The small nuts had a big impact on this year’s opening to deer season in Missouri, the state’s department of conservation said.
MISSOURI, USA — The opening weekend of Missouri’s 2024 deer hunting season is officially in the books, and deer harvest totals saw a huge drop compared to last year.
The Missouri Department of Conservation on Monday reported hunters harvested around 20,000 fewer deer than they did in 2023. This year’s total was 68,312 deer, compared to the 90,253 deer harvested during the opening weekend of the November Firearms Portion.
Jason Isabelle supervises MDC’s Cervid Program, which focuses on deer and elk throughout the state. He attributed the low harvest numbers to three factors: Acorns, warmer temperatures and a calendar shift.
He said a “significant” cause for the drop was an abundance of acorns throughout the state’s forests.
“Throughout much of Missouri, there are a lot of acorns in the woods this year,” said Isabelle on MDC’s website. “When that happens, …