Preliminary data from the Missouri Department of Conservation shows that young hunters ages 6 through 15 harvested 2,556 deer during Missouri’s late youth portion of the 2018 deer hunting season, November 23 through the 25. Of the 2,556 deer harvested, 1,140 were antlered bucks, 336 were button bucks, and 1,080 were does.
Top counties for the late youth portion were Wayne with 47; Ripley with 46; and Franklin, Macon, and Osage with each having 45 deer checked.
Last year’s harvest total for the late youth portion was 3,115 with 1,299 being antlered bucks, 453 button bucks, and 1,363 does.
Archery deer hunting continues through Jan. 15, 2019. Up next for deer hunting in Missouri is the antlerless portion of firearms deer season, which runs November 30 through December 2. The alternative methods portion will run December 22 through January 1, 2019.
