in Missouri is up compared to this time last year.

Figures from the Missouri Department of Conservation show that hunters harvested more than 16,000 deer during the antlerless portion of the firearms deer season, which came to an end on Sunday.

MDC figures show hunters harvested around 7% more deer this year compared to last year’s antlerless firearms season, which led to 15,019 deer harvested. This year’s season ran from Dec. 3-11.

The top harvest counties were Callaway with 451 deer harvested, Pike with 412, and Macon with 348.

For deer hunters with permits, the alternative methods portion runs Dec. 24 through Jan. 3, 2023.

The archery season runs will continue through Jan. 15 of next year.