If you're a deer hunter, Callaway County was a prime spot for killing deer or turkey during the 2021-22 season.
The county placed third among other counties for the numbers of deer killed by firearm or by archery for the season that ended Saturday, according to the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC),
The preliminary number of deer killed for the season was 293,670. Of the deer that were killed, 143,049 were antlered bucks, 26,599 were button bucks and 124,022 were does. Hunters killed 297,214 deer during the 2020-21 deer hunting season with 140,855 being antlered bucks, 28,652 being button bucks and 127,707 being does.
Top counties for the 2021-22 deer season were: Franklin with 6,392 deer killed, Texas with 5,478 and Callaway with 5,452.
Totals for other Central Missouri counties showed 1,833 deer killed in Cole County; 3,300 in Boone; 2,508 in Maries; 3,273 in Miller; 1,804 in Moniteau; 4,345 in Morgan and 4,359 in Osage.
"This year's harvest total was slightly behind last year's mark and about 3 percent above the previous five-year average," said Jason Isabelle, MDC cervid program supervisor. "We've seen an increasing trend in statewide deer harvest for about the past eight years. 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."
Missouri archery hunters posted the third highest number of kills on record. Preliminary data from MDC showed hunters checked 60,834 deer during the 2021-22 archery deer season. Top counties for the archery deer season were Jefferson with 1,563 deer killed, St. Louis with 1,368 and Franklin with 1,274.
Totals for Central Missouri counties included 381 killed in Cole County, 845 in Boone County, 1,255 in Callaway County, 419 in Maries, 254 in Moniteau, 872 in Morgan and 728 in Osage.
Hunters checked 67,487 deer during the 2020-21 archery deer season. This year's archery deer total was 10 percent below last year's record and 8 percent higher than the previous five-year average.
MDC reported four firearms-related hunting incidents during deer season with all being self-inflicted. Three were non-fatal and one was fatal.
Archery season for turkeys
Fall archery turkey hunting also ended Saturday. Preliminary data from MDC showed 2,523 turkeys were killed. Top counties for the fall archery turkey season were Franklin with 69 turkeys killed, Jefferson with 67 and Callaway with 61.
Totals for Central Missouri counties included 30 turkeys killed in Cole County, 34 in Boone, 46 in Maries, 40 in Miller, 21 in Moniteau, 29 in Morgan and 47 in Osage.
Hunters killed 2,350 turkeys during the 2020-21 fall archery turkey season.