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Missouri firearms hunters notch record kill

01/18/2003

Tim Renken, St. Louis Post Dispatch

Missouri firearms hunters notch record kill

Firearms hunters in Missouri bagged 247,792 deer in 26 days of hunting in four segments of the season last fall. A record for the state, the kill is 12,318 more than 2001.

The four segments are:

The youth hunt Nov. 2-3 with 7,580 killed.

The main segment Nov. 16-26 with 217,435.

The muzzleloader hunt Dec. 19-22 with 9,364.

The antlerless-only hunt Dec. 19-22 with 13,413.

The totals in 2001 were:

6,277 in the youth hunt.

205,867 in the regular.

8,662 in the muzzleloader.

14,668 in the antlerless only.

No fatal hunting accidents were reported last fall though there were eight non-fatals. No accidents were reported in the youth and muzzleloader seasons.

The total kill represents about 25 percent of the estimated deer population in the state, according to Lonnie Hansen, deer biologist for the Missouri Department of Conservation. He said that this level of harvest is "not only sustainable, but necessary."

"It takes a significant annual harvest to control their reproductive potential," Hansen said. He pointed out that the large harvest puts thousands of tons of lean, red meat on the table and reduces auto accidents and crop damage.

During the autumn Missouri hunters donated more than 38 tons of venison to needy families through the Share the Harvest program.

- Tim Renken
 

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