With two days left in Missouri's firearms deer hunting season, state officials and some hunters say the harvest this year could turn out better than in 2009.
In a statement posted on its website this week, the Missouri Department of Conservation said harvest numbers for the opening weekend of the state's deer hunting season were up nearly 14 percent from the same time last year.
According to the statement, 97,856 deer were checked during this year's opening weekend, compared with 86,202 over the same time last year. Benton County, in the western part of the state, reported the highest countywide harvest number with 1,968 deer checked, with Callaway County bringing in the second-largest harvest with 1,749.