MDC reports that 68,312 deer were harvested during the opening weekend of firearms

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Preliminary data from the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) shows deer hunters in Missouri harvested 68,312 deer during the opening weekend of the November portion of the firearms deer season on November 16-17. Of the 68,312 deer harvested, 42,283 were antlered bucks, 5,105 were button bucks. dollars, and 20,924 were.

The counties with the highest harvest for the opening weekend were Franklin with 1,627 deer harvested, Texas with 1,305 and Pike with 1,161.

Last year, hunters checked 90,253 deer during the opening weekend of the November portion of the firearms deer season.

According to MDC Cervid Program Supervisor Jason Isabelle, this year’s crop decline was due to a combination of factors.

“Due to the calendar shift this year, the November portion is a week later than last year, resulting in a lower deer harvest,” says Isabelle. “The peak of the rut in Missouri occurs around November 10. When the calendar shifts, the opener is placed about a week after the peak of the rut, when deer movement is not as high as earlier in the month.”

Another factor that Isabelle believes has significantly affected this year’s harvest is the plentiful acorn harvest.

“There are a lot of acorns in the woods in much of Missouri this year,” says Isabelle. “When that happens, deer need to move less often to find food and visit fields and other open areas less often, making them less visible to hunters.”

Isabelle noted that the counties with the largest crop declines were in the more heavily forested parts of the state, where the abundance of acorns has a greater effect on deer movement.

Warm temperatures were another factor that contributed to this year’s lower harvest total during opening weekend, according to Isabelle.

“While the warm temperatures this weekend made it comfortable for hunters to be in the woods, it likely had a negative impact on deer movements,” Isabelle said.

Isabelle noted that the unusually mild temperatures also likely affected some hunters’ desire to harvest deer, given the need for quick processing.

“Fortunately, cooler temperatures are in the forecast for the second half of November, which should result in better hunting conditions,” Isabelle said.

Visit the MDC website for current, ongoing preliminary harvest totals by season, province and deer type extra.mdc.mo.gov/widgets/harvest_table/.

Visit for crop summaries from past years mdc.mo.gov/hunting-trapping/species/deer/deer-reports/deer-harvest-summaries.

Firearm deer hunting in Missouri continues, with the November portion running through Nov. 26, followed by the CWD portion from Nov. 27 to Dec. 1 in open counties. The Late Youth portion runs from November 29 through December 1, followed by the Late Antlerless portion from December 7 to 15 in open counties and then the Alternative Methods portion from December 28 through January 7, 2025. Archery deer season reopens on November 27. and runs until January 15, 2025.

More information about deer hunting in Missouri can be found in MDC’s 2024 Fall Deer and Turkey Hunting Regulations and Information booklet, available wherever hunting licenses are sold and online at mdc.mo.gov/hunting-trapping/species/deer.