Missouri's 2020-2021 deer-hunting season ended Jan. 15 with a preliminary total deer harvest for the season of 296,516. Of deer harvested, 140,468 were antlered bucks, 28,587 were button bucks, and 127,461 were does.
Top harvest counties for the overall deer season were Franklin with 5,786 deer harvested, Howell with 5,367, and Callaway with 4,989.
Hunters harvested 285,873 deer during the 2019-2020 deer hunting season with 134,092 being antlered bucks, 27,970 being button bucks, and 123,811 being does.
“Although harvest was down slightly during the November portion of firearms deer season, when most of the deer harvest occurs, increases in most of the other season portions contributed to about a 4% increase in this year’s total deer harvest over last year,” said Jason Isabelle, cervid program supervisor. “The increased harvest is largely a reflection of increasing deer numbers throughout much of the state.”
Deer hunting ended with the close of the archery season. Preliminary data shows hunters checked 67,180 deer during the 2020-2021 archery deer season. Top counties for the archery deer season were Jefferson with 1,630, Saint Louis with 1,384, and Franklin with 1,315.
Hunters checked 61,407 deer during the 2019-2020 archery deer season.
Preliminary deer harvest totals by season, county, and type of deer are available on the MDC website.
Deer harvest summaries from past years are also available.
ARCHERY TURKEY RESULTS
Fall archery turkey hunting also ended Jan. 15. Preliminary data showed 2,905 turkeys harvested. Top counties for the fall archery turkey season were Greene with 84, Franklin with 78, and Texas with 61.
Hunters harvested 2,406 turkeys during the 2019-2020 fall archery turkey season. More turkey harvest information for the current season is also available, as well as harvest information on past turkey seasons.
MDC reported four firearms-related hunting incidents during the 2020-2021 fall deer and turkey hunting seasons. The incidents were all self-inflicted and non-fatal.