Preliminary data from the Missouri Department of Conservation indicates deer hunters in Missouri harvested 6,491 deer during the antlerless portion of the fall firearms deer season Dec. 2-4.
Top harvest counties were Callaway with 213 deer harvested, Pike at 205 and Osage with 185.
Texas County MDC agent Chris Ely said the county was not open during the antlerless season, but three deer were checked in anyway, either by archers who accidentally used the wrong permit when they checked their kills or by firearms hunters who mistakenly thought the antlerless season was open in the county.
“We will be contacting these three hunters to confirm,” Ely said.
MDC reduced the length of the antlerless portion of the fall firearms deer season starting in 2016 from 12 to three days so previous harvest numbers are not comparable to this season.
Deer hunting in Missouri continues with archery deer hunting through Jan. 15 and the firearms alternative-methods portion Dec. 24 through Jan. 3, 2017.
Learn more about deer hunting from MDC online at huntfish.mdc.mo.gov/hunting-trapping/species/deer.