Despite being extended from three to nine days, numbers were slightly down for this year's antlerless portion of firearms deer season compared to 2020.
Preliminary data from the Missouri Department of Conservation shows that hunters in Missouri killed 14,896 antlerless deer Dec. 4-12. Top harvest counties were Callaway with 467 deer harvested, Pike with 376, and Morgan with 354.
The antlerless-portion harvest total for 2020 was 15,620, according to MDC.
“Prior to last year, the average harvest during the three-day antlerless portion had been just under 8,000 deer,” said MDC Cervid Program Supervisor Jason Isabelle via news release.