This year’s 1,604 deer checked by archery hunters in the county sets a new standard that is more than 27 percent above the record total of 1,262 set in 2018-19. Statewide, archery hunters brought 61,209 deer home. The highest previous total across Missouri was in 2012-13 with 53,997 deer checked. Last year, archers harvested 52,923 deer in the state.
Fueling some of the expanded harvest is the expansion of crossbow use as a legal method for all hunters. In the past, a medical exception was required for hunters who could not pull back or hold a standard compound or other longbow. In 2017, about 10,000 hunters had those exemptions. Beginning in 2018, anyone could use a crossbow.
Franklin County posted the second-highest harvest total in the state with 1,294 deer this year. St. Louis County hunters finished third with 1,227, and Callaway County, east of Columbia, had the fourth-highest total at 1,145.
The success of archery hunters in setting records, combined with other portions of the hunting seasons, made up lost ground from a decreased harvest total during the November portion when the numbers were down about 10 percent. All combined seasons totaled 285,483 deer harvested statewide in 2019-20, compared with 290,224 in 2018-19.
Further breakdown of the deer totals for Jefferson County includes 2,225 antlered bucks for all seasons. That total could become a factor in a couple of weeks when the state Department of Conservation holds its annual antler scoring event at the Jay Henges Shooting Range near High Ridge.
The open house is scheduled from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday, Feb. 8, in the education center at the range. Volunteers will score antlers using the Boone and Crockett Club official scoring system for big game trophies.
While the standard vernacular in describing deer antlers usually just involves the number of points, the Boone and Crockett system tallies several measurements, including antler circumferences, length of each point, and credit for the spread between both beams. The system includes deductions for differences in symmetry between antlers, and the totals are used for record book entries.
The antler scoring event at Henges is free and hunters can bring their trophies any time between 9 a.m. and noon. The antlers do not have to be from the past season, but to be offered for a record book submission, they must have dried for at least 60 days since harvest. The entry fee for the record book is $40.
Hunters may also submit shed antlers for scoring. White-tailed deer grow new antlers each year and cast off their old ones at about this time each winter. Finding those discarded antlers offers another type of hunting season – while supplies last. Mice and other small animals will chew on the bones for the minerals they contain.
In all the seasons combined, including the alternative methods, antlerless season, archery, November portion, and two youth seasons, Jefferson County hunters brought home 4,956 deer this past season. With or without antlers, they all can be trophies and most importantly, they help feed families with nutritious lean protein.
John J. Winkelman is community engagement manager at Mercy Hospital Jefferson. If you have news for the Leader’s Outdoor News page, e-mail ogmjohnw@aol.com and you can follow John on Twitter at @johnjwink99.