Urban deer harvest down for second year in a row

Abundant deer hunting opportunity probably limts participation in the urban hunt.

JEFFERSON CITY-Hunters killed 1,348 deer during the urban portion of Missouri's firearms deer season Oct. 6-9. That is the second-smallest number in the hunt's four-year history. Missouri's top deer biologist says competition with other activities is the likeliest reason for the decrease.

The urban portion of firearms deer season takes place in 11 counties around St. Louis, Kansas City, Springfield and central Missouri. In this area, hunters may take as many antlerless deer as they want, using any-deer or antlerless-deer hunting permits.

The urban deer harvest grew from its first-year total of 129 in 2003 to 2,077 in 2004. It dropped to 1,838 last year, and it fell by an additional 490 this year. Resource Scientist Lonnie Hansen with the Missouri Department of Conservation said the brief increase followed by a two-year decline probably reflects people's traditional view of deer hunting and the large number of hunting opportunities hunters have in the fall.

"I think a lot of people associate deer hunting with cooler weather than we usually have in early October," said Hansen.

Another factor is the abundance of deer-hunting opportunities available in Missouri. Archery deer season opens Sept. 15. A two-day youth deer season comes after the urban hunt, followed by an 11-day November firearms hunt and a 10-day muzzleloader season. Then hunters have nine days for hunting antlerless deer in 73 counties in December.

"That's 36 days of firearms deer hunting and almost four months of archery hunting," said Hansen. "With that much time, the motivation to get out and hunt in warm weather isn't very great. Archers can take antlered deer in October, and some bowhunters find the quest for a trophy more appealing than trying for an antlerless deer with a gun."

Furthermore, deer are not the only game competing for hunters' attention. The urban deer hunt takes place during the fall turkey season, and squirrel hunting is a favorite October pastime for many outdoors people.

Hansen said there is no biological evidence that the decline in urban deer harvest is the result of diminished deer numbers in the 11-county urban deer hunting area. However, he said he still considers the urban segment of deer season a success, even if it is not making a serious dent in urban and suburban deer populations.

"Thirteen hundred may not be a big number, but it is 1,300 fewer deer out there to cause problems in these more populated areas. The fact that we are getting these deer out of the population before the rut is in full swing and deer get restless is a positive thing."

Boone County led this year's urban deer harvest totals with 312 deer checked. Webster County was second with 167, followed by Cole and St. Charles counties, each of which had 137 deer checked.

Other county urban deer harvest totals were: Christian, 122 Greene, 101; Cass, 98; Clay, 77; St. Louis, 76; Jackson, 66 and Platte, 55.

-Jim Low-