With the most popular weekend for most Missouri deer hunters coming up November 13 and 14, the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) says deer numbers look good and reminds hunters of key regulations.
A news release says firearms deer season runs November 13-23. According to MDC, opening weekend is the most popular two days for most deer hunters in Missouri. Hunters typically harvest between a quarter to a third of the state’s total annual deer harvest during those two days. Hunters harvested a total of 297,214 deer during the 2020-21 deer season. Of that total, 80,744 were taken during opening weekend, about 27 percent of the total harvest.
According to MDC, this season’s harvest should be higher than average due to increasing deer numbers across most of the state coupled with increased firearms antlerless permit availability in a number of counties and an extension of the antlerless portion.
As deer numbers have rebounded from a 2012 HD- a relatively common viral disease of deer that is transmitted by biting midge flies- outbreak, MDC has increased antlerless-deer-harvest opportunities, including increasing firearms antlerless permits. The antlerless portion of firearms deer season has also been extended from three to nine days this year.
Hunters are reminded that sampling for chronic wasting disease (CWD) will be required this year for hunters who harvest deer in any of the 34 counties of the CWD Management Zone on opening weekend. During mandatory sampling, harvested deer (or the head) must be taken to an MDC CWD mandatory sampling station on the day of harvest. Four counties were added to the CWD Management Zone this year: Camden, Laclede, McDonald and Pulaski. The CWD Management Zone includes Chariton County in the KMMO listening area.
Hunters and landowners that providing grain, minerals, and other consumable products used to attract deer is prohibited year-round within all counties of the MDC CWD Management Zone.
Hunters also are reminded that deer harvested within the CWD Management Zone must be reported through the Telecheck Harvest Reporting System before leaving the county of harvest.