JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Preliminary data from the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) shows that hunters harvested 11,726 deer during the state’s new chronic wasting disease (CWD) portion of the firearms deer-hunting season, Nov. 22-26, in CWD Management Zone counties. Of the 11,726 deer harvested, 4,717 were antlered bucks, 1,076 were button bucks, and 5,933 were does. Get harvest numbers for the new CWD Portion by county at extra.mdc.mo.gov/widgets/harvest_table/
The top five harvest counties during this hunting period were Howell with 480, Franklin with 462, Jefferson with 429, Washington with 365, and Oregon with 345.
According to MDC, the CWD portion was timed to occur during the end of the primary rut when deer movement is typically good and hunter interest remains high. Hunters were allowed to use any unfilled firearms deer hunting permits during the CWD portion and had to abide by the statewide limit of one antlered deer during the firearms deer season, all portions combined. Hunters also had to abide by county-specific firearms antlerless permit numbers. CWD testing was not required during the CWD portion, but voluntary CWD testing is available through the entire deer season. Learn more at mdc.mo.gov/hunting-trapping/species/deer/chronic-wasting-disease/voluntary-cwd-sampling.
MDC initiated the new portion to increase deer harvest in the CWD Management Zone to help slow the spread of the disease. The CWD Management Zone consists of the following counties in or near where CWD has been found: Adair, Barry, Barton, Bollinger, Caldwell, Camden, Carroll, Cedar, Chariton, Christian, Clark, Clay, Clinton, Crawford, Dallas, Franklin, Gasconade, Greene, Grundy, Hickory, Howell, Jasper, Jefferson, Knox, Laclede, Linn, Livingston, Macon, Madison, McDonald, Mercer, Montgomery, Oregon, Ozark, Pemiscot, Perry, Polk, Pulaski, Putnam, Ray, Ripley, Schuyler, St. Charles, St. Clair, St. Francois, Ste. Genevieve, Stone, Sullivan, Taney, Vernon, Warren, and Washington. Learn more about CWD at mdc.mo.gov/cwd.
Archery deer hunting continues through Jan. 15, 2024. The late antlerless portion of firearms deer season runs Dec. 2-10 in open counties and the alternative methods portion will occur Dec. 23 through Jan. 2, 2024.
Get more information on Missouri deer hunting from MDC’s 2023 Fall Deer and Turkey Hunting Regulations and Information booklet, available where hunting permits are sold and online at mdc.mo.gov/hunting-trapping/species/deer.
