MISSOURI, USA — Missouri had an incredibly low harvest total during 2024's peak deer season, new data from the Missouri Department of Conservation showed.
Hunters throughout the state harvested 159,120 deer during the firearms portion between Nov. 16-26, made up of 82,613 antlered bucks, 13,203 button bucks and 63,304 does. The top deer harvest counties included Franklin with 3,530 deer harvested, Texas with 2,935 and Howell with 2,741.
This year's total was much lower than 2023's November portion total of 193,885. The total was also around 15% below the five-year average, MDC's Cervid Program Supervisor Jason Isabelle said.
The low November firearms portion doesn't necessarily spell doom for 2024's deer season. Last year also saw a lower-than-usual harvest total in November, which was 3% lower than 2022's portion and 2% higher than the previous five-year average. That didn't stop hunters from making 2023 the state's highest deer harvest year ever.
Isabelle attributed the low harvest totals to the same factors opening weekend was lackluster: Acorns, warmer temperatures and a calendar shift.
He said a "significant" cause for the drop was an abundance of acorns throughout the state's forests.
“Throughout much of Missouri, there are a lot of acorns in the woods this year,” said Isabelle on MDC's website. “When that happens, deer don’t need to move as much to find food and they frequent fields and other open areas less often, making them less visible to hunters.”
The largest deer harvest declines were in counties with heavily forested areas and, in turn, acorn abundance, Isabelle said.
