Missouri's 2019-20 deer-hunting season ended Jan. 15 with the Missouri Department of Conservation reporting a preliminary total deer harvest of 285,483.
Of that total, 133,914 were antlered bucks, 27,931 were button bucks and 123,638 were does.
Top harvesting counties for the overall deer season were Franklin with 6,247, Callaway with 5,703, and Texas with 5,157.
Overall deer season numbers for Mid-Missouri counties show Cole taking in 1,612 deer, Boone with 3,407, Maries with 2,403, Miller with 2,880, Moniteau with 1,817, Morgan with 4,182 and Osage with 4,637.
Hunters in Missouri killed 290,224 deer during the 2018-19 overall deer hunting season, with 136,851 being antlered bucks, 30,113 button bucks, and 123,260 does.
Archery deer results
Preliminary data from MDC show hunters checked 61,209 deer during the 2019-20 archery deer season.
Top harvesting counties for the archery deer season were Jefferson with 1,604, Franklin with 1,294, and St. Louis with 1,227.
Archery deer season numbers for Mid-Missouri show Cole County with 359, Boone with 857, Callaway with 1,145, Maries with 454, Miller with 535, Moniteau with 276, Morgan with 827 and Osage with 771.
Hunters checked 52,923 deer during the 2018-19 archery deer season.
While the total deer harvest was down slightly from the year before, the archery deer harvest was considerably higher this year.
According to MDC Cervid Program Supervisor Jason Isabelle, season timing was a factor.
"The shift in the calendar this year with Thanksgiving occurring later in November resulted in archers having an extra week of prime hunting before the November portion of firearms season started," Isabelle said in a news release. "These extra days of hunting during the rut when bucks are particularly vulnerable to harvest, and an increasing trend in the number of archery hunters, contributed to a record year of archery deer harvest."
Isabelle said the calendar shift caused the November portion of firearms season to occur a week later than last year and during peak breeding when buck movement is reduced.
"As we get closer to the middle of November, bucks simply don't have to move as much in search of receptive does as they do earlier in the month, making them less vulnerable to harvest," Isabelle said. "Whenever this shift in season timing occurs, we expect a decline in harvest during the November portion of firearms season, which is when most of each year's harvest occurs."
Archery turkey results
Fall archery turkey hunting also ended Jan. 15. Preliminary data from MDC show 2,406 turkeys were killed.
Top counties for the season were Callaway with 69 birds checked, Greene with 63 and Franklin with 62.
Season results for other Mid-Missouri counties show Cole with 27 turkeys, Boone with 36, Maries with 41, Miller with 28, Moniteau with 22, Morgan with 27 and Osage with 50.
Hunters in Missouri killed 2,055 turkeys during the 2018 fall archery turkey season.
Hunting incidents
MDC reported six firearms-related hunting incidents during the 2019-20 fall deer and turkey hunting seasons.
The incidents included one fatality involving a shooter and victim, one non-fatal incident involving a shooter and a victim, and four nonfatal incidents where the injuries sustained were self-inflicted.