Low deer harvest numbers in Boone County this November

Calendar shift, warm weather and acorn boom lead to low deer harvest numbers

By: Kat Ramkumar, Columbia Missourian
Boone County hunters brought in 1,558 deer during the November firearms hunting season, around 500 fewer deer than last year. Boone wasn’t the only county that saw diminishing game numbers. The total number of deer killed in Missouri this year was 159,120, compared to last year’s total of 193,885.

Missouri Department of Conservation Cervid Program Supervisor Jason Isabelle said three factors are at play: a calendar shift, warmer temperatures and a bumper acorn crop. A bumper acorn crop, also called a mast year, is when trees produce an usually large number of acorns.

The November firearms opening weekend was a week later this year than last year. The 2024 firearms season started Nov. 16 and ended Nov. 26. The Conservation Department said that the peak of a rut, or breeding time, is around Nov. 10. A later start date this year explains a lower harvest, or how many deer were killed.

This November was also warmer compared to last year, leading to fewer hunters waiting for deer in such “undesirable” conditions, according to a news release from the Conservation Department. Warmer temperatures also mean there are fewer hunters wanting to process the deer that they’ve killed.

“We have a lot of deer hunters in Missouri that process their own deer,” Isabelle said. “They’ll harvest a deer and let it hang for several days before they begin to process it. If you have weather that’s really warm, the meat would spoil.”

Higher temperatures and an increase in moisture led to an abundance of acorn crops in Missouri. When that happens, deer don’t leave the woods to open fields in search of food where they’re more susceptible to hunters.

Isabelle also noted that the counties that brought in the fewest deer were more forested, which indicates a high presence of acorns.

“We’ve discussed the factors in isolation, but when you combine them all together, it was a perfect storm for a pretty substantial reduction in harvest,” Isabelle said.

Despite the overall low harvest numbers, Missouri hunters brought in a total of 18,500 deer for chronic wasting disease sampling during opening weekend. There have been 16 positive cases as of Wednesday.

“There’s still a lot of deer season left,” Isabelle said. “There’s a lot of time for folks to get out.”

Deer archery season runs from Nov. 27 to Jan. 15, the firearms antler-less portion runs from Friday to Dec. 15, and alternative methods season runs from Dec. 28 to Jan 7. In Missouri, alternative methods means hunting deer with atlatls, crossbows, bows and arrows, muzzleloaders and air rifles.

This article was originally published by the Columbia Missourian and is re-printed with permission.