Missouri season sets record

Missouri’s 2023-24 deer-hunting season ended Jan. 15 with the Missouri Department of Conservation reporting a preliminary record-setting total deer killed for the season of 326,026. This year’s record surpassed the one set in 2006 of 325,457.

Of the deer killed, 147,705 were antlered bucks, 29,060 were button bucks, and 149,261 were does.

Hunters took 299,719 deer during the 2022-23 deer hunting season with 140,735 being antlered bucks, 27,028 being button bucks, and 131,956 being does.

Deer hunting in Missouri ended with the close of the archery season. Preliminary data from the department showed hunters checked 55,396 deer during the 2023-24 archery deer season. Hunters checked 56,683 deer during the 2022-23 archery deer season.

According to the department, 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 led to additional hunting opportunities and contributed to a record season.

“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,” said department Cervid Program Supervisor Jason Isabelle. “It was great to see hunters take advantage of the additional hunting opportunities.”

This year was the first since 2013 that more does were harvested than antlered bucks.

“Prior to the severe hemorrhagic disease outbreak in 2012 that reduced deer numbers and resulted in regulation changes to reduce antlerless harvest, doe harvest exceeded antlered buck harvest each year for about a decade,” Isabelle said.

“Now that the deer population has rebounded and regulations have been liberalized, it’s nice to see the much-needed increase in antlerless harvest given our desire to slow the growth of the increasing deer population to maintain deer numbers at socially acceptable levels.”