Missouri deer hunters post record with 247,792 kills

Missouri hunters killed a record 247,792 deer last year during the state's four-part firearms deer season, the Department of Conservation said Thursday.

The largest number of deer -- 217,435 -- were killed during the regular firearms segment Nov. 16 to 26.

Young hunters killed 7,580 deer during the youth-only segment Nov. 2 to 3. The muzzleloader segment, Dec. 7 to 15, added 9,364 deer to the tally. The antlerless only segment, Dec. 19 to 22, closed out the season with another 13,413 deer killed.

Working with the same number of hunting days as the previous year, hunters increased the annual kill by 12,318, or 6 percent.

Totals from the department's Southeast region have not yet been made final, a spokeswoman at the MDC's Cape Girardeau office said.

There were eight nonfatal firearms-related accidents during the November segment and one during the antlerless only segment. No fatal deer hunting accidents were reported. There were no accidents reported during the youth and muzzleloader seasons.

The number of deer killed last year accounted for about one-quarter of the state's total deer herd.

Lonnie Hansen, a Conservation Department wildlife research biologist, said the size of this year's kill will not damage the herd and is necessary to control the animals.

"With 800,000 to a million deer in Missouri, it takes a significant annual harvest to control their reproductive potential," Hansen said. "Deer hunters provide this service at no cost to taxpayers, and in the process they put thousands of tons of lean, red meat on their tables."

Hansen said Missouri hunters donated more than 38 tons of venison to needy families last year through the Share the Harvest program.

Keeping the state's deer herd at acceptable levels also helps prevent deer-vehicle accidents, which cause millions of dollars worth of property damage annually and can prove fatal to motorists, Hansen said. Maintaining Missouri's deer herd at the desired size minimizes damage to agricultural crops, commercial nurseries and residential landscaping.

"Ultimately, deer population also is an ecological issue," Hansen said. "In areas where deer numbers grow unchecked, their foraging decimates plant diversity."