Youth deer harvest dips 15 percent

Young hunters killed 10,400 deer during Missouri’s Youth Portion of Firearms Deer Season Nov. 1 and 2, putting the youth harvest slightly above average.
The Youth Portion began in 2001, when hunters age 6 through 15 killed 6,277 deer. The harvest grew steadily during its first four years, peaking in 2004, when it peaked at 13,466.
This year’s figure represents a 15-percent decrease from last year, but it is 2 percent more than the previous seven years’ average of 10,163.
High counties during the youth hunt were Osage with 270 deer killed, Franklin with 222 and Gasconade with 210.
The Missouri Department of Conservation recorded one firearms-related deer hunting accident during the youth season. A young hunter in...
Read the complete story in the November 20th edition.