StringShooter
Well-known member
- Joined
- Oct 23, 2001
- Messages
- 1,098
- Reaction score
- 1
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Hunters killed 16,256 fewer deer than last year in the opening weekend of the Missouri firearms season. In the 17-county Southwest Region, the numbers were down 3,708.
Conservation agents say they have no idea why the numbers are down. Statewide, hunters checked 110,995 deer last weekend, down from 127,251 on opening weekend of 2002. Hunters bagged the most deer in the Northeast (19,353) and Northwest (19,745) regions. The Central Region came in with 18,399. The Ozark Region in the south-central area of the state had 12,444. In the Southwest Region, hunters shot and killed 12,450 on Saturday and Sunday, compared to 16,158 in 2002. The Southwest Region includes Barry, Barton, Cedar, Christian, Dade, Dallas, Greene, Hickory, Jasper, Laclede, Lawrence, McDonald, Newton, Polk, Stone, Taney and Webster counties.
Benton County, around Warsaw, led the state with 2,118 deer checked on Saturday and Sunday. Macon County, in northeast Missouri, was second with 1,980. Howell County, around West Plains, was third with 1,927. Other top counties in the KY3 area are Texas (1,927), St. Clair (1,876), Camden (1,570), Henry (1,512), Laclede (1,493), Cedar (1,344), Phelps (1,342), and Dallas (1,030).
There were no fatal hunting accidents on opening weekend.
The regular firearms season lasts until Nov. 25. The archery season will resume the next day and last until Jan. 15. The annual season for hunters using muzzleloading guns will run from Nov. 28 to Dec. 7. Another season for regular firearms, for anterless deer only, is from Dec. 13 to Dec. 21, in some areas of the state.
Agents said they received better cooperation from hunters this year as they asked to test deer for chronic wasting disease. Hunters might have been more willing for technicians to take their deer’s lymph nodes this year. Last year, technicians sawed off entire deer heads for testing. Technicians were able to get the maximum 800 samples that they wanted out of counties in the Southwest Region.
Conservation agents say they have no idea why the numbers are down. Statewide, hunters checked 110,995 deer last weekend, down from 127,251 on opening weekend of 2002. Hunters bagged the most deer in the Northeast (19,353) and Northwest (19,745) regions. The Central Region came in with 18,399. The Ozark Region in the south-central area of the state had 12,444. In the Southwest Region, hunters shot and killed 12,450 on Saturday and Sunday, compared to 16,158 in 2002. The Southwest Region includes Barry, Barton, Cedar, Christian, Dade, Dallas, Greene, Hickory, Jasper, Laclede, Lawrence, McDonald, Newton, Polk, Stone, Taney and Webster counties.
Benton County, around Warsaw, led the state with 2,118 deer checked on Saturday and Sunday. Macon County, in northeast Missouri, was second with 1,980. Howell County, around West Plains, was third with 1,927. Other top counties in the KY3 area are Texas (1,927), St. Clair (1,876), Camden (1,570), Henry (1,512), Laclede (1,493), Cedar (1,344), Phelps (1,342), and Dallas (1,030).
There were no fatal hunting accidents on opening weekend.
The regular firearms season lasts until Nov. 25. The archery season will resume the next day and last until Jan. 15. The annual season for hunters using muzzleloading guns will run from Nov. 28 to Dec. 7. Another season for regular firearms, for anterless deer only, is from Dec. 13 to Dec. 21, in some areas of the state.
Agents said they received better cooperation from hunters this year as they asked to test deer for chronic wasting disease. Hunters might have been more willing for technicians to take their deer’s lymph nodes this year. Last year, technicians sawed off entire deer heads for testing. Technicians were able to get the maximum 800 samples that they wanted out of counties in the Southwest Region.
