By Blake Jackson
Missouri’s 2025-2026 deer-hunting season concluded on January 15, with the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) reporting a preliminary total harvest of 301,954 deer. Of these, hunters took 145,222 antlered bucks, 25,129 button bucks, and 131,603 does. The highest overall harvests were recorded in Franklin County with 6,770 deer, Howell County with 5,490, and Callaway County with 5,346.
This season’s harvest showed an increase from the 275,656 deer harvested during the 2024-2025 season. For historical data on deer harvests, hunters can visit the MDC’s deer-harvest summaries page.
Deer hunting wrapped up with the close of the archery season. Preliminary data indicated that 62,203 deer were checked during the 2025-2026 archery season, up from 56,516 the previous year. Jefferson County led the archery harvest with 1,571 deer, followed by Franklin County with 1,272, and St. Louis County with 1,076.
MDC Cervid Program Supervisor Jason Isabelle said, “As expected, deer harvest rebounded nicely from the lower harvest total we had last year, especially across much of southern Missouri.” He added that the season’s total slightly exceeded the five-year average and marked the sixth time Missouri hunters harvested more than 300,000 deer.
For detailed deer-harvest totals by season, county, and type, visit MDC’s website.
Photo Credit: pexels-jim-fawns
Categories: Missouri, Rural Lifestyle