Youth deer hunt harvest increases, turkey harvest declines

Southeast Missourian

JEFFERSON CITY -- Good weather helped youth deer hunters post a strong harvest in Missouri's youth deer season on Oct. 28 and 29.

Additionally, fall turkey numbers crossed the 10,000 mark again, although those figures decreased from last year, according to information provided by the Missouri Department of Conservation.

In the youth deer season, hunters checked 11,920 deer. The mark was a 9.8 percent increase from last year's figure of 10,860 but fell 11.5 percent below the record of 13,466 set in 2004.

Osage County had 322 deer checked to lead the state. Callaway was next with 259 and Pike County was third with 226.

The fall firearms turkey harvest was 11,927 birds for the season, which covered the month of October. That total is down 10.4 percent from last year's harvest of 13,308 and 17.7 percent below the record of 14,487 set in 2002.

Franklin County led the turkey harvest with 274 birds checked. Henry County was next with 217 and Greene was third with 195.