Hunters Harvest Over 11,000 Deer in Missouri’s CWD Management Zone

Jefferson City, Mo. (KFMO) - Preliminary data from the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) reveals hunters harvested 11,424 deer during the Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) portion of the firearms deer-hunting season, held from November 27 to December 1 in CWD Management Zone counties.

Of the deer harvested, 3,917 were antlered bucks, 1,052 were button bucks, and 6,455 were does. The CWD portion of the hunting season, introduced by MDC last year, aims to increase deer harvest in the CWD Management Zone to help slow the spread of the disease. Hunters were permitted to use any unfilled firearms deer hunting permits during this portion, but they had to comply with the statewide limit of one antlered deer during all portions of the firearms season combined. Additionally, hunters had to adhere to county-specific firearms antlerless permit quotas. The top counties for deer harvested during the CWD portion were Franklin with 413, Jefferson with 301, and Howell with 279.

This year’s harvest total slightly declined compared to last year’s total of 11,707 deer.

Deer hunting continues in Missouri with the archery season running through January 15, 2025. The late antlerless portion of the firearms deer season will take place from December 7-15 in open counties, followed by the alternative methods portion from December 28 to January 7, 2025.