JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Despite a rough opening weekend, Missouri hunters ultimately took more than 25,000 additional deer this season compared to last year, according to preliminary numbers released after the season ended Jan. 15.
The Missouri Department of Conservation reported a total of 301,954 deer harvested for the 2025-2026 season, a notable jump from 275,656 last year. Franklin, Howell, and Callaway counties led the state in overall harvest totals.
The archery portion, which wrapped up the hunting year, accounted for more than 20% of the total harvest. Hunters checked 62,203 deer statewide, with Jefferson, Franklin, and St. Louis counties reporting the highest numbers. That total is more than 5,000 deer higher than the archery harvest recorded in 2024.
“As expected, deer harvest rebounded nicely from the lower harvest total we had last year, especially across much of southern Missouri,” said MDC Cervid Program Supervisor Jason Isabelle.
Isabelle added that this season’s harvest came in slightly above the five-year average and marked just the sixth time Missouri’s total exceeded 300,000 deer.
At the Lake of the Ozarks, hunters accounted for roughly 3.5% of the statewide harvest. Morgan County led the region with 3,973 deer, followed by Camden County with 3,752 and Miller County with 2,855.
A full breakdown of 2025–2026 deer harvest totals by season, county, and type of deer is available at extra.mdc.mo.gov/widgets/harvest_table/. More information from past seasons can also be found here.
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