JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Top counties for the record-setting late youth portion were Osage, Pike, and Franklin.

Preliminary data from the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) shows that young hunters ages 6 through 15 harvested 3,899 deer during Missouri’s late youth portion of the 2020 deer hunting season, Nov. 27-29. Of the 3,899 deer harvested, 1,433 were antlered bucks, 520 were button bucks, and 1,946 were does.

Top counties for the late youth portion were Osage with 90 deer harvested, Pike with 87, and Franklin with 72.

Last year’s harvest total for the late youth portion was 1,950 with 771 being antlered bucks, 204 button bucks, and 975 does.

“The total for this year’s late youth portion is the highest on record,” said MDC Cervid Program Supervisor Jason Isabelle. “Great weather contributed to an impressive harvest total for this year’s late youth portion of firearms deer season.”

Isabelle added that during shorter portions of firearms deer season, weather has an especially important effect on harvest.

“The weather for most of the late youth portion was great this year,” he said. “Pleasant conditions struck a nice balance between being cool enough to encourage deer movement, but comfortable enough for young hunters to be out in the field.”

For current ongoing preliminary harvest totals by season, county, and type of deer, visit the MDC website at extra.mdc.mo.gov/widgets/harvest_table/.

For harvest summaries from past years, visit huntfish.mdc.mo.gov/hunting-trapping/species/deer/deer-harvest-reports/deer-harvest-summaries.

Archery deer season runs through Jan. 15, 2021. The antlerless portion of firearms deer season runs Dec. 4-6 followed by the alternative methods portion Dec. 26 through Jan. 5, 2021.

Find more information on deer hunting from MDC’s 2020 Fall Deer & Turkey Hunting Regulations and Information booklet, available where hunting permits are sold and online at huntfish.mdc.mo.gov/sites/default/files/downloads/2020FDT.pdf.