Deer season starts today in Missouri w/ link to more than 300 venison recipes

By Roger McKinney

rmckinney@joplinglobe.com

Mike Cloud, owner of Cloud’s Meats in Carthage, on Monday opened the freezer at his business where bow hunters had placed their weekend haul of deer.

“The cooler was full,” Cloud said. “We had 60 deer in there. Normally for a weekend, we have 20 deer.”

Cloud said that and other factors cause him to predict a good deer-hunting season when firearms hunting starts today in Missouri. The firearms season closes Tuesday, Nov. 25. The deer firearms season in Kansas is Dec. 3-14. In Oklahoma, it’s Nov. 22-Dec. 7.

Cloud said Friday’s rain and cool weather expected today also could contribute to a good deer harvest.

“They’re going to be up and about looking for food,” Cloud said. “There should be a lot of deer moving around.”

There’s also another factor.

“I would say the deer are in rut,” Cloud said, referring to mating season.

“They’re big deer, nice deer,” he added.

David Bradford, owner of Seneca Locker, said he agreed with Cloud.

“I think the harvest is going to be up,” Bradford said. “The weather seems to be agreeable for us. The bucks that I’m getting in right now are in rut. It’s the peak of the season. It really looks like it’s going to be a very good season. The deer look exceptionally healthy.”

He said he was receiving deer from Missouri bow hunters and Oklahoma hunters.

Kevin Badgley, a community outreach specialist for the Missouri Department of Conservation, said he is not as optimistic as the meat processors.

“We’re anticipating a lower-than-average deer harvest here in Southwest Missouri,” Badgley said. “We have fewer deer numbers.”