FINAL DEER, TURKEY NUMBERS DOWN IN '96

JEFFERSON CITY -- Missouri hunters killed 6,302 fewer deer during this year's firearms deer season and 542 fewer turkeys during the fall turkey season than in 1995, according to figures from the Missouri Department of Conservation.

Deer hunters checked 180,395 deer during the statewide firearms deer season Nov. 16 through 26. Last year's record-setting harvest for the 11-day November season was 186,697. The MDC recorded 11 deer-hunting accidents -- none fatal -- during the firearms deer season.

MDC Wildlife Research Biologist Lonnie Hansen attributed the dip in the state's firearms deer harvest to weather that kept hunters in front of fireplaces and televisions rather than in the woods."We never got awful weather conditions, but we never had good conditions for deer hunting like we did the previous year," said Hansen, who oversees the state's deer management program.

"If we'd had the weather we had during the 1995 season, we probably would have shot quite a few more deer, because we had a lot more opportunity with 50,000 more bonus permits. On balance, though, I'm pleased. With the weather we had during firearms deer season, I thought it would be down a little more than it actually was."

The state's top three deer harvest counties were Macon (4,122), Howell (3,805) and Boone (3,661). As usual, North-central Missouri led regional harvest totals with 32,576 deer checked.

The fall turkey harvest was 13,144, down from 13,686 last year. Leading counties were DeKalb (490), Adair (473) and Macon (466). North-central Missouri led regional totals with 2,887, followed by the Northwest (2,044), West-central (1,730), Northeast (1,717), Central (1,488), East-central (1,114), Ozark (1,089), Southeast (701) and Southwest (374) regions.

Larry Vangilder, the MDC wildlife research biologist in charge of turkey management, says the lower turkey harvest reflects decreased participation in fall turkey hunters.

"When hunters don't see many turkeys, they tend not to buy permits and hunt in the fall. We actually had a better turkey hatch last spring than we did in 1995, but there was a big mast crop in northern Missouri, so the birds were in the woods, and they were not as visible. We sold fewer fall turkey permits, so naturally the harvest was down."