Callaway County among top three in Missouri for opening weekend deer harvests

The Missouri Department of Conservation reports 88,843 deer were harvested during 2019 firearms opening weekend, Nov. 16-17, including this 10-point buck harvested in Knox County by 10-year-old Chase Bailey. Chase is pictured with his dad, Travis.
The Missouri Department of Conservation reports 88,843 deer were harvested during 2019 firearms opening weekend, Nov. 16-17, including this 10-point buck harvested in Knox County by 10-year-old Chase Bailey. Chase is pictured with his dad, Travis.

The preliminary results from last weekend's opening for the November firearms deer hunting season are in, and several Mid-Missouri counties are in the top 10 of total deer harvested.

Hunters harvested 88,843 deer during the November firearms season's opening weekend Saturday and Sunday, the Missouri Department of Conservation reported in a Monday news release.

That total had already increased to more than 96,500 deer by about 2 p.m. Monday.

Callaway County was in the top three harvesting counties, with 1,850 deer - behind only Franklin and Texas counties, each with more than 2,100 deer harvested.

Osage County was seventh in the state, with 1,551 deer harvested, and Morgan County closed out the top 10 with 1,488 deer harvested.

Other counties' preliminary results were also available: Boone, 1,065 deer harvested; Cole, 490; Miller, 942; and Moniteau, 661.

Throughout the state on the November firearms opening weekend, hunters harvested at least 55,313 antlered bucks, 32,404 does and 8,790 button bucks.

More information is available online at extra.mdc.mo.gov/widgets/harvest_table.

Hunters last year in Missouri checked 99,470 deer during the opening weekend of the November firearms season, according to MDC.

The November firearms season continues through Nov. 26.

The archery deer season opens again Nov. 27 through Jan. 15, 2020. The late youth deer season runs Nov. 29 through Dec. 1. The antlerless deer season runs Dec. 6-8, and the alternative methods season runs Dec. 28 through Jan. 7, 2020.

More information on deer hunting is available through MDC's 2019 hunting regulations and information booklet, available where permits are sold, and online at huntfish.mdc.mo.gov/sites/default/files/downloads/2019FDT.pdf.

Previous years' harvest summaries are available at huntfish.mdc.mo.gov/hunting-trapping/species/deer/deer-harvest-reports/deer-harvest-summaries.