The first of Missouri’s firearms deer hunting seasons opens this weekend, so don’t be surprised to see more than the usual amount of blaze orange attire and to hear gunshots over the next few days in Jefferson County.
Obviously, camouflage and Day-Glo are appropriate throughout the year in our community’s fashion calendar, and the repeat of rifle fire seems as common as crickets in some rural corners. Still, the shooting will begin as statewide deer population management unleashes its best tool.
The early antlerless portion was new last fall, and the initial results showed it to be an effective method for herd control. Reducing the number of female deer provides exponential benefits compared to the one-at-a-time success of shooting bucks.
During the three-day season in 2023, hunters checked 16,553 deer for a daily average greater than 5,500. Jefferson County hunters accounted for 367 of that total, which was the seventh highest among the 100 counties where hunting was allowed. By comparison, during the late antlerless-only portion in December last year, hunters took 18,916 throughout a nine-day season. Jefferson’s 232 was outside of the top 20. The two seasons accounted for more than 30,000 does not having fawns this past spring.
While population management plays the most important role for the antlerless deer seasons, hunters can see advantages for both the early and late portions. By harvesting a doe or two ahead of the regular firearms season in November, hunters may hold out for that big buck they’ve been waiting on, knowing they already have venison in the freezer. The late season affords the opportunity to stock the shelves if earlier hunting chances did not work out so well.
This year the early portion is open Friday through Sunday (October 11-13). Shooting hours are one half hour before sunrise until 30 minutes after sunset. In most counties, including Jefferson, hunters may purchase and fill up to four antlerless-only hunting permits throughout all firearms seasons combined.
The next firearms season on the calendar is the most important, if not the most productive. Hunters ages 6 through 15 get two days of their own to hunt. Scheduled for the Saturday and Sunday two weeks before the November portion, pre-rut activity is nearing its peak so deer activity can be excellent.
The problem with the two-day early youth season is that one bad cold front can wipe out the 35 hours of opportunity between sunrise on Nov. 2 and sunset on Nov. 3. Cold, high winds, thunderstorms or other weather extremes can wash out young hopes and dreams. Fortunately, this year Halloween doesn't add another conflict for the kids.
Last year young hunters harvested 11,270 deer statewide during the early youth portion, including 108 in Jefferson County. The majority of deer checked by young hunters were antlered bucks at 6,891, but the season is much more about making memories than herd management.
Hunters may take only one deer during the two-day season, even if they have multiple permits. The late youth season opens on the day after Thanksgiving, Nov. 29, until Dec. 1. Young hunters are exempt from antler-point restrictions, which still exist in 15 counties in the state.
The November portion, which is referred to by most people as simply deer season, is scheduled for 11 days from Nov. 16 through Nov. 26. During that portion of the season last year, hunters bagged 193,885 deer, and Jefferson County was among the top five in total harvest with 2,936 deer. For anyone who thinks those are big numbers, it doesn't appear to have dented the overall number of deer in the state, and can only leave us to wonder how overpopulated Missouri deer might be if hunters were not managing the herd every year.
John Winkelman has been writing about outdoors news and issues in Jefferson County for more than 30 years and was the Associate Editor for Outdoor Guide Magazine. If you have story ideas for the Leader outdoor news page, e-mail ogmjohnw@aol.com, and you can find more outdoor news and updates at johnjwink.com.