KILL DOWN IN CAPE COUNTY AS FIREARM DEER SEASON ENDS

Blaming the warm weather and last year's flooding, Missouri Conservation Agent Gene Myers said fewer deer were killed in many counties in Southeast Missouri this firearm season.

But the region as a whole tagged 124 more deer than last year.

"The extremely warm weather, for deer season, tended to slow the deer's movement," Myers said.

He said more deer were killed in the region as a whole this year, because last year's flooding prevented good hunting in many counties in Southeast Missouri. The Ozark counties mostly were affected last year by the flooding, he said.

Counties in the Southeast Missouri region include Butler, Cape Girardeau, Iron, Madison, Mississippi, New Madrid, Pemiscott, Perry, Scott, Stoddard and Wayne.

Preliminary figures show that in Cape Girardeau County, hunters killed 53 fewer deer this year than during last year's firearm season.

Alan Benton of Cape Girardeau hunted for a buck Sunday morning near Oriole. He said he hunted four days during the week-long season. But Benton didn't return to the hunt Sunday evening before the season's close.

"I guess I'm not a die-hard hunter," he said,

Benton was unable to tag a buck this year.

Jonathan Sander of Gordonville also took advantage of the last day of firearm season. He shot a buck Sunday morning while hunting about 8 miles west of Gordonville.

"It was only a 6-point," he said. "But it's food on the table and in the freezer."

Sander said he took the deer to a Cape Girardeau meat company. He said the deer would be butchered into steaks, sausage and jerked meat.

Myers said fewer hunters took advantage of this year's season. He said most of the counties in Southeast Missouri reported light to moderate hunter activity. He said Bollinger County was the only county to report a heavy "hunter pressure."

"This wasn't a record year either way," he said.