Preliminary data from the Missouri Department of Conservation shows Callaway County hunters finished in the top three in harvest numbers in multiple categories for November's firearms deer season.
Season totals, from Nov. 16-26, have Callaway County in third place, with 3,369; Texas County in second place, with 3,743; and Franklin County in the lead, with 4,008. According to the MDC, deer hunters in Missouri harvested 178,936 deer during the November portion of fall firearms deer season.
Callaway topped the totals of does harvested in the state with 1,543. Franklin County finished second, with 1,510. Osage County was third, with 1,400.
Callaway finished third in antlered buck totals, with 1,497. Texas County sits second, with 2,096, and Franklin County on top, with 2,099 antlered bucks harvested.
Of the 178,936 deer harvested, 91,420 were antlered bucks, 17,237 were button bucks and 70,279 were does. Last year, hunters checked 200,738 deer with 103,582 being antlered bucks, 20,040 being button bucks and 77,116 being does.
According to the MDC, six firearms-related hunting incidents were reported throughout the November portion of the firearms deer season with four being self-inflicted, one non-fatal incident involving a shooter and victim, and one fatal incident involving a shooter and victim.
For current ongoing preliminary harvest totals by season, county and type of deer, visit the MDC website at bit.ly/2P37UIz. For harvest summaries from past years, visit bit.ly/2ssNUY1.
The archery deer season opened Nov. 27 through Jan. 15, 2020. The late youth deer season runs Nov. 29 through today. The antlerless deer season runs Dec. 6-8, and the alternative methods season runs Dec. 28 through Jan. 7, 2020.
More information on deer hunting is available through MDC's 2019 hunting regulations and information booklet, available where permits are sold, and at bit.ly/2L96dIa.