Missouri hunters bag 14 percent more deer in November

Missouri deer hunters had a little better luck this year than last.

Missouri Department of Conservation preliminary data show 189,938 deer were harvested during firearms season Nov. 14 through 24, according to mdc.mo.gov. That was up 14 percent, from 166,383 during the November 2014 season.

Department of Conservation deer biologist Jason Sumners cited good weather as a reason for improved deer-hunting numbers.

Antlered bucks accounted for 92,020 of the total, while 21,256 were button bucks and 76,662 were does.

Texas County had the top harvest, with 4,544 deer checked.

Deer sausage hangs in the smokehouse Monday at Jackson Frozen Food Lockers. (Laura Simon)

Totals were smaller in Southeast Missouri. In Cape Girardeau County, 2,165 deer were harvested. Bollinger County had 2,727 harvested, Scott County had 556, and Perry County had 2,224.

More than half the 189,938 deer were checked during opening weekend.

Deer hunting is important to Missouri, according to the department, giving a $1 million annual injection to state and local economies.

In addition, deer season helps families in need through the Share the Harvest program.

Through Share the Harvest, a partnership between the Conservation Federation of Missouri, the Missouri Department of Conservation, regional food banks, local food pantries and meat processors, deer meat is taken to charitable agencies for distribution.

Hunters take their meat to an approved processor, letting them know how much of the venison to donate.

In 2014, 3,967 hunters donated 213,443 pounds of venison through the program.

Heather Cook of Jackson Frozen Food Locker, one of the local approved processors, said the business has processed more than 500 pounds of venison for Share the Harvest so far this year.

"We've done more this year than we have in the past," Cook said, adding they've been participating in the program only two or three years.

Employee Ethan Ruch said people bring in deer intermittently, starting with bow season in September.

"It's real spotty. You'll have four or five deer one day, maybe, or 10 deer all week," he said. "And then once gun season starts, that weekend we get swamped."

Ruch said Jackson Frozen Food Locker received 74 deer the opening weekend of firearms season.

"Which is a lot for us. We only have four or five people working, and it's a lot to do," he said.

Ruch said they usually get caught up from deer season about mid-January.

Deer hunting in Missouri continues with the firearms antlerless portion through Dec. 6, archery deer hunting through Jan. 15, the firearms-alternative methods portion Dec. 19 through 29 and the firearms late-youth portion Jan. 2 and 3.

kwebster@semissourian.com

(573) 388-3646

Pertinent address:

400 S. High St., Jackson, MO 63755