Abundance of acorns, late start attributed to 15% decline in deer hunting totals [Video]

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) – An abundance of acorns and a later start date have been attributed to a 15% decline in the number of deer taken during Missouri’s hunting season.

The Missouri Department of Conservation recently announced that the Show-Me State’s deer hunting season ended on Tuesday, Jan. 15, with a preliminary total of more than 276,000 tagged deer.

Of the deer harvested, conservationists said more than 129,000 were antlered bucks, nearly 24,000 were button bucks and more than 123,000 were does. The most deer were taken from Franklin (6,208), Jefferson (4,900) and Macon (4,495) counties.

Department officials indicated that this year’s harvest total saw a 15% decrease from the previous year’s record of more than 326,000. The total was also 8% below the 5-year average.

Conservation leaders noted that the deer hunting season ended with the close of the archery season. Preliminary data found hunters checked more than 56,000 deer during this portion. …