Welcome to November. We are just a few days away from the largest portion of the firearms deer hunting season, and Jefferson County conservation agent Kyle Dunda said there is good news and bad news.
“I’ve been getting reports of some of the smaller bucks chasing does and a lot of calls for deer being hit on the road. All deer activity is picking up,” Dunda said.
The November portion of firearms deer hunting season opens Nov. 10 and ends Nov. 20 with shooting hours from 30 minutes before sunrise to 30 minutes after sunset. Hunters may take one antlered deer and up to two antlerless deer, depending on the county.
“Safety is No. 1 in our book, and as a hunter it should be No. 1 with you, too,” Dunda said.
Hunters must wear a hunter-orange hat and a shirt, vest or coat in the same bright color, which must be visible from all sides. Camouflage patterns in orange do not meet the regulations.
The use of bait to attract deer for hunting is illegal statewide. It is illegal year-round in Jefferson County and all other counties where chronic wasting disease (CWD) has been discovered. That rule has been in effect here for three years.
“With chronic wasting disease, we have developed zero tolerance for people who use grain or bait for deer or turkeys. Your grace period is pretty well over,” Dunda said.
The agent says he understands why hunters may want to use bait, but the risk of deer disease and the ethics of conditioning the behavior of wild animals reduces hunting’s sporting aspect.
“Jefferson County is full of 5-, 10- and 15-acre plots that people worked long and hard to be able to afford, but a deer needs a larger home range and will not stay on a small piece of property,” Dunda said. “They really want their kid to shoot their first deer, so they put corn out to lure them in, but you’re teaching them the wrong way. It’s unethical. It’s not fair chase.”
More good news comes in the success of the Share the Harvest program in Missouri. Last year hunters donated nearly 300,000 pounds of venison through participating processors and local organizations for charitable distribution.
In Jefferson County, the approved processors are John’s Butcher Shoppe, 503 N. Mill Street, Festus, and Dittmer Meat Packing, 9145 Ridge Road, Dittmer. Deer harvested in Jefferson and 10 others counties must be tested for CWD as part of the donation process.
Hunters are responsible for the cost of the processing, but money is available to assist with the charges when a whole deer is donated and may even cover the entire charge in many locations. Hunters also have the option to donate just a few pounds of their deer meat to the program.
Because of the discovery of CWD in Jefferson County the past two years, hunters will again be required to take any deer killed during the first two days of the November portion for mandatory sampling.
In Jefferson County, the two sampling stations are in Cedar Hill at the Big River VFW, 1 Lynn Lane, and in Herculaneum across from the Buchheit store at 200 Riverview Plaza Drive. The sampling stations are open from 7:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Hunters should field dress and Telecheck their deer before arriving at the sampling station, and the person who harvested the deer must be present. The hunter will have to point out the location of the harvest on a map.
Voluntary testing for deer harvested throughout the rest of the season is available in Jefferson County at three taxidermy shops: Bilbrey Studio in Barnhart, One Shot in Dittmer and Belmar’s in Arnold.
John J. Winkelman is community relations 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.