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News Brief

Jan. 19, 2025Jefferson City, Mo. |  By: Jeremy Werner

MDC reveals deer hunting season numbers

deer

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. - Missouri’s 2024-25 deer-hunting season concluded on January 15, with hunters killing over 276,000 deer, according to preliminary data from the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC).

The total includes 129,252 antlered bucks, 23,842 button bucks, and 123,168 does. Franklin, Jefferson, and Macon counties led the state in harvest numbers.

This year’s hunt was down 15% from last year’s record-breaking 326,448 and eight percent below the five-year average.

The MDC attributes the decline to two factors: a later start to the November firearms season, which missed the rut’s peak, and an abundant acorn crop that kept deer movement within wooded areas.

Archery season ended with hunters checking 56,347 deer, a 1% increase over last year. Jefferson, Franklin, and Saint Louis counties led the archery harvest.

The MDC reported seven non-fatal hunting-related incidents this season, including four self-inflicted and three shooter-victim cases.