Oh, deer: 2017 hunting season looking up

Deer-harvest numbers are up slightly this year over 2016 partly because of improved weather conditions, a Missouri Department of Conservation official said.

Russell Duckworth, the agency’s protection district supervisor, said just over 191,000 deer have been harvested statewide for the firearms portion of hunting season.

That number is up about 6,000 from 2016, he said.

But with a harvest of close to 200,000 deer, “it’s not that surprising, an increase,” Duckworth said.

Antlered bucks number about 99,000 of those, button bucks 20,000, and almost 72,000 does make up the rest, Duckworth said.

Cape Girardeau County

hunters have harvested about 2,700 deer as of Friday afternoon, according to an online map at mdc.mo.gov. Bollinger County hunters have killed 4,250 deer; Perry County hunters nearly 2,800; and Scott County hunters have shot 660 deer.

Last year’s warm weather contributed to a smaller harvest, he said.

“Deer movement is very much weather-dependent, meaning, if you get lot of warm days, windy days, deer are not going to move as much,” Duckworth said.

That’s because deer can’t hear as well in the wind and don’t feel as safe, he said.

And the colder the weather is, the more energy the deer burn, meaning they’ll have to forage farther for food, Duckworth said.

“When deer are moving a lot, it’s more likely for people to see them, and the harvest is going to go higher,” he added.

Duckworth said preliminary numbers are a good indicator of how the season’s numbers will look overall.

“A lot of our harvest occurs on opening weekend, so the weather conditions on opening weekend play a big role in the overall harvest,” Duckworth said.

Most hunters still have valid permits early, he said, and many take off work for opening weekend.

Weather conditions after opening weekend aren’t as critical to the season’s numbers, Duckworth said.

Preliminary numbers from the firearm portion of deer season tell most of the story, Duckworth added.

A lot of people look to get a trophy from deer hunting, Duckworth said, adding that is why antlered firearm season sees heavier traffic.

By this time of the season, many hunters already have filled their quotas.

Duckworth said as of Wednesday afternoon, only three verified hunter safety incidents had been reported statewide.

“We have not had any in the Southeast region,” Duckworth said.

According to a news release from the agency, Missouri offers some of the best deer hunting in the country. It is an important part of many Missourians’ lives and family traditions.

Deer hunting is also an important economic driver in Missouri and gives a $1 billion annual boost to the state and local economies, the release said.

mniederkorn@semissourian.com

(573) 388-3630