Missouri deer harvest follows regional trend

Department will host public meetings in 2014

to gather input on deer management plan

JEFFERSON CITY–Hunters checked 50,507 Deer during Missouri’s archery

courtesy MDC

deer season, bringing the state’s overall deer harvest to 250,787. That number is down from the 10-year average of 293,056.

The archery deer harvest was the second-largest in Missouri’s history, reflecting the continued growth in popularity of bowhunting. Top archery deer harvest counties were Jefferson, with 1,205 deer checked, St. Louis with 1,230, and Franklin with 1,018.

Resource Scientist Jason Sumners says the overall decrease is in line with deer-harvest figures from other Midwestern states.

“Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, and Minnesota all reported decreases of 7 to 26 percent in their firearms deer harvests,” says Sumners. “The relative importance of the factors responsible for those decreases differs from state to state, but the history behind them is similar.”

The “history” Sumners mentioned relates to the challenges state agencies have faced in managing deer numbers over the past 10 to 20 years. As deer-restoration programs that began in the 1930s and 1940s finally came to full fruition, agencies faced a different challenge – how to balance deer populations that provide excellent hunting without also causing unacceptable levels of human-deer conflict.

Reversing the decades-long emphasis on protecting female deer from harvest, biologists increasingly urged hunters to shoot does. This was aimed at shifting the sex ratio of deer herds from doe-heavy to a 50:50 mix of bucks and does. The goal was to reduce deer population growth in some areas, hold deer numbers steady in others and reduce deer numbers in areas that already were significantly above deer population targets.

“Over the course of about 15 years, we were able to apply the brakes to deer population growth,” says Sumners. “Then came a perfect storm of conditions we had no way of anticipating.”

Those unanticipated conditions were driven by a severe drought that began in 2012 and carried over into 2013. It caused the worst outbreak of hemorrhagic diseases – blue tongue and epizootic hemorrhagic disease, collectively referred to as HD – in recorded history. Those losses were deepened when the drought caused the smallest acorn crop since the department started keeping records in 1960. The lack of acorns forced deer to move more during the 2012 deer season, making it easier for hunters to find them and contributing to the second-largest deer harvest in Missouri history.

Hunter behavior changes slowly, so they continue to shoot the same number of deer they have in recent years. Consequently, the harvests in the first and second years after a HD die-off remain relatively stable. By the time hunters adjust their harvest behavior, a significant loss has accumulated.

Sumners says the Conservation Department’s Regulations Committee will consider these factors, along with the many comments they have received from hunters, when drafting recommendations to the Conservation Commission regarding 2014-2015 deer-hunting regulations.  The Commission approved deer season dates for the 2014-2015 season to provide hunters adequate notice, but season regulations may still be adjusted by the Conservation Commission. He says the remedy for the current dip in deer numbers is not as simple as it might seem at first glance.

“Missouri’s deer population isn’t evenly spread across the state or a county,” he says. “Blanket, one-size-fits-all answers aren’t necessarily the right solutions. But we want people to know that we are hearing their concerns and are committed to identifying ways to find the right balance.”

Sumners says it is important to view the current situation from a broad historical perspective. It took 50 years of cooperation between the Conservation Department, landowners, and hunters to reach the point where Missouri’s annual deer harvest topped 200,000 in 1995. It took another 10 years to achieve the balance of doe and buck harvest needed to stabilize deer numbers in parts of Missouri where deer had grown too numerous. Maintaining that stability in the face of weather extremes, disease outbreaks and annual harvest variations is a balancing act. Sumners also says it is important to keep this years’ harvest in perspective.

“The average deer harvests of approximately 290,000 over the past 10 years have given us a lopsided view of what the annual harvest should be,” he says. “We’ve seen dips and bumps in total harvest before and expect the ebb and flow will continue in the future. We are committed to continuing the science-informed management that has enabled successful management of a deer resource that supports 12,000 Missouri jobs and pumps $1 billion into our economy annually.”

The Department evaluates season information each year and last year reduced unlimited antlerless permits in some counties.  The management of white-tailed deer has always been both a biologically and socially complex issue, but management today is more challenging due to interrelated factors such as land use, ownership, hunter density, and human population levels. Today’s research efforts allow the agency to forecast population changes and evaluate the impact of various regulation options on the deer population.  Research, management, and public input will help the Department make more informed management decisions.

The Conservation Department plans to hold public meetings around the state this summer to gather input from hunters, wildlife watchers and others about the future of deer management in Missouri.  Public input has always been and will continue to be an important part of the future of deer management.

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Hunters check 600 deer in urban hunt

Five portions of the firearms deer season remain.

JEFFERSON CITY–Hunters checked 600 deer during the Urban Portion of Missouri’s Firearms Deer Season.

County harvest totals during the urban portion were: Boone, 77; Cass, 39; Christian, 9; Clay, 30; Cole, 33; Franklin, 57; Greene, 104; Jackson, 33; Jefferson, 64; Platte, 9; St. Charles, 98; and St. Louis, 47.

Female deer made up 83 percent of this year’s urban portion harvest. Hunters are only allowed to shoot antlerless deer during the Urban Portion. This focus on harvesting female deer is designed to control deer numbers in urban and suburban areas, where hunting pressure is lighter and the potential for deer-vehicle accidents and property damage is greater.

This year’s harvest was below average for the urban portion, which became part of the firearms deer season in 2003. Over the urban hunt’s 11-year history, smaller harvests have been associated with warm weather. For instance, hunters shot fewer than 600 deer per year in 2007, 2010, and 2011, when high temperatures averaged 83.7 degrees during the urban hunt. In 2004, 2005, and 2009, when daytime highs averaged 61.9 degrees, the harvest averaged 1,719 deer. This year’s temperature averaged 72.2 degrees.

Missouri’s six portions of firearms deer season total 42 days. The remaining portions of Missouri’s firearms deer season are: Early Youth (Nov. 2-3), November (Nov. 16-26), Antlerless (Nov. 27-Dec. 8), Alternative Methods (Dec. 21-31), and Late Youth (Jan. 4-5).

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Archery deer, turkey harvests up from last year

Scarce acorns helped deer hunters, while Missouri’s turkey flock

continues to rebound from several years of poor nesting success.

JEFFERSON CITY–Bowhunters posted increases in both deer and turkey harvests during Missouri’s 2012-2013 archery deer and turkey hunting season, topping the previous year’s figures for the second year in a row.

The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) reports that hunters checked 53,997 deer during the four-month archery season. That is a 2.5-percent increase from the previous year, which was a record. Archers checked 3,217 turkeys, a 10-percent increase from the previous year.

Top archery deer-harvest counties were Jefferson with 1,211 deer checked, St. Louis with 1,098, and Camden with 1,062. Top archery turkey-harvest counties were Jefferson with 95 turkeys checked, Laclede with 79, and Greene with 76.

Adding the archery harvest to the number of deer taken during the six portions of firearms deer season brings Missouri’s 2012-2013 deer harvest to 311,304, up 6.8 percent from the previous year. The total 2012-2013 turkey harvest, including the youth and regular spring seasons, the fall firearms season, and the archery season, is 56,511.

Permit sales also increased. MDC issued 202,421 archery deer and turkey hunting permits for the 2012-2013 season, 4.9 percent more than the previous year.

MDC Resource Scientist Jason Sumners says the continued growth of bowhunting’s popularity is partly responsible for the strong archery harvest, but weather also played an important role.

“With more people taking up bowhunting each year, you would expect to see a corresponding growth in the number of deer taken,” says Sumners. “This year hunters also got a boost from weather events that reduced the availability of acorns. Deer rely heavily on acorns for fall food, and when that food item is scarce they have to move around more to meet their nutritional needs. That makes them more visible to hunters.”

According to Sumners, acorn availability is a greater factor in determining hunter success in the southern half of the state, where forest land dominates the landscape. So he was not surprised to learn that the 2012-2013 deer harvest increased by approximately 22 percent in the Ozark and Southeast regions. He says deer numbers in southern Missouri have grown steadily over the past decade. Also, acorns were abundant in the previous two hunting seasons, keeping the deer harvest fairly modest. This combination was bound to produce a substantial deer harvest.

In contrast, deer numbers have been declining slowly in northern Missouri, leading to a decrease of approximately 6 percent in the Kansas City, Northeast, and Northwest regions. Reduced deer numbers in many parts of north Missouri is a result of increased harvest pressure on does that has resulted from liberalization of antlerless harvest opportunities and, in the Kansas City Region, a reduction in buck harvest as a result of the antler-point restriction. 

Hunters in the Central and Southwest regions checked approximately 12 percent more deer, and St. Louis Region hunters checked approximately 18 percent more deer than they did in 2011-2012. These trends reflect slowly increasing deer numbers on average in these areas.

“Deer numbers vary from county to county in those regions,” says Sumners. “The causes of those variations include varying levels of harvest pressure on does, an outbreak of hemorrhagic disease in 2007 and, in southwest Missouri, reduced availability of antlerless permits.”

Before the 2012-2013 hunting season, Sumners predicted that the statewide deer harvest totals would not be affected significantly by the increased incidence of hemorrhagic disease that accompanied last year’s drought. That turned out to be correct.

“We know that to varying degrees, hemorrhagic mortality affected deer populations across much of Missouri,” says Sumners, “but it is still too early to tell if the decrease in harvest in some areas is the direct result of disease or a combination of recent trends of declining deer numbers as a result of a deliberate effort to reduce deer numbers in much of northern Missouri by harvesting more does. In many parts of central, northern, and western Missouri it is no longer necessary to continue high doe harvest to reduce or stabilize deer numbers.”

Sumners says MDC will consider reducing the availability of antlerless-deer permits where deer numbers seem to be near or below target levels. However, he notes that hunters and landowners also must take an active role in decisions about how many does to shoot.

“Restricting doe harvest can help when deer numbers are down in big areas,” says Sumners, “but it takes a valuable tool away from Missourians who want to manage deer populations locally. We have reached a point in Missouri’s history where hunters and landowners must begin to work together to make localized harvest decisions based on local deer populations. However, in some areas regulation changes may be necessary to curb undesirable declines in deer numbers. ”

MDC Resource Scientist Jason Isabelle notes that the 2012-2013 archery turkey harvest was up more than 20 percent from the previous five-year average and was second only to the 2009-2010 harvest of 3,298.

“The increase in the archery turkey harvest is largely a reflection of the improved hatches we’ve had the past couple years,” says Isabelle, “in addition to the increase in the number of archery hunters.”

Isabelle says regional harvest totals were 542 in the southwest, 511 in central Missouri, 425 in the Southeast, 418 in the Ozarks, 383 in the St. Louis area, 319 in the northwest, 318 in the northeast, and 301 in the Kansas City area.

MDC recorded 10 firearms-related deer-hunting incidents during the 2012-2013 hunting season. Three were fatal.

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Fall firearms turkey harvest up for second year

The increase reflects another year of improved nesting success.

JEFFERSON CITY–An increase in Missouri’s 2012 fall firearms turkey harvest confirms population gains that turkey managers predicted and hunters hoped for.

The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) Telecheck database recorded a harvest of 8,498 turkeys during the fall firearms turkey season Oct. 1 through 31. Top harvest counties were Webster with 225 turkeys checked, Laclede with 223, and Greene with 216.

This year’s fall firearms turkey harvest is 1,421 more than last year, a 20-percent increase. MDC Resource Scientist Jason Isabelle credits weather in part for the jump in fall turkey harvest.

“As far as production goes, our turkey population struggled through several tough years,” said Isabelle. “2008 was the wettest year on record in Missouri, and 2009 and 2010 weren’t much better. All that took a toll on turkeys and other ground-nesting wildlife.”

Isabelle said the hatch of 2011 was considerably better than the previous four, and it bolstered turkey numbers throughout much of the state. This year’s hatch, with a statewide poult-to-hen ratio of 1.7 poults per hen, was identical to 2011, which was the best since 2002.

MDC sold 16,413 fall firearms turkey hunting permits this fall, an increase of 9.3 percent from 2011.

Isabelle said he is encouraged by the increased fall turkey harvest and optimistic about prospects for the 2013 spring turkey season.

“The last two years have provided a much-needed improvement in turkey production,” said Isabelle. “We have always known that turkey numbers would rebound with favorable conditions. In parts of Missouri, our turkey numbers are still well below where they were five or 10 years ago, but the hatches of the last two years have certainly been a step in the right direction. 2011’s hatch should result in the largest group of 2-year-old gobblers we’ve had in quite a few years, which should make the 2013 spring season exciting for a lot of hunters.”

According to Isabelle, it is unlikely Missouri will ever see the numbers of turkeys it had immediately following restoration. That high-water mark was the culmination of a restoration program in which turkeys were reintroduced into areas where they had been absent for decades. Turkey populations expanded rapidly until they encountered “biological resistance” from factors that limit their numbers. From that peak, turkey numbers decreased to levels that are likely more sustainable in the long-run.

Isabelle says what the state’s turkey population has experienced over the course of the last several decades is not unique to Missouri. There are quite a few other states that have experienced similar trends in their turkey numbers as well.

“As long as we have enough habitat, Missouri will have a great turkey resource,” says Isabelle. “But wildlife populations have peaks during periods of favorable conditions and valleys during less favorable years. In the coming years, fluctuations in our turkey population can be expected. We’ll have our higher years and we’ll have our lower years. That’s just the nature of a species like the wild turkey.”

For the time being, the hatches of 2011 and 2012 represent considerable improvements in production and should serve to bolster turkey numbers throughout much of Missouri. For turkey enthusiasts, this is good news indeed.

-Jim Low-

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Archery deer, turkey harvests up from last year

Counties bordering urban areas had the biggest totals.

JEFFERSON CITY–Bowhunters posted increases in both deer and turkey harvests during Missouri’s 2011-12 archery deer and turkey hunting seasons, topping the previous year’s figures by more than one-third.

Hunters checked 52,671 deer during the four-month archery season. That is an increase of 10,299 (24 percent) from the previous year. Archers checked 2,923 turkeys, an increase of 739 (33.8 percent) from the 2010-2011 season.

Jason Isabelle, a resource scientist for the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC), said two factors probably contributed to the increased archery turkey harvest.

“I attribute the increase in harvest to the good hatch that we had last year in most of the state and to increased archery permit sales,” said Isabelle. “There were both more turkeys and more archers in the woods in 2011 than in 2010.”

MDC sold 110,647 archery hunting permits and issued another 82,486 no-cost landowner archer’s permits last year. The total of 190,133 archery permits is a record and continues a long-term trend of increasing interest in archery hunting.

“More people discover the enjoyment of archery season every year,” said Isabelle. “The challenge of bowhunting appeals to many hunters who start with firearms. For others, the attraction is a huge increase in hunting opportunity. For quite a few hunters, opening day of deer season can’t come soon enough and closing day comes too soon. Taking up the bow and arrow allows them to pursue their outdoor passion all fall and into winter.”

MDC Resource Scientist Jason Sumners said the reason for this year’s increased archery deer harvest is harder to nail down.

“Over the past decade we have seen a steady increase in the number of archery hunters and a resulting increase in archery harvest,” said Sumners. “However, that doesn’t explain the fluctuations we see in archery harvest from year to year. There are likely other factors at work that create annual variation in hunter effort or success. We had very mild weather last fall, and that might have caused hunters to spend more time pursuing deer. But there is still a lot we don’t know about the relationship between weather and hunter behavior and other factors that affect archery harvest.”

Sumners said he hopes to explore those factors in the future to gain a better understanding of what causes sizeable archery harvest fluctuations like those that have occurred over the last four years. For example, the deer archery harvest increased from 44,434 in 2008 to a record 51,972 in 2009 and went back down to 43,281 in 2010.

Missouri’s 2011-2012 archery and firearms deer harvests total 291,592. That is up 6 percent from the previous year. The 2011-2012 firearms and archery turkey harvests total 52,226, down 3.8 percent from the previous year.

The top archery deer-harvest counties were Jefferson with 1,092 deer checked, Franklin with 1,088 and Jackson with 1,040.  Top archery turkey-harvest counties were Callaway with 76 turkeys checked, Franklin with 67 and Jefferson with 58.

All of the top counties for archery deer and turkey harvest were in or near metropolitan areas. Isabelle and Sumners agree this probably is largely because all four counties are within easy driving distance of large numbers of hunters. Also, Callaway and Franklin counties are larger than average, and both have excellent deer and turkey habitat.

“Those four counties are natural choices for folks who live in nearby cities,” said Isabelle. “Franklin and Callaway counties are between the St. Louis and Columbia-Jefferson City areas and have some of the best turkey habitat in the state. Jefferson and Jackson counties are right at the edge of the state’s two largest metropolitan areas, so it’s not surprising that lots of archers would spend time hunting there.”

MDC recorded eight firearms-related deer-hunting incidents during the 2011-2012 hunting season. One was fatal.

-Jim Low-

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Firearms deer harvest just shy of 239,000

Image via Wikipedia

Total firearms harvest up 7,408 from last year’s 231,513.

JEFFERSON CITY Mo – Hunters age 6 through 15 checked 2,193 deer during the late youth hunt Jan. 7 and 8, bringing the total harvest for the 2011-2012 firearms deer season to 238,921 compared to last year’s total of 231,513.

The harvest total for last year’s late youth weekend was 1,292. This year’s combined early and late youth season harvests total 18,585 compared to 14,555 last year. Top counties during the late youth hunt were Macon with 52 deer checked, Franklin with 51 and Lincoln with 45.

Of the 238,921 firearms season total, hunters checked 570 deer during the urban portion, 16,392 during the early youth portion, 190,089 during the November portion, 14,439 during the antlerless portion and 15,238 during the muzzleloader portion.

Missouri had a record firearms deer harvest of 280,856 in 2006. The 10-year average firearms deer harvest is 252,029.

According to Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) Resource Science Deer Biologist Jason Sumners, the reduction in firearms harvest is indicative of reduced deer numbers in many parts of rural central and northern Missouri that have resulted from increased harvest pressure on does through the liberalization of hunting regulations and implementation of antler-point restrictions. 

“There are simply fewer does in the population today than there were six or eight years ago,” Sumners said. “This means that the doe harvest doesn’t need to be as high to manage population numbers as it was several years ago when deer populations in many parts of Missouri where growing rapidly.” 

He added that MDC has been trying for the better part of a decade to stabilize deer numbers in many parts of Missouri.

“We have been working to bring down deer populations to reduce crop damage, deer-vehicle accidents, and other deer nuisance problems, and we’ve made good progress in those areas,” Sumners said. “Now our challenge is finding ways to fine-tune deer numbers and hunting pressure at the local level, which means that future reductions in the availability of firearms antlerless permits may be necessary.” 

In contrast to central and northern Missouri, deer numbers in southern Missouri continue to slowly increase and opportunities to harvest antlerless deer are likely to increase over time.  

“Regardless of your location in the state, the combination of hunter numbers, hunter access, and regulations drives the size of the local deer population,” said Sumners.  “Landowners and hunters throughout the state have a tremendous effect on the deer population and ultimately determine local deer numbers. Additionally, the availability of antlerless permits for a specific county doesn’t mean that MDC feels there are too many deer.  They are a simply a tool available to hunters and landowners to manage deer numbers if they need to harvest additional antlerless deer.”

He added that 93 percent of Missouri’s land is in private ownership so private landowners and cooperative efforts by neighboring landowners to manage for deer and other wildlife can be very beneficial. 

MDC staff work with tens-of-thousands of private landowners around the state to help them improve wildlife habitat on their property. MDC encourages landowners to contact local MDC staff to learn more. To find local MDC staff, visit www.mdc.mo.gov and search under “Who’s My Local Contact.”

More than 500,000 hunters spend more than $690 million directly related to deer hunting in Missouri each year. Deer hunting in Missouri annually generates more than $1 billion of overall business activity and supports more than 11,000 jobs.

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Estimating the Age of a Buck Whitetail Deer in the Field

Image via Wikipedia

Ethical hunting involves knowing the animals you will be hunting. Beyond this, if you own your own property and wish to manage the deer population through selective harvesting, aging of deer is an important skill. While the most accuratemethods are done using teeth wear (tooth replacement-wear method), thesemethods are not a practical answer for deciding whether or not to harvest a deer. Doing this will require some knowledge of how deer mature physically as they proceed through various stages of development.

Prior to beginning our discussion of these characteristics, let's establish why we are discussing age of deer in the increments we use. Fawns are born in the Spring and reach the age of 1/2 a year in the Fall around hunting season. Thus, we discuss the ages of deer, as fawns, 1 1/2 years of age, 2 1/2 years of age and so on. Antler development reaches its pinnacle at the time the deer reaches maturity, which is around age 5. Therefore, we will discuss the physical characteristics of deer through age 5 1/2, but deer typically retain their maximum antler size through approximately age 8.

Read More

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Young turkey hunters post another good harvest

Image via Wikipedia

This year’s weather and the youth

turkey harvest were nearly identical to last year’s.

JEFFERSON CITY–Fortune smiled on young hunters during Missouri’s spring youth firearms turkey season April 9 and 10, enabling them to shoot an impressive 3,898 turkeys.

This was the second year in a row of warm, sunny weather for the youth season, encouraging hunters age 6 through 15 to spend plenty of time pursuing gobblers. This year’s harvest was nearly identical to last year’s figure of 3,945. Top counties for this year’s youth season were Franklin with 101 turkeys checked, Wright and Callaway with 77 each and Polk County with 75.

Male turkeys gobble most on warm, sunny days with moderate wind. Weather across most of the state closely matched this description this year, paving the way for an excellent hunt. Youth harvests prior to 2010 ranged from 3,894 in 2005 to 2,530 in 2001, the first year of the youth hunt.

The youth season provides an opportunity for adults to focus on mentoring young hunters. The impact on the state’s wild turkey flock is minimal, since the youth harvest usually accounts for approximately 5 percent of the annual harvest.

-Jim Low-

2010 Youth Deer Harvest Numbers Hold Steady

Image via Wikipedia

Youth deer harvest holds steady

Young guns posted the third-largest

harvest in the early youth hunt’s 10-year history.

JEFFERSON CITY–Hunters age 6 through 15 checked 13,263 deer during the early youth portion of Missouri’s firearms deer season Oct. 30 and 31. That is the third-largest number in the season’s 10-year history and only slightly less than the record.

The first youth season was in 2001, when young hunters checked 6,277 deer. The most ever taken during the two-day hunt was 13,466 in 2004. The harvest during last year’s early youth hunt was 13,328.

According to the Missouri Department of Conservation, this year’s top counties were Osage with 304 deer checked, Callaway with 277 and Franklin with 266.

The Conservation Department makes it easy to create a lasting reminder of young hunters’ first deer. An official First Deer Certificate, complete with congratulations and signature by Conservation Department Director Bob Ziehmer, is available at http://bit.ly/9bmk38. To create a certificate suitable for framing, you need only fill in the hunter’s information, print the form and add a photo.

From 2001 through 2007, the youth portion of firearms deer season ran for two days in early November or late October. In 2008, the Conservation Department added two days of youth hunting in January. The harvest during the late youth hunt has been small compared to the early portion, averaging a little over 1,700.

The Conservation Department recorded no firearms-related deer hunting incidents during this year’s early youth season.

Next on Missouri’s deer-hunting calendar is the November Portion of Firearms Deer Season Nov. 13 through 23. This portion normally accounts for approximately 80 percent of the state’s firearms deer harvest.

Three other portions follow the November hunt. The Antlerless Portion runs from Nov. 24 through Dec. 5. The Muzzleloader Portion is Dec. 18 through 28. The final portion of the firearms season is the Late Firearms Youth Portion Jan. 1 and 2.

Missouri also has an archery deer season that opens Sept. 15 and closes Jan. 15, with an 11-day hiatus during the November firearms deer season.

Hunters spend more than 5.7 million days pursuing deer in Missouri each year. The approximately $700 million they spend on their sport annually generates $1.1 billion in business activity and supports 11,000 jobs.

-Jim Low-