Missouri’s 2018-19 deer-hunting season ended January 15, with the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) reporting a preliminary total harvest of 290,339 deer.
According to MDC, top counties for the overall season were Franklin with 5,826 deer harvested; Callaway with 5,545; and Howell with 5,350. Hunters harvested 284,477 deer during the 2017-2018 deer hunting season. The most-recent record season was in 2012-13 with a total harvest of 313,254.
Deer hunting ended with the close of the archery season, during which preliminary numbers say hunters checked 54,447 deer. Top counties for the archery season were Jefferson with 1,262 deer harvested, St. Louis with 1,083, and Franklin with 1,068. Hunters checked 51,991 deer during the 2017-18 archery season.
Fall archery turkey hunting also ended January 15. Preliminary data shows 2,095 turkeys were harvested. Top counties were Callaway with 56 birds harvested; Franklin with 44; and Monroe with 38. During the previous year, hunters harvested 2,426 turkeys during the fall archery season.
MDC reported eight firearms-related hunting incidents during the 2018 fall deer and turkey hunting seasons. Three were fatalities, with two occurring incidental to hunting while at hunting camps and one was a self-inflicted incident in the field. Of the five nonfatal incidents, four were self-inflicted and the other occurred when the shooter shot a victim while swinging on game.
Get more deer and turkey harvest data for the current season at the website, short.mdc.mo.gov.