Missouri Deer Population  About 1.4 million deer in 2021, 2022, and 2023.  Over 1.3 million deer in 2019 and about 1.4 million in 2018, up from an estimated  population of 1.2 million deer in 2015 through 2017.   About 1.4 million in 2014 before hunting.  The population trended higher during 2016 in some areas as a result of harvest restrictions and limited disease impact.   A peak population of about 1.6 million around 2005.  


Missouri Deer News

Conservation department reports final deer harvest at record 326,026 January 23, 2024 Courier-Tribune

... deer numbers increasing in most counties ... this year was the first since 2013 that more does were harvested than antlered bucks.  “Prior to the severe hemorrhagic disease outbreak in 2012 that reduced deer numbers and resulted in regulation changes to reduce antlerless harvest, doe harvest exceeded antlered buck harvest each year for about a decade,.,


MDC reports final deer harvest for season at record 326,026 January 18, 2024 Missouri Department of Conservation 

... According to MDC, increasing deer numbers and regulation changes that added a new early antlerless firearms portion, a new chronic wasting disease (CWD) firearms portion, and an increase in the number of firearms antlerless deer hunting permits in most counties led to additional hunting opportunities and contributed to a record harvest..,


MO Department of Conservation reports record deer harvest for 2023-24 January 17, 2024 Missouri, KBSI Fox 23 

... a preliminary record-setting total deer harvest for the season of 326,026... surpasses the one set in 2006 of 325,457.   147,705 were antlered bucks, 29,060 were button bucks, 149,261 were does ...


Two Men Accused of Decapitating 15 Deer, Leaving Bodies to Rot in Missouri December 29,2023 Missouri, Wide Open Spaces

... charged with multiple poaching offenses, including taking deer in closed season, taking deer with the aid of artificial light, taking deer with aid of a motor vehicle, taking deer from public roadway, wanton waste, trespassing, and the illegal possession and transport of deer...


Missouri family spreads Christmas cheer with their traveling reindeer herd December 23, 2023 NY Post

... the reindeer business has really grown, with 130 farms across the U.S., U.K. and Canada, according to the Post-Dispatch. The average cost for a reindeer is $18,000 to $20,000.  Maintaining cold-climate animals in Missouri is a lot of work and the family must constantly monitor the deer ...


Des Peres, City Partners For Annual Deer Culling December 18, 2023 Missouri, Webster Kirkwood Times

... could reduce the deer population by up to 30 deer, only 12 of which can be antlered. The city’s contract with White Buffalo for deer culling is not to exceed $35,000... The city will not conduct a deer sampling census this year, but will instead conduct the census next December for $9,500...


Missouri Department of Conservation discusses impacts of poaching in the state December 15, 2023, KFVS12

... According to Mizzou’s (University of Missouri) Extension office, the state’s deer population is estimated to be around 1.4 million... Poaching is a misdemeanor and is punishable up to a $5,000 dollar fine or up to a year in jail..,


Rare antlered doe hunted in Missouri November 22, 2023 KSDK

... The Missouri Department of Conservation said it only gets two or three reports of an antlered doe a year out of the hundreds of thousands of deer hunted...


Two charged in mid-Missouri deer poaching case November 17, 2023 YAHOO!News

...  The MDC says several deer had been shot and dumped on the public trails in October. The Cole County Sheriff’s Office was also called to investigate the series of incidents, which recently led to the arrests of two suspects...


Poached Missouri elk launches $20,000 reward November 15, 2023 KSDK

... Help MDC find poacher of bull elk in Shannon County. Call OGT at 800-392-1111 with information on bull elk killed and left near Klepzig Mill in Shannon County this past weekend. A $20,000 reward is available ...


MDC reminds hunters of seven new CWD Management Zone counties in northwest Missouri November 6, 2023 Missouri Department of Conservation - MO.gov

... Deer that tested positive for chronic wasting disease (CWD) last year in or near those counties prompted the change. The northwest counties affected include Caldwell, Carroll, Clay, Clinton, Grundy, Livingston, and Ray...


MDC reminds deer hunters of baiting regulations ahead of opening weekend November 2, 2023 Missouri Department of Conservation - MO.gov

...  The use of bait, including grain or other feed placed or scattered to attract deer while hunting this fall, is illegal.  “The regulations are in place to help limit the spread of Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) in deer and to ensure fair chase,” said Southeast Region Protection Branch Captain Russell Duckworth. “For deer, bait includes grain or feed placed or scattered to attract them.” ...


Deer migration calls for caution on highways October 23, 2023 Missouri, St. Joseph News-Press

... The annual deer migration season coincides perfectly with the start of fall ... Just last year in the state of Missouri, there were 3,697 deer-vehicle crashes,..


The Missouri deer you shot could have a deadly disease October 20, 2023 KSDK

... CWD-infected deer can appear otherwise healthy for around two years before succumbing to the disease...  is why MDC urges hunters who harvest deer in certain Missouri counties to test their kill so infected carcasses can't spread the disease to other counties...


Don't dump deer carcasses around roads or waters of St. Louis, MDC warns October 18, 2023 Missouri,  FOX 2

... Not only is dumping of this nature illegal in Missouri, but agents are also concerned it could lead to the spread of chronic wasting disease. Long after infected carcass remains decompose, prions stay infectious in the environment, possibly exposing other deer to CWD...


Jefferson County Sheriff's Office issues warning about keeping deer as pets October 10, 2023 Missouri, KSDK

... After an incident in rural De Soto, Missouri, where a deer was found labeled "PET" and had a collar around its neck, the sheriff's office took to Facebook to issue a warning...


Changes reported in Missouri deer hunting regulations October 5, 2023  McDonald County Press

... "MDC's deer program aims to manage the deer population at a level that satisfies hunters and wildlife viewers and does not create unsafe driving conditions or overburden farmers." ... Testing for chronic wasting disease is not required for deer harvested during the CWD portion of the season, timed at the close of the breeding season when deer activity is typically high...



Bow hunter harvests rare 18-point doe, officials confirm September 29, 2023 Missouri, WEAU

... they thought was an 18-point buck.  They quickly determined it was a doe, which the Missouri Department of Conservation confirmed...


MDC outlines deer season changes September 25, 2023 Missouri, Maryville Daily Forum

... “With deer numbers being at desired levels in most counties but continuing to increase, additional antlerless harvest is needed to stabilize the deer population,” said Isabelle. “This new season portion will help increase antlerless deer harvest prior to the November portion, when many hunters focus on harvesting bucks.”..,


MDC asks public to report hemorrhagic disease in Missouri deer September 19, 2023 Missouri, MDC News

... MDC has recently confirmed HD in deer in Cole, Greene, Howell, Miller, St. Louis, and Webster counties. MDC has also received at least 305 reports of additional suspected HD cases from locations throughout the state... report suspected cases of HD to their local MDC office, conservation agent, or to email the information to WildlifeHeath@mdc.mo.gov ..,


Mountain lion seen killing adult elk in Missouri, officials say. How common are they? September 19, 2023 Missouri, YAHOO!News

... It’s the first mountain lion sighting this year in Shannon County, which is in southern Missouri about 160 miles southwest of St. Louis. There have been 13 confirmed mountain lion sightings this year in Missouri ..,


Deer hunting firearms season expanded 2 days September 15, 2023 MIssouri, Leader Publications

... “With deer numbers being at desired levels in most counties but continuing to increase, additional antlerless harvest is needed to stabilize the deer population,” said Jason Isabelle, cervid program supervisor for the state Department of Conservation. “This new season portion will help increase antlerless deer harvest prior to the November portion, when many hunters focus on harvesting bucks.” ,,,


Webinar explains data use for deer management September 9, 2023 Missouri, Daily Journal Online

... MDC and NDA previously presented Zoom webinars on deer survey techniques, wildlife cooperatives, and deer ageing techniques. Watch the recordings online at mdc.mo.gov/dmap...


MDC to increase permit prices in 2024 September 8, 2023 Missouri, KOMU

... Most permits will see about an $1 increase effective Feb. 29, 2024 ... The MDC noted that most permits prices have remained the same for 20 years...


Missouri Department of Conservation adds two new hunting seasons for the 2023 season September 3, 2023  KY3

... “The deer population is abundant. I wouldn’t say it’s higher than usual. It’s it’s a little over a million in Missouri, and it’s been that way for several years now. So the deer population is abundant,” [Francis Scalicky, media specialist for MDC] ..,


MDC reminds deer hunters of changes for upcoming season August 21, 2023, Missouri Department of Conservation

... “The changes to deer hunting regulations for the 2023-2024 deer season were motivated by increasing deer numbers throughout much of Missouri and in response to changes in the distribution of chronic wasting disease (CWD) in the state,” said MDC Cervid Program Supervisor Jason Isabelle. “With a growing deer population in most Missouri counties, we’re increasing opportunities for hunters to harvest deer both within and outside of the CWD Management Zone this year.” ...


Animal services help untangle deer antlers from soccer net near elementary school August 14, 2023 Missouri, KCTV News

... KC Pet Project shared photos of a male deer that had become entangled in a soccer ... Our officer quickly began working on getting the net off of the deer, and after a few minutes was successful in removing all of the net from the deers antlers...


Slowing the Spread July 29, 2023 Missouri Department of Conservation

...  From July 2022 to April 2023, MDC tested more than 33,000 deer and only found 118 positive CWD cases. Most of these were hunter harvested, brought by hunters to mandatory sampling stations in the CWD Management Zone during the opening weekend of the regular firearms season, or to voluntary sampling spots such as freezer drop-offs for deer heads....


If you find a baby deer by itself in your backyard, leave it alone. Chances are it’s OK June 13, 2023 Missouri, KWMU

... After birth, mothers will leave their fawns alone in a safe space for up to 24 hours to protect them from predators while they search for food... 


MDC proposes adjusting permit prices and wants public input May 19, 2023 Missouri Department of Conservation

... “In early 2003, the price of a resident firearms deer permit was $17 and the cost of a gallon of unleaded gas was $1.42,” explained MDC Director Sara Parker Pauley. “Jump ahead two decades to May 2023 when the cost of a resident firearms deer permit is still $17 while the cost of a gallon of gas is about $3.30. That cost increase really adds up considering MDC purchased nearly 908,000 gallons of gas in 2022 to run vehicles and equipment.”..,



First Deer Discovered in St. Francois County with Chronic Wasting Disease April 12, 2023 Missouri, My Mo Info

... one deer with C.W.D. was discovered in St. Francois County.  That was the very first time chronic wasting disease was found in a St. Francois County deer..,


MDC reports 117 new cases of CWD for 2022 surveillance year April 10, 2023 Missouri, MDC News

...  out of more than 33,000 whitetail deer and other members of the deer family tested for chronic wasting disease (CWD) between July 2022 and April, 117 tested positive, including four in Perry County.  The number of CWD cases found in the state since 2012 — the first year CWD was confirmed in the Show Me State — now stands at 408..,


'A noticeable uptick': Cougar sightings increasing in Missouri April 11, 2022 Missouri, YAHOO!News

... nine confirmed mountain lion sightings in Missouri between January 3 and March 7, nearly doubling the state's entire 2022 total... no evidence of an established population ...


Bill would compel Conservation to pay for deer collisions April 1, 2023 Missouri, News Tribune

... House Bill 1363 would compel the MDC to pay up to $250 for vehicular damage caused by an animal the department protects..."If somebody hits (an animal), do they now owe us, and conservation, for the cost of the investigation?" Rep. Rudy Veit, R-Wardsville, asked, unable to get a clear answer from Cook.  Veit also expressed concern with the fiscal note, which stated the bill would cost more than $750,000 to implement...


MDC reminds the public to report antlers found with the skull plate attached this spring

Missouri Department of Conservation March 29, 2023 Missouri,  Mo.gov

... According to chapter 10 of Missouri’s Wildlife Code, any antler found with the skull plate still attached must be reported to the county’s conservation agent within 24 hours of the shed being located if the finder intends to keep the antlers.  The presence of a skull plate attached to an antler suggests that the deer is likely deceased...


MDC offers upcoming online program with focus on deer management for landowners March 16, 2023 Missouri, Springfield News-Leader

...  The free webinar will also include first-hand accounts of landowner experiences with wildlife cooperatives. To watch, visit the following link to join the webinar: short.mdc.mo.gov/4g2

The Deer Management Assistance Program can help landowners manage deer on their properties ...


MDC reminds residents not to place food attractants in CWD counties March 5, 2023 Missouri, Buffalo Reflex

... Missouri’s deer herd has been affected by chronic wasting disease in several counties... One of the ways that the Missouri Department of Conservation tries to slow the spread and frequency of the disease is by restricting feeding of wildlife in counties that have been infected with CWD...


Chronic wasting disease now in Sullivan County, experts recommend getting all deer  tested  February 24, 2023 MIssouri, KTVO

... After sampling deer that were harvested during the Fall 2022 season, the Missouri Department of Conservation found that three deer in the county tested positive for CWD..,


Sharpshooters Kill 66 Deer In 4 Months February 20, 2023 Missouri,  Webster Kirkwood Times 

... “In the past four months, we’ve removed 66 deer, with 55 through the sharpshooter initiative ... Schaefer asked the board if it wanted to continue with the sharpshooter initiative, which  costs $50,000 a year.  [$909 per deer] ... 


Here’s why Missouri is seeing more mountain lions across the state Febraury 6, 2023 KWMU

...The big predator was wiped out in Missouri in 1927. However, the Missouri Department of Conservation confirms five to ten sightings each year of mountain lions wandering into the area from western states..,


Deer culling underway to 'slow the spread' of chronic wasting disease in Missouri February 4, 2023 Missouri, YAHOO!News

... Targeted culling of Missouri deer is underway in areas where new cases of chronic wasting disease were found following the latest deer harvests... around 29,400 samples with roughly 830 more to go have been tested this year, and, so far, 74 came back positive ..,


Missouri considers plan to clean up roadkill February 3, 2023 Missourinet

... “Typically, MoDOT when they’re cleaning up areas, will just take the dead deer and throw them either way off the shoulder or like into the right-of-way. What I learned was you can still see them and our constituents don’t want to see them,”  [State Rep. Paula Brown]


CWD deer culling planned at Prairie State Park January 31, 2023 Missouri, Joplin Globe

... The Missouri Department of Conservation announced a "controlled culling" of deer in February at Prairie State Park, following a positive CWD case on private land near the park last November. It was the first positive for chronic wasting disease in Barton County...


Property owners can get free deer hunting permits by submitting current info to MDC January 18, 2023 Missouri, YAHOO!News

... The department offers resident landowners with 20 or more contiguous acres and nonresident landowners with 75 or more contiguous acres no-cost or reduced-cost deer and turkey permits for hunting on their property...


Des Peres’s plans for deer hunting at park using sharpshooter rifles, concern residents January 17, 2023 Missouri, Fox2Now St. Louis

... “I don’t care how good they are, a stray bullet from a high-powered rifle can go a couple miles to houses and danger,” Greenman said. “Dougherty Ferry Road, which is right next to the park, is a major east-west commuter drive. Who knows, it might hit a car.” ...


Final tally in Missouri's deer hunting season falls just short of 300,000 January 17, 2023 Yahoo

... preliminary reporting ... showing a total of 299,721 deer killed...140,736 were antlered bucks, 27,029 were button bucks and 131,956 were does... a slight increase overall compared to the 2021-2022 hunting season ...,


Regulations For the 2023-24 Missouri Deer Season Take Effect January 10, 2023 Missourinet

... “Going back to about ten years ago, I had mentioned the hemorrhagic disease outbreak that occurred that was really severe,” adds Isabelle. “We had a lot of deer that died that year as a result of that disease. A lot of that mortality was in the central part of the state and the northern part of the state. The increase in deer numbers in those counties since that outbreak has been by design.” [ Cervid Program Supervisor Jason Isabelle]


Cape Girardeau managed deer hunt affected by weather, poor results January 6, 2023 Missouri, Southeast Missourian

... The two-month, urban archery hunt that ended Dec. 23 resulted in just four deer harvested to last year's 13 ... The program must be approved by the Cape Girardeau City Council annually and is run in conjunction with the Missouri Department of Conservation...


CWD reported in harvested deer in Barton County for first time January 5, 2023 Missouri, Yahoo! Sports

... A positive was reported in a Barton County deer harvested this fall ... An additional positive also was reported in Barry County this fall, bringing the total in that county to five so far..,


Missouri Dept. of Conservation advise people not to place food attractants in CWD counties January 2, 2023 KTVO Kirksville/Ottumwa

... MDC has instituted a rule that states that, “grain, salt products, minerals, and other consumable products used to attract deer are prohibited year-round within CWD Management Zone counties. The following exceptions are allowed:  Feed placed within 100 feet of any residence or occupied building ...


Missouri deer hunting season regulations are changing in 2023. Here's why December 29, 2022 Yahoo! Sports

... A hundred years ago, barely 1,000 deer roamed Missouri... A century later, more than 1.5 million deer are now scattered throughout Missouri... The conservation department wants those numbers to be maintained, which explains the expanded hunting regulations and limits it recently announced ..,


Missouri deer hunting permits raise $13.3M as 197,724 harvested during firearms season December 8, 2022 The Center Square

... MDC data showed 288,799 resident deer hunting permits for $17 were sold through Nov. 30, resulting in $4.9 million. The report showed 22,020 non-resident deer hunting permits for $265 were sold through Nov. 30, bringing $5.8 million in revenue. The remainder of the revenue was from 13 other types of licenses and hunting methods for deer...


Rising deer population leads MDC to add more dates to hunting season in coming year December 7, 2022 Missouri, Springfield News-Leader

... Deer populations are at desired levels in most counties, but are continuing to increase. Because of this, additional antlerless harvest is needed to stabilize those deer numbers [MDC's Cervid Program Supervisor Jason Isabelle]  ..,


MDC sets deer and turkey hunting dates and proposed deer regulation changes for 2023-2024 December 3, 2022 Missouri, Ozark Radio News

...  “With a growing deer population in most Missouri counties, we’re increasing opportunities for hunters to harvest deer both within and outside of the CWD Management Zone next year.” ...


Missouri hunting season nets more than 261,000 deer November 23, 2022 St. Louis Post-Dispatch

... Last year, hunters checked 188,928 deer during the November portion of firearms deer season ... “To have sustained temperatures that were well below average for nearly the entire season portion was quite remarkable.” ... the colder weather likely resulted in increased deer movements, contributing to this year’s higher harvest total...


Mo. Dept. of Conservation: Dumping deer carcasses is illegal; may spread CWD  November 16, 2022 Missouri, KY3

... ‘We receive and investigate numerous calls about the illegal dumping of deer carcasses this time of year,” Southeast Region Protection Captain Russell Duckworth said in a release. “And those calls are usually from concerned citizens who find a discarded deer carcass along public roadways.” ...


MDC thanks hunters for submitting samples to track down chronic wasting disease November 14, 2022 Missouri, KFVS12

... The MDC reports that the November portion of firearms deer season allows hunters to harvest between a quarter to a third of the total deer population in Missouri..,


State removes CWD testing in some management zone counties October 25, 2022 Missouri, Fulton Sun

... A lack of resources is preventing the Missouri Department of Conservation from opening testing sites in four counties considered to be part of the state's Chronic Wasting Disease Management Zone...There are more than 75 testing stations across the 34 counties in the zone, according to the interactive map on MDC's website...


MDC reminds people not to feed deer in CWD management counties September 28, 2022 Missouri, EIN News

... The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) is asking residents who live in Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) management counties to help slow the spread and reduce the impact of CWD in Missouri...


Barton, Vernon, Greene counties added to CWD management zones September 11, 2022 Missosuri, Yahoo News

... To date, there have been nearly 300 positive cases of CWD in 21 Missouri counties; there have been more than 1,300 positives in deer and elk in Arkansas, including many in cases along the Missouri border.  There have been no positives in Missouri's elk population ..,


Bluetounge virus impacts hunting as deer season nears September 8, 2022 Missouri, Northwest Missourian

... “We had a really bad EHD outbreak, and they modified that regulation to help the population bounce back a little bit,'' ...  Unlike other counties, hunters are only allowed to use one antlerless permit, while most other counties allow hunters to use two...


MDC seeking public feedback on updates to its CWD plan July 26, 2022 Missouri Department of Conservation

... As part of the plan revision, MDC is considering some changes to deer-hunting regulations for the 2023 deer hunting season. Proposed regulation changes include:  Increasing the maximum number of firearms antlerless deer hunting permits that a hunter could fill from two to four in select counties ... Comment on MDC’s draft CWD Surveillance and Management Plan July 25 through Aug. 8 at mdc.mo.gov/cwdplan...


Deer Management: 11 Things (2022) You Ought To Know July 17, 2022 Missouri, Erika Benson

...  in Missouri ... the state estimates the population is around 1.4 million...


Program helps landowners manage deer population July 10, 2022 Missouri, Yahoo News

... The Deer Management Assistance Program through the Missouri Department of Conservation allows qualifying landowners to receive additional antlerless permits to be used during the firearm season ...


Find a baby deer alone? They really don’t need help June 28, 2022 Missouri, Fox2Now

... The baby isn’t strong enough to follow mom all day, so female deer hide their newborn before going off to feed. But they are always close by... They do not have a strong scent that would attract predators and they know to keep quiet when hiding...


Managing the Herd June 1, 2022 Missouri Conservationist: June 2022

... Drury, co-founder of the hunting and outdoor media company, Drury Outdoors, and several neighboring landowners own and manage more than 4,000 acres north of Princeton along the border with Iowa. In his case, the issue wasn’t a matter of too many deer, but a herd that was out of balance between does and bucks.“It was out of control from our perspective,” Drury said. “There’s a lot of gun pressure up in northern Missouri, a lot of bucks getting harvested, obviously, and just not a lot of does getting harvested. I mean, we’ve got does like you’ve never seen.” ...

  

Dirty dozen: CWD cases spike in Jefferson County deer May 6, 2022 Missouri, myleaderpaper.com

...  From the first discovery of CWD in a deer killed near Meert's Tree Farm in 2016, through June of 2021, only nine deer had tested positive in the county. This fall and winter, 12 new infections were confirmed, all south of Festus and east of De Soto...


Which Missouri counties showed deer with chronic wasting disease  April 27, 2022 Ozarks First 

... The Missouri Department of Conservation said 86 deer out of 32,000 tested were positive for chronic wasting disease (CWD) between July 2021 and April 2022... 292 cases of CWD since the first case was detected by conservation officials in 2012 ..,  see full report


Cape Council approves amended urban deer hunt for fall  February 8, 2022 Missouri, Southeast Missourian

... Hunting periods will stay seven days long, but a one-week period of no hunting will follow... Last year's hunt lasted from Nov. 1 to Dec. 5 and resulted in the harvest of four male deer and nine female deer...


Mo. Dept. of Conservation reports final deer harvest numbers: nearly 300K January 18, 2022 Missouri, Paducah-Cape Girard

... a preliminary total deer harvest of 293,670.  Of the deer harvested, 143,049 were antlered deer, 26,599 were button bucks and 124,022 were does...


Nearly 300,000 deer harvested during Missouri hunting season January 18, 2022 KSHB Kansas City

... “The deer population has continued to increase across much of southern Missouri at the same time that we’ve seen a population recovery in most of the counties impacted by the severe hemorrhagic disease outbreak that occurred in 2012.” ... The total harvest represents a slight decrease, 1.19%, from the 2020-21 ..,


CWD expands in deer in Southwest Missouri, Northwest Arkansas January 7, 2022 The Joplin Globe

... For the first time, positives have been reported in Barry County, and additional positives were reported this deer season in Stone and Taney counties ... A positive also was reported for the first time in Howell County, another Missouri county along the Arkansas border...


Rep. Mitch Boggs seeks to reverse certain hunting regulations for landowners January 5, 2022 The Missouri Times

... HB 1694 would require the Conservation Commission to distribute landowner hunting permits upon request of any resident or nonresident who owns 5 acres of property...


Three bulls killed in second-ever modern elk hunt, conservation officials say December 20, 2021 Missouri, Springfield News-Leader

... Elk are a native species in the state but were hunted to extinction in the state through unregulated hunting during the late 1800s, according to MDC. About 100 elk were reintroduced to the Ozarks starting in 2011...


Chronic wasting disease found in 28 Missouri deer; testing for COVID-19 continues December 14, 2021 Columbia Missourian

... 28 cases of chronic wasting disease among deer tested in Missouri since July 1... Almost 19,000 lymph node tissue samples from deer were collected... 


Cape Girardeau Managed Deer Hunt Comes To A Close December 10, 2021 Missouri, KRCU

... a total of 13 deer harvested ...  will determine whether or not to continue the program


Some deer hunting still not allowed in area counties December 6, 2021 MIssouri, newspressnow.com

...  bluetongue disease, which caused several deer to die in 2013, drastically decreased the deer population in the area.  “Some of the estimates of deer loss were over 50% in some of the counties. That was the big issue in 2013 ...


 Missouri's November deer harvest was higher December 4, 2021 chillicothenews.com

...  Missouri’s deer population is obviously recovering from the effects of an EHD outbreak in 2012 which killed a lot of deer in much of the state..,


Deer with arrow in its neck spotted in Cape Girardeau December 2, 2021 Missouri, KFVS12

... They said it’s not clear if the deer is connected with the ongoing managed hunt happening in city limits ...


16-point deer in Missouri turns out to be doe December 1, 2021 WFTV

... This isn’t the first time an antlered doe has been bagged in Missouri. In 2019, a young hunter shot a doe with a 19-point rack of antlers ...


13 deer harvested in Cape Girardeau urban deer hunt November 30, 2021 Missouri, KFVS12

...  13 deer have been killed in the past four weeks of the five week hunt of the urban deer hunt.



Hunter cooperation needed November 15, 2021 Missouri, Missourian.com

… early estimates [two centuries ago] ranged from 10 deer per square mile to 20 deer per square mile in Missouri, or from about 700,000 to 1.4 million… 400 deer left in a handful of Ozark counties by 1925 … the deer population in Missouri has recovered, to as much as 1.4 million by some estimates ...


Outlook for Missouri firearms deer season is good. November 9, 2021  YAHOO!News

... “The deer population is increasing throughout much of the state,” said Jason Isabelle, with the Missouri Department of Conservation. “Deer numbers have been slowly increasing in southern Missouri for many years due to conservative harvest regulations." ... In most counties, deer numbers are at desired levels ...


MDC reminds deer hunters of CWD Mandatory Sampling Nov. 13-14 November 8, 2021 Missouri Department of Conservation News

... The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) reminds deer hunters that it will be holding mandatory CWD sampling during opening weekend of the November portion of firearms season, Nov. 13 and 14, for hunters who harvest deer in MDC CWD Management Zone counties..,


Cape Girardeau’s first urban deer hunting season begins Monday  November 1, 2021 Missouri, KFVS12 

... 47 hunters ... can only use bow and arrows ...


City Of Cape Girardeau Designates Marked Areas For Managed Deer Hunting Season October 20, 2021 Missouri, KRCU

... The City of Cape decided on managed deer hunting designations to support healthy wildlife population control and prevent starvation, as well as reducing the spread of diseases...


It's that time of year to watch for deer October 8, 2021 Missuri, News Tribune

... Last year, the Missouri State Highway Patrol reported 3,639 traffic crashes involving deer ...


Hunting interest rebounds after years-long slump September 30, 2021 Missouri,  PostIndependent.com

... “Our deer population continues to decrease from historical levels as a result of disease, urban sprawl and predators,”  [Matt Yamashita, a CPW area wildlife manager] ... “Up until recently, we were seeing a decline in hunting,” ... From 2020 to 2021, CPW reported applications for deer licenses increased by about 16,000 ...


Missouri Conservationists to Test Deer for COVID This Fall September 27, 2021 KBIA

... White-tailed deer in Illinois, Michigan, New York and Pennsylvania were tested in the federal study. Every sample showed at least 7% of the population having SARS-Cov-2 antibodies...


For the Bullock brothers, it's about more than hunting September 17, 2021 Missouri, dailyjournalonline.com

... Missouri’s deer population is estimated to be 1.4 million ... before European settlement, deer were thought to be abundant in the state. By 1925, Missouri had an estimated deer population of only 400... This decline led the Missouri Legislature to close deer hunting altogether ..,


There are ways to glimpse the Missouri of 200 years ago August 5, 2021 Joplin Globe

... William Clark ... wrote on June 17, 1804 ...  as he pushed up the Missouri River ... “The country about abounds in bear, deer and elk.”  As well as “numerous ticks”... Henry Rowe Schoolcraft  ...traversing the Ozarks in 1818-1819...  deer were so abundant... as far west as the James River ... a region with elk and deer abundant ..,


Oh, deer! Missouri buck makes record journey June 9, 2021 Fox2Now St. Louis

... Using GPS tracking of more than 600 deer in Missouri, researchers found one which traveled nearly 200 miles over a 22-day period.  The study was first published in March in Ecology and Evolution. The movements were tracked in November 2017, during hunting season...


Conservation Commission approves CWD regulation changes by MDC May 24, 2021 Missouri, Ozark Radio News

... Hunters who harvest deer in any counties of the CWD Management Zone during the opening weekend of the November portion of the firearms deer season (Nov. 13-14) are required to take their harvested deer (or the head) on the day of harvest to one of MDC’s mandatory CWD sampling stations throughout the Zone...


MDC releases deer Chronic Wasting disease report for 2020-2021 April 26, 2021 Missouri, KSDK

... The MDC reported it had collected more than 15,300 tissue samples from mostly harvested deer for CWD testing. The Department confirmed 44 new cases of CWD from deer tested...The 44 new cases were found in the following counties: Adair (2), Franklin (5), Linn (6), Macon (5), Oregon (3), Polk (1), Pulaski (1), Putnam (2), St. Clair (1), Ste. Genevieve (12) and Stone (1)..,


MDC Elk Restoration Efforts March 27, 2021 Missouri Department of Conservation

...Elk are a native species in Missouri that disappeared from the state due to unregulated hunting during the late 1800s... Their numbers have grown to more than 200 with an annual herd growth rate of over 10 percent and a herd ratio of more than one bull elk for every four cow elk ..,


Cape Girardeau urban deer hunting petition may not receive enough signatures before deadline March 24, 2021 Missouri, KFVS

... Opponents of an urban deer hunting season in Cape Girardeau say they are not going to get enough signatures in time for the petition ... They wanted voters in the city to have the final say ...


New members added to Missouri House Conservation Committee ahead of controversial vote March 7, 2021 Missouri, St. Louis Post-Dispatch

... if passed through a statewide vote in 2022, would turn the state's four-member Conservation Commission into a nine-member board with eight members elected. The governor would appoint the ninth member...


Effort to overturn City of Cape Girardeau deer ordinance to launch February 25, 2021 Missouri, Southeast Missourian

... Eight years ago, in April 2013, the last Cape Girardeau city deer hunt ordinance was repealed by a citizen plebiscite of 1,485-1,279, with 53.7% favoring overturning the hunt...


What Landscapes Did Missourians See in 1821? February 18 2021 Missouri, KRCU

... Henry Rowe Schoolcraft described these uplands in 1818, “barrens and prairies, with occasional forest of oak, the soil poor, and covered with grass, with very little underbrush.” Elk, deer, black bear, and turkey were abundant..,


Cape Girardeau city council approves deer hunting ordinance February 15, 2021 Missouri, Paducah-Cape Girard KFVS-TV

... The issue was put Cape Girardeau voters several years ago, but failed...


MDC reports final deer harvest for season more than 296,500 January 21, 2021 Missour, MDC News

... a preliminary total deer harvest for the season of 296,516. Of the deer harvested, 140,468 were antlered bucks, 28,587 were button bucks, and 127,461 were does... a four-percent increase in this year’s total deer harvest over last year’s,” said MDC Cervid Program Supervisor Jason Isabelle. “The increased harvest is largely a reflection of increasing deer numbers throughout much of the state.” ..,


Cracking the Mystery Behind Missouri's Year of the Giant Buck December 15, 2020 Missouri, Outdoor Life Magazine

... “Part of the reason is the recovery of Missouri’s deer population post 2012.” ... the devastating effect Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease (EHD) had on the State’s deer population in 2012. The MDC estimates that some counties in Missouri lost up to 20 percent of their deer herd and that conservatively, statewide mortality from EHD was in excess of 100,000 whitetails..,


Missouri's first elk season is underway December 10, 2020 RADIO.COM

... Over 19,100 people applied for a permit in Missouri’s first modern day elk hunt. The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) awarded five permits , four general permits for the public and one permit for a qualifying area landowner...


Deer poaching cases under investigation in Carter County, Mo.; National Park Service offers reward up to $5,000 for information November 28, 2020 Missouri, Springfield (MO) KYTV

... three dead deer south of Big Spring, Missouri ... investigators determined all three deer were shot from roadways with high-powered rifles between Nov. 22-23 ...


MDC reports November firearms deer harvest ends with 176,604 November 25, 2020 Missouri, KSDK-TV St. Louis 

... 95,654 were antlered bucks, 16,045 were button bucks, and 64,905 were does... 


Bad weather brings down deer harvest during firearms opening weekend November 17, 2020 Missouri, fox2now.com

... “We had pretty rainy, unpleasant conditions on Saturday, which inhibits deer movement and inhibits hunters desire to go out hunting. So that was one thing. That was followed up by windy conditions in certain parts of the state on Sunday,”  ...


Group sues to stop deer hunting in St. Louis area parks this weekend November 5, 2020 Missouri, KMOV

... An animal rights group and two area residents are suing to try to force an end to deer hunting in several St. Louis County public parks. Archery hunting of deer is scheduled to begin Saturday ...


Deadly Infection For Deer Is Spreading In Missouri November 1, 2020 KWMU

... chronic wasting disease, an infection that slowly kills deer, is in Pulaski County...  It's the 17th county with a confirmed case since the disease was first found in Missouri in 2010... a total of 163 cases confirmed in a state deer population that is more than 1 million...


MDC shares important information for deer hunting October 29, 2020 Missouri, MDC News

...“Deer populations in much of southern Missouri have been increasing slowly over time and deer numbers in much of central and northern Missouri have rebounded from the severe hemorrhagic disease outbreak in 2012 that caused a significant decline in deer numbers in many counties,” said MDC Cervid Program Supervisor Jason Isabelle..,


Missouri conservation warns against baiting deer in St. Louis region October 28, 2020 KSDK-TV St. Louis 

... One of the highest tenants of ethical hunting is the concept of fair chase. Baiting deer goes against fair chase by giving a hunter an unfair advantage. It is also illegal... Problems with deer baiting are amplified due to the presence of Chronic Wasting Disease ...


MDC reminds hunters of baiting regulations during deer and turkey seasons October 26, 2020 Missouri, Neosho Daily News

... The use of bait, including grain or other feed placed or scattered to attract deer or turkey, while hunting is illegal. The regulations are in place to help limit the spread of chronic wasting disease (CWD) in deer and to ensure fair chase...


Missouri's first elk hunting season begins Saturday October 17, 2020 KY3

...Elk are a native species in Missouri but were hunted to extinction in the state through unregulated hunting during the late 1800s. With the help of numerous partners and supporters, MDC reintroduced about 100 elk to a remote area of the Missouri Ozarks from 2011-2013..,


Cape Girardeau, Several options for a Cape urban deer hunt October 17, 2020 Missouri, Southeast Missourian

... By a 53.7% to 46.3% tally, voters exercised the referendum option seven years ago to strike down a particular City Council ordinance passed by a 4-3 vote in July 2012.  The April 2013 plebiscite, the first-ever voter invalidation of a city ordinance, rolled back the council's 2012 decision to permit a controlled archery deer hunt within city limits..,


Missouri lifts mandatory CWD testing in deer October 17, 2020 News-Press Now

... the 71 CWD sampling stations located throughout the zone will remain open. The department encourages hunters to have their deer sampled for CWD on the day of harvest.... Social distancing will be practiced by conservation department staff ...


Missouri drivers warned to watch out for deer on the road October 11, 2020 Springfield (MO) KYTV

... last year, there were 4,320 crashes in which deer-vehicle strikes occurred. In the state ... deer mating season is at its peak right now, running through mid- to late-November...


Missouri Department of Conservation: Hemorrhagic Disease Found in Deer October 5, 2020 Nature World News

... In 2007, the Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study(SCWDS) received hemorrhagic disease incidences in 31 states and an estimated mortality rates of 100 per county. The estimated death totalled 65,000 dears in Illinois, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia that year...


EHD, Hemorrhagic disease reported in Missouri deer October 2, 2020 KSDK

...Hemorrhagic disease in deer has been recently confirmed through diagnostic testing in Boone, Camden, Cole, Jackson, Linn, and Osage counties. MDC has received at least 100 reports of additional suspected cases from locations throughout the state...


  Missouri Department of Conservation agents rescue deer tangled in soccer net in Clay County September 25, 2020 KMBC

...  together they wrestled the deer to the ground and stabilized it, then they cut the net away from the antlers....


Hunting preview 2020 September 9, 2020 Missouri, Kansas City Star

... “Throughout the vast majority of the state, our deer herd is steadily increasing,” said Jason Isabelle, cervid program supervisor ...


MDC sets proposed bear-hunting framework for future seasons September 5, 2020 Missouri, MDC News

... According to MDC, over the last 50 years bear numbers in the Missouri Ozarks have increased significantly and today Missouri is home to between 540 – 840 black bears. Missouri bear numbers are currently increasing each year by approximately 9%, bear range in the state is expanding, and Missouri’s bear population is expected to double in less than 10 years..,


MDC reminds hunters and others of new CWD regulations for cervid carcasses August 12, 2020 Missouri Department of Conservations

... Deer harvested in CWD Management Zone counties must be telechecked before any parts of the carcass may be transported out of the county of harvest.

Whole carcasses and heads of deer harvested in CWD Management Zone counties may only be transported out of the county of harvest if the carcass is delivered to a licensed meat processor and/or taxidermist within 48 hours of exiting the county of harvest..,


Five hunters to participate in Missouri's first official elk hunt July 7, 2020 KSNF/KODE 

... the population has grown to more than 200, and the population has reached a point to where we can have a limited hunting season ... The five winners were drawn randomly in a group of over 19,000 hunters who applied for the permit ..,


Thank you to the officer for giving them a chance': Ellisville police officer rescues fawns after mom hit by car June 9, 2020 Missouri, KSDK

... thought she was dead. Then he saw her lift her head ... took off running ...  into the woods ... a lump on the ground... was a fawn. Then he heard a cry and found a second fawn.  ... “She had bled out and was gone,” ... 


MDC Reports Final CWD Results for 2019-20 Season May 6, 2020 Missouri Department of Conservation

...  MDC reports it has confirmed 46 new cases of the deadly deer disease.  These new findings bring the total number of CWD cases in the state to 162. MDC has tested more than 137,000 deer since the first cases of CWD were found in free-ranging deer in Missouri in 2012..,


MDC announces Missouri’s first elk-hunting season coming this fall! April 8, 2020 Missouri, MDC News

... elk hunt comes after years of restoration efforts of the once-native species by MDC and numerous partners and supporters...  five permits will be for bull elk ... will be assigned through a random-lottery drawing... MDC will require a $10 application fee for those applying for the general permits..,


Nature-loving Missourians should keep an eye on General Assembly April 3, 2020 West Plains Daily Quill

... If approved, HJR 100 would enable legislators ... to set game and fish seasons and limits ... and allow private deer breeders to ignore concerns about the spread of Chronic Wasting Disease ...


Des Peres, Firm Hired To Reduce Deer Population March 6, 2020 Missouri, Webster-Kirkwood Times

... resolution allows the board to hire White Buffalo Company to conduct the hunt for up to 50 deer at a cost of $50,000... would bring the number of deer down to the optimum number of 15 to 20 deer per square mile. The last count by White Buffalo showed 51 deer per square mile ...


Graphic video shows injured deer caught inside feral hog trap in Reynolds County March 6, 2020 MIssouri,  Springfield News-Leader

... A graphic video making the rounds on Facebook on Friday shows several deer that were unable to escape from a circular wire feral hog trap in Reynolds County. One deer tries to leap out of the cage, while two others lay injured on the ground. Those two eventually died...


Hunters donated nearly 350,000 pounds of deer meat to food banks this season February 26, 2020 CNN

... The hunters donated the meat to Missouri's Share the Harvest program ... The program, coordinated by MDC and the Conservation Federation of Missouri (CFM), was launched in 1992. Since then, more than 4.3 million pounds of meat has been ground, packaged and donated ...


Final deer season count is 285,483 January 17, 2020 columbiamissourian.com

... preliminary report showing 285,483 deer were killed.  Of the deer, 133,914 were antlered bucks, 27,931 were button bucks, and 123,638 were does... Hunters took 290,224 deer during the 2018-2019 overall deer hunting season ...


St. Louis County Council approves bill allowing controlled deer hunts in parks January 6, 2020 Missouri, KMOV

... allow archery hunts in the parks to help reduce the deer overpopulation... their biggest concern is public safety. They had 57 accidents involving deer in 2019 ...


Deer disease 'relatively rare' in Missouri, but Arkansas approaching 800 cases January 5, 2020 Joplin Globe

... The Missouri Department of Conservation said recently that it had confirmed 24 new cases of CWD in Missouri, out of about 27,000 tissue samples collected this season. That brings the state's total to 140 confirmed cases out of the 130,000 deer that Missouri has tested in the last decade.  CWD was first confirmed in Missouri in 2012....

     24 new cases of chronic wasting disease found, but disease still rare in Missouri December 20, 2019 Missouri, KSDK.com

... 24 new cases of chronic wasting disease (CWD) have been found by the Missouri Department of Conversation, from nearly 27,000 tissue samples collected from white-tailed deer and submitted for disease testing this season..,


Deer hunters harvest more that 266,000 deer to date December 9, 2019 Missouri, KTTN.com

... with all methods to date included, the deer of harvested in Missouri stands at 266,678. The entire deer season for 2018 saw more than 290,000 deer harvested statewide...


Couple says they were walking with their daughter in St. Charles when deer hunter fired shots near them December 6, 2019 Missouri, KMOV

...  we get in the car and we see the deer shot  … and we can see the hunter in the field ... about 100 yards away ...


In just 11 days, hunters kill about 14% of Missouri’s entire deer population, data show December 1, 2019 Wichita Eagle

... hunters killed a lot of deer — 178,936 of them, according to the Missouri Department of Conservation. This means that from Nov. 16 to 26, hunters killed roughly 14 percent of Missouri’s estimated 1.4 million deer, according to a 2012 estimation by the University of Missouri..,


Smithville Lake, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers at Smithville Lake celebrates 30th managed deer hunt November 28, 2019 Missouri, United States Army

... In 1990, Bruce Clark, retired operations manager at Smithville Lake, started this initiative. It offered nearly 17 spots in the hunt providing an outdoor opportunity for disabled hunters ... In order to make this managed hunt possible, it took regulation changes from the Missouri Department of Conservation...


MDC reports November firearms deer harvest ends with 178,936 November 27, 2019 Missouri, The Marshall Democrat-News

... deer hunters in Missouri harvested 178,936 deer during the November portion of fall firearms deer season ... 91,420 antlered bucks, 17,237 button bucks, and 70,279 does... Last year hunters checked 200,738 deer ,,,


Not your average deer: Oak Grove teen bags rare antlered doe November 27, 2019 Missouri, KMBC Kansas City on MSN.com

... The buck Marsh shot with 19 points on its antlers was, in fact, a doe...  genetic, hormonal and physiological anomalies happen. That means sometimes female deer, a doe, can have antlers...


More than 1,000 citations issued during deer season in Missouri November 25, 2019 KMOV on MSN.com

... The most common violation was hunting deer without a permit, which carries a total cost for the fine and court costs of $289. So far, 252 citations were issued for that offense...


Missouri harvest steady during opening weekend November 24, 2019 News-Press NOW

... In 1944, the newly created Missouri Department of Conservation held the first modern deer season with 7,757 hunters harvesting 519 bucks during a two-day, bucks-only season in 20 counties... Missouri now has more than a million deer throughout the state with about a half-million deer hunters harvesting hundreds-of-thousands of deer each year..,


  Hunter kills albino deer in Jefferson County neighborhood November 21, 2019 MIssouri, KMOV4

... Some neighbors said they enjoyed the sight of the relatively rare white deer in their neighborhood.  "It was a very small little deer. It's sad, it's very sad," ...


88k deer harvested during opening weekend, nearly 10k drop from last year November 19, 2019 Missouri, Ozark Radio News

... Of the 88,843 deer harvested on Saturday and Sunday, November 16-17, 51,086 were antlered bucks, 8,115 were button bucks, and 29,642 were does...


Modern deer season dawned 75 years ago in Missouri November 15, 2019 Missouri, Joplin Globe

...  in the winter of 1818-1819 ... a description of a region rich with deer... Henry Rowe Schoolcraft and Levi Pettibone ... Dunbar Robb, who worked as a chief biologist for the Missouri Department of Conservation beginning in 1941 ... says early estimates ranged from 10 deer per square mile to 20 deer per square mile in Missouri, or from about 700,000 to 1.4 million..,


Half a million deer hunters to hit the woods November 14, 2014 Missouri, Columbia Missourian

... Missouri’s deer population has been growing steadily while recovering from an outbreak of hemorrhagic disease in 2012, Jason Isabelle, the cervid program supervisor for the conservation department ... The overall estimated population of deer in Missouri is 1.4 million...


11 area counties part of Missouri's mandatory CWD deer testing this weekend November 11, 2019 Missouri, KY3

... present your harvested deer to be checked for CWD at a sampling station ... Chronic Wasting Disease can wipe out large deer populations  ... "We can't find this disease without the cooperation of the hunters," ... The Mo. Dept. of Conservation estimates there are over a million deer in the state and they've sampled about 100,000 since 2002... 


Early conservation helped deer populations soar November 8, 2019 Missouri, Springfield News-Leader 

... 1889 legislative action that limited deer hunting in Missouri to a bucks-only ... In 1925, a survey showed Missouri’s whitetail population had dwindled to 395 deer in 23 counties. That same year, the legislature closed deer hunting in the state... a 1944 survey that placed the state’s deer numbers at 15,000... Does became legal to harvest in 1951 ..,


Missouri increases penalties for poaching October 26, 2019 MDJOnline.com

... Bill 260 ... Called the Poaching Bill ... New fine amounts include $10,000 to $15,000 for each elk or black bear killed illegally, $1,000 to $5,000 for each whitetailed buck ...


Elk hunting a possibility for Missouri next year October 6, 2019 Joplin Globe

...  “We wanted to have at least 200 elk,” ...  elk were wiped out in the Ozarks; the last elk killed in Missouri, by the way, was in 1886, in Texas County...  there were once six subspecies of elk in North America, and two are wiped out ..,


What's up with Christian County CWD deer zone? September 11, 2019 MIssouri, Springfield News-Leader

... No deer have tested positive for chronic wasting disease in Christian County ... "Counties within 10 miles of CWD detections are in the zone this year ... A map of detections can be found here.


MDC shares CWD info for upcoming deer season September 10, 2019 Missour, Kirksville Daily Express and Daily News

... MDC has found 116 cases of CWD in Missouri since 2012 out of more than 100,000 deer sampled so the disease remains relatively rare in the state... MDC is offering free voluntary CWD sampling and testing of deer harvested anywhere in Missouri throughout the entire deer hunting season ..,


If You Want to Go Whitetail Deer Hunting, These Are the 9 States You Should Visit September 9, 2019 Missouri, The National Interest

... Missouri has a population of over 1.3 million deer and a lot of public lands open for hunting...  almost 500,000 hunters annually ...


Conservation Department: Deer harvest may dip this year September 1, 2019 Missouri, News-Press NOW

... Whiskirchen said the overall deer population is stable to slightly increasing in the state. “There was a hemorrhagic disease outbreak in 2012 that resulted in a decline in the deer population in 2013,” Wiskirchen said. “Since that time, the statewide deer population has been on an increasing trend.” ... this year the opening weekend of the November firearms portion will not align as closely with the peak of the breeding season ..,


Missouri Department of Conservation has new rules for deer carcasses in ongoing fight against CWD August 27, 2019 KTTN

... The new regulations, starting in 2020, will:  Restrict transportation of whole cervid carcasses into the state;  Allow for the importation of cervid heads with attached capes into Missouri if they are taken to a licensed taxidermist ...


Des Peres City Grapples Over Growing Deer Population August 16, 2019 Missouri, timesnewspapers.com

... Mayor Mark Becker asked Schaefer to look into the PZP vaccine for sterilization.  “Let’s see what the conservation department thinks about sterilization,” he said. “We want this issue to be transparent and we want to make sure we have the answers.” ...


Fenton, Talk Turns To Speeding Motorists, Deer Population In Fenton August 9, 2019 Missouri, Webster-Kirkwood Times

... After it was noted at a July 25 board meeting that most other cities involved in deer killing are first prompted by current research that verifies deer overpopulation, Fenton staff were instructed to seek options regarding how to conduct an impartial survey of local deer numbers independent of Belleville’s estimated numbers...


Howell County added to CWD management zone July 30, 2019 Missouri, Ozark Radio News

... added after a deer tested positive for CWD in neighboring Oregon County...


  Chesterfield couple rescue baby deer from floodwaters July 18, 2019 Missouri, KMOV

... right before I got to her, you could see she just kinda gave up and her legs went up, and that’s when I pulled her out of the water ... released her Thursday morning once she had recovered her strength and several adult deer seemed to be waiting for her in their backyard...


Missouri increases penalties for poaching July 17, 2019 Kirksville Daily Express and Daily News

... New fine amounts include $10,000-$15,000 for each elk or black bear killed illegally, $1,000-$5,000 for each whitetailed buck ...


Missouri wants to raise hunting, fishing fees July 5, 2019 Washington Times

... the Conservation Department wants to raise nonresident deer hunting licenses from $225 to $265 starting next year...


MDC announces initial plan for Missouri elk hunting June 29, 2019 Missouri, KSDK

... MDC will begin offering a limited season for hunting elk once the herd of about 175 animals reaches a minimum of 200 with an annual herd growth rate of at least 10 percent and a herd ratio of at least four cow elk for every bull elk ..,


MDC reduces CWD Management Zone following research findings June 24, 2019 Rolla Daily News

... The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) has reduced the number of counties in its management zone for chronic wasting disease (CWD) from 48 to 29, following recent research that shows the majority of buck’s disperse less than 25 miles in Missouri...


Abandoned fawn plucked from Missouri floodwaters June 7, 2019 myfox8.com

...  the fawn marooned in water that was at least four feet deep...the wildlife in this rural area is trying to find any dry spots it can...


Missouri Department of Conservation proposes new efforts to limit spread of CWD June 4, 2019 kttn

... “Our research shows it is highly unlikely that the spread of CWD to some new areas of the state is from the natural movement of deer ... We have found some new cases of CWD more than 60 miles from any other known cases... we do know that deer rarely travel that far on their own. That leaves people as the most likely way the disease is spreading that far.” ...


MDC seeking comments on changes to landowner permits June 2, 2019 Missouri, Lakenewsonline.com

...  adjusting acreage requirements for its definition of resident landowners from 5 to 20 acres...  implementation of a landowner registry ... discounted deer and turkey hunting permits for nonresident landowners with 75 acres or more ...


Missouri Department of Conservation suggesting price hikes for nonresident hunting, fishing May 28, 2019 fox4kc.com

... would increase nonresident deer and archery hunting by $40... “We commonly hear from many Missourians that our nonresident permit prices are too low compared to other states,” said MDC Director ...


Senate passes tough poaching bill, with minor change May 2, 2019 Missouri, Springfield News-Leader

... a bill with much stiffer poaching restitution fines for illegally killing certain Missouri game animals passed the Senate on Wednesday... $2,000-$5,000 for each antlered deer ... $10,000-$15,000 for each black bear or elk ...


MDC Finds More Deer with Chronic Wasting Disease April 25, 2019 Missouri, MDC News

... The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) reports 41 new positive test results for chronic wasting disease (CWD) have been confirmed following its sampling and testing of more than 32,000 free-ranging Missouri deer during its 2018-2019 disease-surveillance efforts. The 41 new positive test results bring Missouri’s total CWD detections to 116 since 2012..,


Missouri deer hunters donated 259,414 pounds of venison this season March 27, 2019 The Daily Star-Journal

... including 4,855 whole deer... Since the program was started in 1992, Share the Harvest has provided more than 4 million pounds ...


Chronic wasting disease gains more national attention March 23, 2019 MIssouri, Lakenewsonline.com

... In Missouri ... the disease was first discovered in a captive deer facility in 2010 ... CWD has progressed slowly here, thanks in large part to the MDC aggressively culling in small, concentrated areas around the discovery sites... Wisconsin ... decided to basically do nothing about the disease and let it spread. They now have CWD is 56 counties with areas where 50 percent of bucks harvested are infected ..,


MDC could raise minimum acreage for free permits March 9, 2019 Missouri, Fulton Sun

A healthy deer density in Missouri is about one deer per 20-25 acres 

...A healthy deer density in Missouri is about one deer per 20-25 acres [25.6 to 32 deer per square mile]  — in other words, the 5-acre threshold doesn't reflect actual wildlife habitat needs...


House votes to increase poaching fines in Missouri March 6, 2018 kttn

... It’s cheaper for a non-Missourian to come into the state, poach an animal, and pay the fine for that than it is to buy an out-of-state hunter tag... would increase to ,,, between $2000 and $5000 the fine for poaching a white-tailed deer ...


Latest elk killings may boost chances of tough poaching restitution bill February 19, 2019 Missouri, Springfield News-Leader

... Two identical bills have been filed ... Both bills would allow a judge to order a poacher to pay restitution ...


:   About 1.4 million deer in 2021, over 1.3 million deer in 2019 and about 1.4 million in 2018, up from an estimated  population of 1.2 million deer in 2015 through 2017.   About 1.4 million in 2014 before hunting.  The population trended higher during 2016 in some areas as a result of harvest restrictions and limited disease impact.   A peak population of about 1.6 million around 2005.  

28 More Cases Of CWD Found In Missouri Deer; Here's How Conservationists Are Responding January 17, 2019 Lake Expo

...  28 more deer from 11 Missouri counties have been found to have chronic wasting disease (CWD). This brings the number of cases of the deadly deer disease in Missouri to 103 since 2012..,


Deer season ends with total harvest over 290,000 statewide January 16, 2019 Missouri, Jefferson City News Tribune

... preliminary ... Of the 290,339 deer killed, 136,776 were antlered bucks, 30,116 were button bucks, and 123,447 were does... Deer harvest data for past seasons is available at short.mdc.mo.gov/Z3M ..,


More than 2 tons of venison donated to Community Food Pantry January 15, 2019 Missouri, The Marshall Democrat-News

... hunters donated 289,292 pounds of venison in 2017...


Battle Against Chronic Wasting Disease In County Continues January 15, 2019 Missouri, Ste. Genevieve Herald

 ... Seven deer had tested positive in the area from mandatory testing in the area from the fall 2018 hunting period ... three more from the culling effort in southern Ste. Genevieve County in the winter of 2018...


CWD's slow spread in Missouri one of biggest of many outdoor stories in 2018 January 2, 2018 Missouri, Springfield News-Leader

... The disease could potentially threaten Missouri's deer hunting industry, which brings about $1 billion annually to the state through license and permit sales, equipment purchases, hotel room rentals, taxidermy businesses and meat processing...


Multi-year poaching probe nabs four SW Missouri family members December 14, 2018 Springfield News-Leader

... a multi-year poaching case where authorities say hundreds of deer were killed illegally... Court records show the defendant "is to view the Walt Disney movie Bambi, with the first viewing being on or before December 23, 2018, and at least one such viewing each month thereafter, during Defendants incarceration in the Lawrence County Jail." ...


Nature Center trails reopen after four deer killed during third archery hunt December 10, 2018 Missouri, Springfield News-Leader 

... Five hunters high in tree stands managed to kill four deer during the third annual hunt, which is intended to help reduce an overabundance of deer in the area.  "They harvested two does, a button buck and a four-point buck," ...


Gene diversity high in Missouri deer December 7, 2018 The Wildlife Society

... Some 1.4 million white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) roam in Missouri today ... The reintroduction of deer in the state turned out to be an ideal example of creating genetic diversity, researchers found, even if wildlife managers weren’t thinking about DNA at all more than 60 years ago... the study


Missouri Department of Conservation forming plan for future elk hunting December 8, 2018 Southeast Missourian

... Biologists previously determined the state needed at least 200 elk, the herd would need to be growing at least 10 percent annually and there should be at least one bull for every four cow elk... those benchmarks should all be met by 2020 ...


Area hunters taking fewer whitetails December 5, 2018 Missouri, Monett Times

... The Missouri Department of Conservation has released preliminary deer harvest totals for the state, and through Dec. 1, a total 270,570 deer have been checked in with the state as harvested.  The number is slightly behind the 2017-2018 harvest total of 284,477..,


A Taney County deer tests positive for CWD December 5, 2018 Missouri, Springfield News-Leader

... deer was killed only 2.5 miles away from another deer that tested positive for CWD in Stone County ... 13 new cases of the deadly deer disease have been found so far in 2018 in Missouri ..,

     Another first: A Taney County deer tests positive for CWD Missouri December 5, 2018 Springfield News-Leader

... The Taney County deer was killed only 2.5 miles away from another deer that tested positive for CWD in Stone County, also that county's first positive CWD test...


Missouri could soon allow hunters to target elk in the Ozarks December 3, 2018 St. Louis Public Radio

... There are 170 elk that roam in Reynolds, Shannon and Carter counties. State officials want the population to grow to a minimum of 200 elk in Missouri before they allow hunting...


MDC reports 6,585 deer harvested during antlerless portion December 3, 2018 Missouri, The Reporter 

... 6,585 deer during the antlerless portion of the fall firearms deer season, Nov. 30 - Dec. 2...


Missouri deer harvest reaching record-breaking number December 2, 2018 News-Press NOW

... the uptick in harvest this year is likely due to a combination of favorable weather and the continued recovery of deer populations in some areas hit hard by an outbreak of hemorrhagic disease during the drought in 2012...The closer the start of the season is to the rut, the more antlered bucks that are harvested..,


11 new cases of chronic wasting disease found in Missouri December 1, 2018 The Republic

... The 11 new positives bring the total number of cases in Missouri to 86..,


Chronic Wasting Disease Found In Southwest Missouri Deer, For The First Time November 30, 2018 LakeExpo.com

... a young buck harvested in Stone County in early November has tested positive for the deadly deer disease -- chronic wasting disease (CWD). According to MDC, this is the first detection of CWD in Stone County and the first detection in the far southwest region of the state...


Town and Country goes from management to maintenance as deer population shrinks November 27, 2018 Missouri, St. Louis Post-Dispatch 

... This year, White Buffalo, the city's contracted agent, killed 361 deer on a $230,000 contract [$637 per deer]. The number allowed to be killed next year is 150...


Missouri's unofficial state holiday — deer season — nets 248,000 animals so far  November  20, 2018 St. Louis Post-Dispatch

... more than 248,000 deer have been killed, including 99,567 on opening weekend, up 5 percent from the first two days of last season...


Powder Valley Deer Bow Hunt A Near Bust November 15, 2018 Missouri, Times Newspapers 

... the annual Sunset Hills urban bow hunt, begun in 2013, was based on “general, national statistics” that indicate deer increase in numbers in suburban areas if they are not killed. Ankney has regularly confronted the city, insisting that an official deer head count be performed. No survey has been taken since 2014, Ankney said...


Missouri Department of Conservation reports success in opening weekend of deer firearms season November 13, 2018 KSPR

... harvested 99,567 deer during the opening weekend ... Last year, hunters checked 94,886 deer during the opening weekend ...


Conservation department Collects 20,000 deer tissue samples November 13, 2018 Missouri, Houston Herald

... The Missouri Department of Conservation thanked Tuesday the thousands of deer hunters who participated in its mandatory CWD sampling efforts last weekend in 31 counties...

12 year-old first-time deer hunter bags doe with antlers November 2, 2018 Missouri, KY3 

... what they thought was an eight-point buck...  It's either a doe with a high amount of testosterone or a true hermaphrodite deer which is basically half-and-half in the gender spectrum...


More than 7300 feral hogs removed from Missouri landscape in 2018 November 1, 2018 Hannibal.net

...  “They out-compete native wildlife for habitat and food. For example, places with a lot of feral hogs will see their wild turkey and deer populations diminish.” ...


Young Deer Hunters Harvest 13,500+ During Early Youth Portion October 29, 2018 Missouri, stl.news

... young hunters ages 6 through 15 harvested 13,560 deer during Missouri’s early youth portion of the 2018 deer hunting season ...   Last year’s harvest total for the early youth portion was 17,412...


MDC meeting held to discuss spread of deadly deer disease (CWD) October 26, 2018 Missouri, Perryville News

... “While it looks like CWD is so widespread in Missouri, we’ve tested over 101 thousand deer since we’ve started our surveillance, and we’ve only had 75 total positives to date,” ... Mandatory sampling during the opening couple days of deer season ..,


White-Tailed Deer and the Wild Places They Shape November, 2018 Missouri, Missouri Department of Conservation

... “Quite a bit of research shows if done at the right level, their browsing creates more plant diversity in a natural community,” Keller [MDC cervid program supervisor] said.  Deer promote plant diversity by spreading seeds. Undigested seeds in droppings can sprout in new places, and the feces provide fertility to boost growth. Plant seeds can stick to deer fur and be carried to new locations...


Missouri Department of Conservation reports deer tests positive for Chronic Wasting Disease in Oregon County October 25, 2018 KY3

...  The nearest confirmed CWD positive is over 70 miles away in Arkansas ... brings the total number of CWD cases detected in free ranging deer in Missouri to 76 since 2012...,


MDC's targeted culling a voluntary, effective program against CWD, official says October 14, 2018 Missouri, Southeast Missourian

... Where more than two cases of CWD have been found, landowners who hold more than 5 acres in a 1 to 5 mile radius can work with MDC to have deer harvested on their property ... Limiting the number of deer in an area helps minimize the accumulation of CWD ... Matt Bowyer, wildlife regional supervisor ...


Chronic wasting disease threatens Missouri’s $1 billion deer hunting culture October 11, 2018 Missouri, Iran Ship 

... CWD began showing up in pockets around the state. Batten said it is unlikely the disease is spreading in Missouri’s herd of approximately 1.2 million deer through natural deer dispersal alone. It is likely that humans are helping to spread the disease, potentially through the movement of infected deer carcasses..,


  Two Rare Albino Deer Spotted In Field  October 9, 2018 Missouri, WFMY News 2 

... a person can legally kill an albino deer in Missouri ... Killing an albino deer is illegal in six states, including Illinois...


CWD is Starting to Affect Deer Hunting in Missouri October 8, 2018 KSMU

... there have been 33 new cases of CWD in Missouri over the last year, bringing the total 75... rifle hunters will be required to bring in samples of any deer that they kill on opening weekend to be tested..,


Watch out on the roads October 3, 2018 Missouri, News-Press NOW 

... Last year, drivers in Missouri experienced 4,070 traffic crashes where deer-vehicle strikes occurred ...


Beetem approves temporary restraining order against new deer meat law August 28, 2018 Missouri, Jefferson City News Tribune

... Missouri Conservation Commission ...  sued over language in Senate Bill 627 that added meat from "captive cervids" ...  to the list of meats requiring inspection by the state Department of Agriculture.  The commission believes the new law conflicts with its constitutional authority over wildlife...


MDC predicting high deer harvest August 26, 2018 Missouri, NewsPressNow

...  the deer herd in the northwest region is rebounding from a decline in the population due to an outbreak of disease in 2012... “We pulled back the antlerless portion for this year to see if that will positively impact the herd,” ... In southern Missouri, they’ve seen a steady but slowly increasing deer population..,


Department of Conservation hosts antler measuring day August 19, 2018 Missouri, News-Press Now

... In 1937, when voters approved the Missouri Conservation Commission, the state’s deer herd numbered only a few hundred in the southeastern Ozarks... in 1968, deer numbers were still less plentiful in Northwest Missouri than today..,


Conservation department hopes to control disease through captive deer regulation August 5,2018 Missouri, News Press Now

... “The commission will be working closely and in collaboration with hunting preserves and wildlife-breeding facilities to ensure regulation compliance and to minimize the risk associated with the movement and holding of captive deer,” the statement said. “The goal is to help protect Missouri’s deer herd, now and into the future, from the 100 percent fatal chronic wasting disease, which has advanced across the Missouri landscape since it was first found in 2010.” ...


Missouri Supreme Court rules all deer are wildlife  July 28, 2018 Columbia Daily Tribune

... five years and millions of dollars to settle an argument ... The supreme court: The terms ‘game’ and ‘wildlife’ are plain and unambiguous as used in Article IV, Section 40(a), which is concerned with the preservation and conservation of the state’s forestry and wildlife resources. In this context, the term ‘wildlife’ plainly includes all species that are wild by nature.” ...


If Missouri's elk herd continues to grow, limited hunt might happen in 2020 July 19, 2018 Missouri, Springfield News-Leader

... Elk were reintroduced to southeast Missouri in 2011, and there are about 170 adult elk living in the Peck Ranch Conservation Area now ... There needs to be a ratio of 25 bull elk for every 100 females to ensure herd growth..,


Protecting Missouri's deer herd July 18, 2018 Daily Journal Online 

... within the CWD management zone ... feeding deer is restricted in an effort to reduce the spread of CWD," Lewis said. "We have reviewed research that shows feeding deer can and does increase the likelihood for CWD to spread in the deer herd."...


Missouri Supreme Court shoots down captive deer hunting operations July 3, 2018 St. Louis Post-Dispatch

... the state government has a right to regulate the companies in order to control a deadly brain disease affecting the animals... the Missouri Department of Conservation in 2014 that attempted to crack down on the spread of chronic wasting disease ...


Town and Country wants deer control plan for Queeny Park June 26, 2018 Missouri, St. Louis Post-Dispatch

...  It partially stemmed from a report from White Buffalo, the hired sharpshooting agent, that many deer are coming from Queeny Park...


MDC Sets CWS Sampling Efforts for Upcoming Deer Season June 18, 2018 Missour, MDC News

... MDC confirmed 33 new cases of CWD following the testing of nearly 24,500 free-ranging Missouri deer through its sampling and testing efforts last season..,


3 Southeast Missouri Counties Added To MDC Deer Feeding Ban June 15, 2018  KRCU 

... Cape Girardeau, Perry, and Bollinger counties have been added to a list of 7 Missouri counties placed under new restrictions for feeding and giving minerals to deer, and considered to be Chronic Wasting Disease management zones...


Chronic wasting disease detected in seven more counties June 13, 2018 MIssouri, KMZU

...  chronic wasting disease has been found in additional regions of Missouri. ...Since 2012, the MDC has tested over 100,000 deer and only 75 tests have come back positive for CWD, ...


Feeding deer in Bollinger, Cape and Perry counties prohibited soon to help curb spread of CWD June 13, 2018 Missouri, Southeast Missourian

...  to stop the spread of chronic wasting disease, or CWD, in deer populations, by expanding its CWD management zone from 41 to 48 counties... Further prevention efforts will include increased availability of antlerless permits ...


Metro shoppers witness 2 deer die after jumping off Trader Joe's roof June 11, 2018 Missouri, fox4kc.com

... jumped over a 5-foot wall above the store and landed in the parking lot two stories below  ... “The second one comes over, and he kind of tipped over and landed on his back. They were just flaring around, but they couldn’t move, and it was just awful.” ...


MDC Reports: Seven Cases Of Chronic Wasting Disease Found In Perry And Sainte Genevieve County Deer April 19, 2018 Missouri, KRCU

... the Missouri Department of Conservation has reported seven positive cases of chronic wasting disease, also known as CWD, in Perry (1)  and Ste. Genevieve (6) counties... A total of 33 new cases have been found within Missouri...


Grant's Farm opens for its 64th year with new deer safari park April 13, 2018 Missouri, KMOV.com

... new to this year, a deer safari park ... more information ...


MDC reports 33 CWD positives out of nearly 24500 samples April 11, 2018 Missouri, Three Rivers Publishing

... 33 new cases of chronic wasting disease (CWD) have been found following the testing of 24,486 free-ranging Missouri deer through its 2017-2018 sampling and testing efforts ... total number of free-ranging deer in Missouri confirmed to have CWD to 75...


Heftier poaching penalties proposed by Nixa lawmaker win Missouri House's approval February 28, 2018 Springfield News-Leader

... Judges could force poachers to pay restitution ... Between $1,000 and $2,000 for poaching deer ...


Department of Conservation Utilizes Radio Collars for Herd Management February 27, 2018 Missouri, KBIA

... The elk are supposed to stay in this designated conservation area, especially while the department tries to control and grow the population. The reintroduction is still in the early stages, the department started bringing elk to the area from Kentucky in 2011..,


Deadly deer disease identified in southeast MO February 8, 2018 MIssouri, KFVS

...  first known cases of Chronic Wasting Disease have been confirmed in Southeast Missouri ... 20,000 deer were sampled in Missouri last year and the two deer in Ste. Genevieve County are part of the 15 confirmed cases of CWD in the state ..,


Ladue, Deer survey, latest community to tackle growing deer population January 24, 2018 Missouri, fox2now.com

... the City of Ladue began conducting deer surveys. Police officers in marked vehicles will are out in the late evening and overnight hours, tracking deer and noting information such as gender, approximate age, and location...


Hunters kill nearly 284,000 deer during the 2017-18 seasons January 16, 2018 Missouri, Columbia Missourian

... Hunters in Missouri killed a total of 283,940 whitetail deer ... The number was a significant increase from the 263,834 deer that were taken down during the 2016-17 seasons..,


State reports 15 cases of CWD in deer January 14, 2018 Missouri, News-Press Now

... The 15 new CWD positives bring the total number of CWD cases detected in free-ranging deer in Missouri to 57 with 10 found in Adair, one in Cedar, one in Cole, seven in Franklin, two in Jefferson, five in Linn, 25 in Macon, one in Polk, three in St. Clair, and two in Ste. Genevieve counties..,


Chesterfield police hitting the streets to patrol for … deer? January 12, 2018 MIssouri, fox2now.com

... A survey of deer in Chesterfield is being done during the evening and early morning hours... the first step in managing your herd is finding out how many you have and where they are living, because you might have problems in one side of town but not the other ...


SCOMO to Hear Regulation Case as State Reports Increase in Deer Disease January 9, 2018 OzarksFirst.com

... The state's Conservation Commission first detected chronic wasting disease at a private hunting preserve in 2010...  it enacted regulations for importing and handling of the animals...  A circuit court in mid Missouri's Gasconade County determined in 2016 that the commission lacked the authority to enforce the regulations.  The Missouri Supreme Court will hear arguments in an appeal ..,


Latest deer season better than previous 4; CWD found in new counties January 8, 2018 MIssouri, Springfield News-Leader

... 280,563 and counting...  its intensive testing for chronic wasting disease among Missouri deer yielded 15 new confirmed cases out of nearly 18,400 test results..,


More than 10K deer harvested with alternative methods January 5, 2017 Missouri, Jefferson City News Tribune

 ... hunting by methods such as muzzleloading or cap-and-ball firearms, centerfire pistols or revolvers, air-powered guns, longbows, crossbows and atlatls...


Forsyth now allows 'urban' deer hunting December 24, 2017 Missouri, News-Press Now

... The city’s alderman unanimously passed an ordinance Monday that allows hunters to harvest white-tailed deer during bow-hunting season in Missouri... Hunting may not be done within 30 yards of a building or vehicle, or within 150 yards of a church, school or park...


Missouri sets 2018 deer seasons December 23, 2017 News-Press Now

... our deer harvest seems to be trending up compared to last year ... “We are definitely seeing a geographic spread of the disease [chronic wasting disease] over time and the confirmed cases are being found a distance from each other,” ...


Dead deer, hunting arrow found in Wildwood neighborhood December 7, 2017 Missouri, fox2now.com

... A dead deer and a bloody arrow were found outside a Wildwood home ... arrow sticking up out of the ground between his house and the neighbor's house ...


Firearm deer harvest sees slight jump November 25, 2017 Missouri, News-Press Now

... Keller said the uptick in harvest this year is likely due to a combination of favorable weather and the continued recovery of deer populations in some areas hit hard by an outbreak of hemorrhagic disease during the drought in 2012. The disease is transmitted to deer by biting midge flies.  The timing of the season also may have resulted in a higher harvest..,


MDC reports November firearms deer harvest ends with 191000+ November 22, 2017 Missouri, Missouri Department of Conservation 

...  191,368 deer during the November portion of fall firearms deer season, Nov. 11- 21. Of the 191,368 deer harvested, 99,431 were antlered bucks, 20,148 were button bucks, and 71,789 were does ... Last year hunters checked 185,062 ...


Nearly 95K deer harvested first weekend November 14, 2017 Missouri, Jefferson City News Tribune

... 54,027 were antlered bucks, 9,535 were button bucks, and 31,415 were does.  ... Last year hunters killed 96,131 deer ...


Big, brown, has antlers — teen girl shoots an elk in Missouri November 13, 2017 Belleville News-Democrat

... A 14-year-old girl in central Missouri has bagged the state’s first elk, thinking it was a “massive deer.” ... illegal to shoot an elk in Missouri ...


Testing deer for chronic wasting disease is mandatory in 25 Missouri counties this weekend November 9, 2017 Springfield News-Leader

... Voluntary testing in those southern Missouri counties last year found no hunter-killed deer with CWD. The 25-county mandatory testing effort this weekend will yield a much larger sample size ...


Chronic wasting disease looms over deer season November 8, 2017 Missouri, Springfield News-Leader

... To date, 42 cases of CWD have been confirmed in Missouri. These positive tests came from samples collected in counties in northeast, central, eastern and western Missouri ...  Since 2002, more than 76,000 deer have been tested ..,


Deer season numbers may be up, but challenges remain November 5, 2017 Missouri, Joplin Globe

... The statewide harvest in 2016-2017 — all portions combined — was 266,144 ... Missouri has a population of 1.2 million deer, a decrease of 300,000 from a few years ago..,


4,600 Missouri Motorists Struck Deer in 2016 October 31, 2017 Ozarks First

... Captain Hotz says the majority of deer strike crashes happen in October and November, citing harvest time and hunters being out...


Young hunters harvest more deer thanks to great Missouri weather October 30, 2017 KY3

... “The increase in harvest during the early youth portion compared to last year is likely due to the excellent weather over the weekend, which was favorable for deer movement,” MDC Deer Biologist Barb Keller ...


Elk hunting in Missouri could become a reality October 19, 2017 KFVS

... Elk are native to Missouri and were reintroduced in 2011 thanks to the Missouri Department of Conservation.  "Right now, our herd is at 175," ..,


'Captive deer' case goes to high court October 11, 2017 Jefferson City News Tribune

... "Given the highly communicable nature of CWD," Judge Robert Dowd wrote, "the Commission's efforts to restore and conserve free-ranging cervids would be threatened without the authority to regulate all cervids" that could infect the wild ones... Missouri's Conservation Department has the legal and constitutional authority to regulate captive deer as well as those in the wild ...


Woman horrified to find deer impaled on neighbor's fence October 5, 2017 Missouri, fox2now.com

...  keeps finding deer impaled on her neighbor's fence ... neighbor recently installed a wrought iron fence with spear points...


2017 Missouri Deer Forecast September 20, 2017 Game & Fish

... about 1.2 million white-tailed deer. That number is down from several years ago when the estimated population was at 1.5 million deer..,


Missouri Department of Conservation seeks help from deer hunters in search for chronic wasting disease September 13, 2017 Hannibal.net

... MDC will be conducting mandatory CWD sampling of harvested deer in 25 counties opening weekend of the fall firearms deer season ...  During those two days, hunters take about a third of the state’s total annual deer harvest of about 275,000 animals... 


Comprehensive Deer Study Enters Third Harvest Season September 6, 2017 Missouri, MDC News

... White-tailed deer wearing GPS collars are giving biologists data on how deer use habitats, their home ranges, movements, and survival rates. Biologists are tracking 108 deer in four northwest Missouri counties dominated by agriculture and 101 deer in four counties in the Ozarks where forest habitat prevails...


Ballot measure aims to curtail CWD August 26, 2017 Missouri, Jefferson City News Tribune

... Hunters for Fair Chase to circulate petitions intended to protect the state's white-tailed deer herd ... If enough signatures are gathered, voters will decide whether to ban transporting live big game in Missouri...


Columbia, Urban deer hunting program enters 14th year in Columbia August 16, 2017 Missouri, Columbia Missourian

...  Since 2005, bow hunters have reported killing a total of 236 deer on city land, according to data from the parks department. The city could not provide the number of deer killed in 2004, the first year of the program...


Conservation dept. expects similar deer harvest August 11, 2017 Missouri, News-Press Now

... The deer population in the northwest region has been very slow to recover from the severe hemorrhagic disease outbreak that occurred in 2012 ... the result of the study has indicated harvest is the main cause of mortality in deer which was expected by the department...


Snelson's Wildlife Habit Management can help with food plots August 10, 2017 Missouri, The Rolla Daily News

... New Zealand is 20 years ahead of the Untied States in plant developments for food plots. One of their main exports is deer antlers and venison. One can actually earn a college degree in deer forage management there... Conducting a soil test is paramount to success ...


Chronic Wasting Disease to Impact 2017 Deer Hunting Season July 13, 2017 MIssouri, Ozarks First.

... After 2 positive tests in St. Claire county, all counties within a 25 mile radius are now subject to a non-feeding policy, as well as mandatory sampling stations in the fall. Hunters that harvest a deer will be required to bring the carcass to one of those stations ...


Mineral blocks, salt licks and other deer feed now banned here July 9, 2017 Missouri, Ozark County Times

... The Missouri Department of Conservation has expanded restrictions on feeding deer and placing minerals for deer from 29 to 41 counties throughout the state, effective July 1. The restrictions now include Ozark County ... intended to help limit the spread of chronic wasting disease (CWD)...


Cedar County included in MDC deer feeding, hunting rules July 7, 2017 Missouri, Cedar County Republican 

...  the placement of grain, salt products, minerals and other consumable natural and manufactured products used to attract deer is prohibited year-round within counties of the disease management zone... “CWD [chronic wasting disease] is spread from deer to deer, and the potential for transmission increases when deer gather in larger, concentrated numbers," ...


Town and Country continue ongoing battle against deer population June 20, 2017 Missouri, KMOV.com

... For the last decade, the city has spent upwards of $600,000 taxpayer money to help control the deer population with the sharp shooter method... With the deer population bouncing back, the task force is back at the drawing board for a fix, including revisiting sterilization...


Petition seeks captive deer regulation June 17, 2017 Missouri, News-Press Now

... Missouri Hunters for Fair Chase ... said its goal is to protect the free-range deer herd in the state from contracting Chronic Wasting Disease ... place a petition on the November 2018 ballot that would explicitly allow the Missouri Department of Conservation the ability to regulate captive-deer facilities...


'Fair chase' hunting group aims for restrictions on captive deer operations June 2, 2017 Missouri, Columbia Missourian

... Missouri Hunters for Fair Chase submitted four versions of a petition ... aims to protect the native deer population and limit the killing of big game in fenced-in areas ... would close Missouri's borders to captive deer from other states and countries...  chronic wasting disease could spread quicker in a captive herd and that importation to farms ...


History of Missouri wildlife May 10, 2017 The News

... "The last great concentration of elk was wiped out by market hunting Indians in Polk County in 1841," ... From 1870 to 1900 ...  the population of deer and turkey was almost wiped out in a short period of time... Deer dwindled down to approximately 2,500 animals statewide by 1935 ..,


Chronic Wasting Disease Is 'Relatively Rare' In Missouri, Conservation Testing Shows April 21, 2017 Missouri, Lake Expo

... MDC tested more than 25,500 deer during the past season and found nine cases of the deadly disease, as previously reported: one in Adair, three in Franklin, one in Jefferson, two in Macon, and two in St. Clair counties.  The two cases in St. Clair County were the first CWD detections found in the western part of the state...


Ladue, Deer numbers up in north section of Ladue, down in south after first hunting season March 28, 2017 Missouri, STLtoday.com

... “We had maybe 12 hunters actually harvesting at least one deer,” he said. “We counted about 41 deer per square mile south of Interstate 64 in the city, compared to 43 last year. For the area north of I-64, there were 23.5 per square mile, up from less than 10 last year.” ...


Two more cases of Chronic Wasting Disease confirmed in Missouri March 10, 2017 Missouri, KMZU

...  two hunter-harvested deer in St. Clair County ...  42 free-ranging deer have tested positive for CWD since 2010 ...


Protect our deer from chronic wasting disease February 15, 2017 Missouri, Springfield News-Leader... rather than acknowledge the role they play in spreading CWD, the canned hunting industry lobbied their friends in the legislature to simply transfer authority over their facilities to the Department of Agriculture instead through Senate Bill 123...


Conservationists gear up for fight against captive cervid legislation January 30, 2017 Missouri, The Missouri Times

... bills would put these captive deer and elk under the jurisdiction of the Department of Agriculture instead of the Department of Conservation, freeing them from multiple regulations deer breeders currently find restrictive...  You can go and say, ‘Well, I want to kill a 200-inch, 10-pointer with a dark rack,” and they’ll just find that one, drug it, put it in a trailer, drive it to a hunting facility ...


First confirmed female mountain lion in Missouri since 1994 killed elk in Shannon County January 27, 2017 Springfield News-Leader

... the partially eaten elk was found in February 2016, and tests on the saliva confirmed a female mountain lion had eaten it...


MDC reports three new cases chronic wasting disease in deer January 26, 2017 Missouri, Ozark County Times

... final results from the more than 19,200 tissue samples tested for chronic wasting disease (CWD) ...  five deer have tested positive ... in southeast Adair County ... in northwest Macon County ... southwest Franklin County... in southeast Jefferson County ... 


Ladue, Hunters kill 49 deer during first year in Ladue January 19, 2017 Missouri, STLtoday.com

...  49 deer — 34 does and 15 bucks — were harvested during the Ladue’s first year of allowing deer hunting...


MDC Reports Final Deer Harvest 263,832, Archery Turkey Harvest 2304 January 18, 2017 Missouri, 921News 

... Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) reporting a preliminary total harvest of 263,832 deer... data


  Battling bucks die after antlers lock together in Missouri woods January 17, 2017 Springfield News-Leader

... Lying on the ground were two huge whitetail bucks, their antlers locked together, with torn-up ground and trampled grass giving evidence of a relentless battle...


How one disease caused a rift between farmers and the Department of Conservation January 13, 2017 Missouri, The Missouri Times

...  Thirty-eight deer have now tested positive for the disease since MDC began monitoring CWD in Missouri... Houghton, R-Martinsburg, and Sen. Brian Munzlinger, R-Williamstown, have both filed legislation changing laws regarding captive cervids, namely changing the definition of livestock to include captive deer and making them easier to sell and transfer ...


Smaller deer harvest for state's hunters using alternative methods, such as bows January 11, 2017 MIssouri, The Daily Star-Journal

... The numbers follow the department’s implementation of the “antlerless permit allocations” program, with hunters voluntarily reducing their antlerless harvests to help the deer population rebound....


MDC reports three new cases of CWD from mandatory sampling January 10, 2017 MIssouri, Klpw

... it has received final results from the more than 19,200 tissue samples tested for chronic wasting disease ... five deer have tested positive ... in southeast Adair County ... in northwest Macon County, and ,,, southwest Franklin County...


Town & Country Vigil Will Protest City's Deer Cull January 9, 2017 Missouri, Riverfront Times

... A former Town & Country councilman ... who has a Ph.D in mathematics, argued during his time on the council that, while sterilization was more costly on the front end, it would actually save money over time.  It can cost $1,200 to sterilize a deer, and just $300 to hire a professional to kill one, he acknowledges. "But if you sterilize a deer, that's fourteen or fifteen offspring you don't have to kill ...


Missouri hunters harvest 10,602 deer during statewide alternative-methods portion of season January 4, 2017  Hannibal Courier-Post

... Of the total harvest, 2,787 were antlered bucks, 1,496 button bucks and 6,319 does... 2016 harvest totals by county and season


Conservation finds chronic wasting disease in three deer December 31, 2016 Missouri, News-Press Now

...  three deer were infected. These included a yearling male deer harvested in southeast Jefferson county, a mature buck harvested in northern Franklin county and a buck in Adair county. ... 10th case of a deer infected with the disease in Adair county...


MDC finds two positive cases of chronic wasting disease December 23, 2016 Missouri, The Rolla Daily News

... The department also received test results for about 80 percent of the nearly 550 tissue samples collected for CWD testing in seven counties in southwest Missouri. The target counties are close to where more than 100 cases of CWD have been found in Northwest Arkansas. No deer from southern Missouri have tested positive for the disease...


CWD Test Results are in for Two Missouri Counties December 19, 2016 Capitol Outdoors

... results for more than half of approximately 19,200 tissue samples being tested for chronic wasting disease ... two deer tested positive for CWD; a yearling male harvested in southeast Jefferson County and a mature buck harvested in northern Franklin County...


Demand an End to "Future Annual Deer Hunts" at the Nature Center (Springfield, MO) December 18, 2016 Missouri, ThePetitionSite.com

... The Nature Center had a controlled deer hunt in November 2016, and based on media reports, intend on having one annually. The Nature Center is one of the few places deer have left to live naturally and free of hunting, now this last resort is being taken away from them. ...


  Town and Country to again pay firm to kill deer December 13, 2016 Missouri, STLtoday.com

... the killing of up to 225 deer by the White Buffalo firm of Connecticut.  The city has employed the firm for seven consecutive seasons of winter deer control. It will pay $74,000, and incur other costs of about $30,000...


Lawmaker wants tougher poaching penalties in Missouri December 8, 2016 Springfield News-Leader

... Rep. Donna Lichtenegger's HB 46 is similar to one that failed to gain traction earlier this year ... $1,500 for each white-tailed deer killed ...


Missouri hunters kill 6,505 deer in antlerless portion of deer season December 5, 2016 Columbia Missourian

... The antlerless portion was reduced from the normal 12 days to only three days for this season...


Good luck for deer hunting December 3, 2016 Missouri, Christian County Headliner News

...  in the 2016 regular deer season the number of deer killed is lower than expected ... The reduction of that nine-day season for does is a good move. This year it is a three-day season for does ... The doe season was instigated after meetings with big insurance companies who were disturbed about the number of car-deer accidents...


NW Missouri sees lower deer harvest totals December 2, 2016 News-Press Now

...  in 2014 the department reduced the availability of antlerless permits in northern Missouri with the intention of allowing the deer population to stabilize or increase.  “It will take a few years to see the effects ...

Young deer joins Black Friday shoppers in Troy, Mo. December 2, 2016 Missour, KYTX

...  the tame deer showed up on the parking lot and walked around, even letting customers pet him...


Deer season is tough on does, bucks November 28, 2016 Missouri, Columbia Daily Tribune

... The “Old Plank Doe,” as we called her, came to be an iconic figure in my neighborhood... We considered starting a Facebook page for her... she suddenly appeared one morning in the middle of the street, having been dragged there ... nothing she could do to escape the wrath of 800 cars per day ...


Hunters killed how many Missouri deer last week? November 23, 2016 The Springfield News-Leade

... Hunters killed 185,066 deer during Missouri's 11-day fall firearms season, slightly lower than last year ...


Conservation department collects 19,200 deer samples in opening hunting weekend November 16, 2016 Missouri, Columbia Daily Tribune

... thousands of hunters responded to the Missouri Department of Conservation’s call for help in combating the deadly chronic wasting disease in deer ... The department collected about 19,200 deer samples Saturday and Sunday at 75 mandatory sampling stations ...


Wandering elk photographed by trail camera in Scotland County, Mo. November 15, 2016 Missouri, Herald-Whig

..."It's just one of those things that you don't expect to see in Scotland County." Elk were almost extinct in Missouri for about 150 years until the Missouri Department of Conservation launched a program in 2011 to reintroduce the animals from Kentucky...


Missouri hunters took MORE deer than 2015 on opening firearms weekend November 14 2016, KY3

... Of the 96,131 deer harvested, 55,753 were antlered bucks, 8,873 were button bucks, and 31,505 were does... Last year hunters checked 93,896 deer ...


Deer season opens with Chronic Wasting Disease sampling stations November 12, 2016 MIssouri, KSDK

... Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) that has started to infect deer in a 29-county area.  Sampling stations have been set up in all 29 counties and it has been made mandatory that all deer taken this weekend have their lymph nodes removed at the stations or by a taxidermist if the deer is going to be mounted...


For opening weekend, a full-court press on lethal deer disease November 10, 2016 Missouri, Columbia Missourian

...  best-case scenario: The disease continues to spread slowly. The worst: Chronic wasting disease could kill enough wild deer over time that they will become unable to reproduce at a rate sustainable for hunting... discovered in 2010 in captive deer ranches in Linn and Macon counties...


Chronic wasting disease affecting November firearms deer season November 9, 2016 MIssouri, Springfield News-Leader

... 33 cases of CWD have been confirmed in Missouri. These positive tests came from samples collected in counties in northeast, central and eastern Missouri — all of which are in the current CWD Management Zone... Since 2002, more than 51,000 deer have been tested from all areas of the state... Voluntary sampling of deer harvested outside the management zone continues ...


Smithville Lake, Managed deer hunt scheduled at Smithville Lake November 7, 2016 MIssori, The Smith Herald

... This is the 27th anniversary of the annual Managed Deer Hunt consisting of 65 blinds accessible by truck in and around designated park areas and Waterfowl Refuge ...


State's deer population bouncing back; Southwest Missouri averages 20 per square mile November 6, 2016 Missouri, Joplin Globe

... Missouri has fewer whitetails today than it had a decade ago ... population seems to have stabilized and is in a growth stage right now ... In 17 counties in Southwest Missouri ... averages 20 deer per square mile ... the Southwest Region’s deer herd is stable and slowly growing ...


Young hunters bag more than 11,000 deer in Missouri November 1, 2016 Missouri, KSPR

... young hunters ages 6 through 15 checked 11,171 ... Last year’s harvest total for the early youth portion was 13,583...


Here's what to expect afield for deer and game birds in Missouri, Kansas October 21, 2016 Missouri, Kansas City Star

... the deer population in southern Missouri has been on the rise, for a few reasons — conservative harvest restrictions and mild disease outbreaks...


Crossbows in the cross hairs as state opens use of weapon to all archery hunters October 16, 2016 Missouri, Columbia Missourian

... The popularity of archery hunting is reflected in permits. The number of archery permits purchased in the Missouri ... more than doubled from 90,897 in 2005 to 188,200 in 2015... United Bowhunters of Missouri ... has been fighting expanded use of crossbows since the group's inception in 1987...


Several MO counties saw top deer harvest in 2015 October 13, 2016 MIssouri, KFVS

... Harvest numbers from 2015 have been released ...  more than 30,000 were harvested just last season...  read the report


Missouri Deer Forecast for 2016 October 11, 2016 MIssouri, Game & Fish

... a statewide population of 1.2 million whitetails... down from 1.4 million about 10 years ago...  due to overly liberalized antlerless deer regulations that allowed hunters in most areas of Missouri to harvest as many does as they wanted to, and several rounds of serious outbreaks with high mortality from epizootic hemorrhagic disease...


Webcast will focus on chronic wasting diseases in deer October 6, 2016 Missouri, Columbia Missourian

... The Department of Conservation is holding a webcast next week to educate Missouri deer hunters about the fight against chronic wasting disease...

Three decades later, he finally gets to fish October 2, 2016 Missouri, News-Press Now

... In 1983 ... "When I came on, we didn't have a large deer herd yet," ... it was 53,000 deer harvested. In 2006, hunters in Missouri bagged a still-record 200,000 deer...


Santa Rosa Ranch opens October 1, 2016 Missouri,Santa Rosa Press Gazette

... Missouri deer farmer Kevin Grace is turning what was once Wells Hunting Preserve into a family attraction. This weekend's grand opening at 4439 Wells Pond Road features a petting zoo with deer and other animals while plans include a water park ...


A Disease You Need to Learn About Septemer 22, 2016 Missouri, Wayne County Journal Banner

... In many ways, the public is being misled about chronic wasting disease in deer. ... It is likely that it exists to some degree in the Ozarks right now... in the Ozarks of north Arkansas it has been found in whitetail deer and elk in large numbers... What needs to be talked about is what the disease might do to those of us who eat deer meat...


Judge overturns MDC regulations of privately owned deer September 19, 2016 Missouri, The Missouri Times

... proposed regulations would have prevented breeders from importing deer from other states and using them for breeding and on private hunting reserves... in ruling against the Department of Conservation, also seemed to suggest that the Missouri Department of Agriculture should be the agency responsible for regulation of privately owned and bred deer ...


Deer hunting season now open for bows and arrows September 16, 2016 Missouri, Missourinet.com

... 90 percent of Missouri is privately owned, most hunting takes place on private land ... n a typical year, a quarter of a million deer are harvested in Missouri by half a million people... only take two antlered deer, or bucks, during both the archery and firearms ...


Court says Missouri can’t ban deer imports over fears of disease September 16, 2016 The Kansas City Star

...  Missouri’s captive deer industry scored a major win over the state Department of Conservation this week when a judge blocked regulators’ efforts to stop imports of bucks and does to breeders ... Missouri is home to more than 100 breeding facilities and private hunting preserves with their own deer herds ... Hunters often pay thousands of dollars to hunt ... 


Missouri hunters in nearby counties urged to watch for sick deer Septemer 14, 2016 Missouri, Springfield News-Leader

... More than 100 cases of Chronic Wasting Disease found in deer and elk in northwest Arkansas has prompted the Missouri Department of Conservation to continue its increased CWD surveillance efforts in seven southwestern and south-central Missouri counties ... 33 free-ranging deer with CWD have been found in northeast, central and east-central Missouri since 2012...


MDC Asks Hunters To Get Deer Tested September 14, 2016 MIssouri, KTTS

... Officials are asking hunters in Barry, Christian, Douglas, McDonald, Ozark, Stone, and Taney Counties to have their animals tested for the deadly disease.  These seven counties are close to where more than 100 deer and elk tested positive in Arkansas ...  “Deer harvest and population has been relatively stable in Pettis County ... the county averages 20 to 25 deer per square-mile in the county...


Stable supply of game awaits area hunters September 14, 2016 Missouri, Sedalia Democrat

... According to information from the Missouri Department of Conservation’s media specialist, Bill Graham, statewide, 520,000 deer hunters annually participate in the sport, which generates $1 billion each year for Missouri’s economy...


MO hunters may see deer wearing GPS collars this hunting season September 13, 2016 Missouri, KFVS

... The GPS will help researchers find out if does are staying in the same place in the fall, during the regular hunting season, or if they're on the move.  "If those deer are staying on that sight year-round then the land owner can harvest more deer on that sight or have other folks come harvest them," ... 


Deer disease prompts mandatory testing in parts of Missouri September 5, 2016 MIssouri, Bradenton Herald

...  the state's first-ever mandatory testing for chronic wasting disease ... Since 2001, 33 cases of chronic wasting disease have been confirmed in Missouri's wild deer — 21 in Macon County, 9 in Adair County, and one each in Cole, Franklin and Linn counties ...


Missouri to Allow Crossbows for Deer, Turkey August 31, 2016 MIssouri News, American Hunter

... The legalization of crossbows will help bring prospective new hunters into the fold.  "In the end, if we recruit more hunters, more women hunters, get youngsters out earlier and keep more old-timers in the field, we win," Brandon Butler, Executive Director of the Missouri Conservation Federation ...


For state agency, it's all hands on deck for mandatory deer testing August 29, 2016 Missouri, Columbia Missourian

... Hunters in Boone and 28 other counties in the state's chronic wasting disease management zone will be required to have their kills sampled on opening weekend of the fall firearms season ... disease hasn't been found in Boone County, but was found in adjacent Cole County in 2015 ...

     State to sample Boone, Callaway county deer kills for disease August 29, 2016 Missouri, Columbia Daily Tribune

... About 1,000 conservation department employees will staff the sampling sites over the weekend and $420,000 has been budgeted for sampling supplies and testing ... At the sites, conservation staff will cut out the lymph nodes for lab testing ... lymph nodes collect an abundance of the abnormally folded prion protein that causes chronic wasting disease ...


MDC reminds hunters of deer and turkey regulation changes for fall August 17, 2016 Missouri, houstonherald.com

... Crossbows have been added as a legal method during archery deer and turkey seasons ... reduced the length of the deer-hunting antlerless portion from 12 to three days ... eliminated the urban-zones portion of the firearms deer season ...


Conservation Dept. studying whitetail on private property August 12, 2016 Missouri, News-Press Now

... Biologists for the Missouri Department of Conservation have begun collecting data on whitetail deer survival and movement as part of a five-year study on private property... 90 percent of the land in Missouri is privately owned ... the department is now monitoring 177 deer statewide...


New Missouri program leases private land to provide public hunting, fishing access August 14, 2016  Joplin Globe

... The Missouri Outdoor Recreational Access Program — established in 2015 — offers payments through the MDC to private landowners for public access to hunting, fishing and wildlife viewing. Other states are doing this, too. Kansas has more than 150,000 acres of private land open to hunting under its Walk-in Hunting Area program...


Captive deer proponent charged in forgery case August 6, 2016 Missouri, Columbia Daily Tribune

... A Columbia resident and opponent of tougher restrictions on moving deer around the state to combat chronic wasting disease was charged last month in Linn County with conspiracy for allegedly using documents forged by another man to notify state authorities about a deer he purchased in 2014...

Missouri Deer News and Information Archive by TopicPopulation and ManagementDeer in the NewsDiseaseSuburbanTransportation

Missouri data:   An estimated 1.4 million deer in 2021, 2022, and 2023.  For 2023 the state increased hunting in response to the higher deer population,  "little over a million", in part due to reduced hunting to increase the population after the severe hemorrhagic disease outbreak in 2012.  The 2023 population was "at desired levels in most counties but continuing to increase."  with the 2023-24 deer hunt at record levels.  A modestly increasing population in 2020.


 Over 1.3 million in 2019 and 1.4 million in 2018.   About stable in 2019.  About 1.2 million deer from 2015 through 2017.  Some deer populations were on an increase in 2018, in part a recovery from the major EHD outbreak and drought in 2012.  Hunters take a quarter to a third of the total Missouri deer population during the firearms deer season.


The graphic below shows the statewide estimated deer population and total deer harvest from 1938 to 2014.   [Graphic from Missouri Department of Conservation]  Population numbers estimated from the graph are at the bottom of this column and in this spreadsheet

The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) estimated the deer population at 1.2 million in 2015 and 1.4 million in 2014 before hunting. The 2015 decline was partly  due to increased hunting in some areas designed to prevent the spread of chronic wasting disease and elimination of antler point restrictions in 19 north and central counties.  In 17 counties in Southwest Missouri.   The population averaged 20 deer per square mile in 2016.  A shorted season for does in 2016, from 12 to 3 days, and reduced antlerless tags in the north to help the population recover.  The deer population trended higher in 2016 in the south up as a result of harvest restrictions and limited disease.  More than 250 deer farms in 2016.


 MDC approved hunting restrictions -- a shorter season, lower limits, bucks-only hunt in the north -- in 2015 and 2014 to increase the population which has been reduced particularly in the north and west as a result of disease and drought.  A decade of declining deer numbers in the northwest and north central into 2015 with the total deer population down by almost 20 percent. Factors included increased bag limits and regulation changes that encourage hunters to take more does, several years of drought and habitat loss.


An estimated 1.4 million deer in 2012The 2013/2014 harvest was the lowest since 1993, down throughout the state.  The Missouri Conservation Commission had supported policies to reduce the deer population for 20 years until in 2013 the herd declined beyond population goals in some areas, resulting in a reduction in the number of antlerless deer permits.  Reduced hunting pressure allowed the herd to recover from a severe outbreak of epizootic hemorrhagic disease (EHD) that reduced the deer population in 2012, killing over 100,000 deer.   The poor acorn crop had the deer moving around looking for food during the hunting season, so the deer harvest was high, but the combination of disease and hunting significantly reduced the population. The 2012 mast survey showed the lowest production of red and white oak acorns in the 53 year history of the survey.  

  

An estimate of 1.4 million deer in 2011.  Populations in northern, western, and central were below target levels. Fewer deer in the river bottoms of the Ozarks. About 3,485 square miles of public land, almost all open to deer hunting.  About 500,000 deer hunters.  Deer hunting is estimated to add $1 billion to the state economy.   


An estimate of 1 million deer in 2003.


Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) was first discovered in 2010 at a captive deer operation near the Macon County line in northeast Linn County.  A captive deer tested positive in 2011 in Macon County. A buck reported positive in Adair county in 2014, Through 2014 11 wild and 11 captive deer with CWD, 10 of 11 wild deer within 10 miles of captive deer facilities.  Through 2017, more than 76,000 deer tested with 57 free ranging deer testing positive -- 33 in 2017.  


By 2018 the total number of all deer testing positive was about 88.  Into 2019, 103 positives.  A total of 116 after the 2018-19 hunt.  During the 2019 season, 24 out of 27,000 tested positive for a total of 140 confirmed cases out of the 130,000 deer tested. The MDC is trying to reduce deer populations in the CWD areas by changing the 2015 hunting regulations to increase antlerless permits and eliminate antler point restrictions. 


 For the 2019-20 season there were 46 new cases bringing the total number of CWD cases in the state to 162 after testing more than 137,000 deer.  For the 2020-21 season there were 44 cases among the 15,300 deer tested.   For the 2021-22 hunting season 86 deer tested positive bringing the total to 292 and almost 300 into September, 2022.  More in 2023 with 117 positives for the 2022-23 hunting season bringing the total to 408 - 118 positives by July.


Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease (EHD) and Bluetongue  Severe outbreaks in 2012 and 2013 killing over 100,000 deer.  Also in earlier years 2007, 1998, 1988, and 1980 -- all drought years.  Populations in Boone, Calaway and other middle counties have dropped by up to 35 percent from EHD. Populations in the southeast have increased increasing where deer escaped the worst of the EHD outbreak and the summer was mild.  Southern populations are stable to slightly increasing.  At least 305 cases reported in 2023.

HistoryEstimates of Missouri's deer population in the early 1800s range from 10 deer per square mile to 20 deer per square mile or from about 700,000 to 1.4 million.  William Clark of the Lewis and Clark expedition wrote about abundant deer in 1804.  An 1818 report describes deer and elk as abundant in the uplands.  As a result of unregulated hunting, the deer population was reduced to about 400 in 1925 when the State Legislature closed the entire state for hunting and imported deer from Michigan to restock the population. 


About 2,500 or less deer in 1935.  In 1936 the citizens of Missouri passed a constitutional amendment removing management from the legislature and appointing a four person conservation board.   In 1944, the newly created Missouri Department of Conservation held the first modern deer season with 7,757 hunters harvesting 519 bucks during a two-day, bucks-only season in 20 counties .  A population estimate of 15,000 in 1944.  In 1951, the first anterless harvest was designed to slow the growth of the herd.  


The herd grew rapidly during the 1980's and 90's,  In 2000, the number of does taken exceeded the number of bucks, putting downward pressure on the population.  The number of deer hunters increased from 400,000 in 2000 to 500,000 in 2012.  An estimated 875,000 in 2000Estimated 1989 deer population:  750,000, but the state updated their deer estimates in 2015.


Some historic estimates:   An estimate of 4,500 in 1940, 42,000 in 1950, 170,000 in 1960 and 320,000 in 1968 (Nixon).  Dunbar Robb, who worked as a chief biologist for the Missouri Department of Conservation, estimated the deer population as Europeans were arriving at 700,000 to 1.4 million.


The graphic below summarizing the population history of deer in Missouri is from the UM Extension series of publications on the Ecology and Management of White-tailed Deer in Missouri.  

Elk:  More than 200 in 2020 and 2021;  175  in 2017 and 2019;  125 elk by 2015.  Once abundant, the last concentration of elk was wiped out by market hunting Indians in Polk County in 1841. The last wild elk was shot in the Bootheel region during the 1890's.  In May, 2011, conservation officials brought 35 elk from Kentucky.  


Black Bears:  Estimated at 540 – 840 in 2020 with an increasing population.


Mountain Lions:  Wiped out by 1927 but confirmed sightings of 5 to 10 per year and increasing in 2023.


Report Poaching, Operation Game Thief:  1-800-392-1111


Population Estimates for 1938 to 2016 are from the graph at the top of this column.

Missouri Estimated Deer Population 1938 to 2014