Firearms deer season's November portion officially open

Missouri's orange army -- numbering nearly 500,000 -- will be invading the deer woods and fields Saturday as the November portion of the 2008 deer season opens one half hour before sunrise.

Hunters will be seeking that trophy buck or a nice size doe and many will be rewarded for their efforts as the state's deer herd is in good shape with between 800,000 and a million whitetails so hunters should have plenty of targets. The cooler weather should benefit hunters.

The statewide Youth Hunt on the weekend of Nov. 1-2, saw the youngsters take more than 10,300 deer. Vernon County had 96 deer checked in over that weekend.

Tom Jackson, 14, Bolivar, said, "I never saw so many deer before. We were hunting near Stockton Lake and saw more than 20 deer, it was really something." Changes in the deer hunting regulations this November include an antler restriction on bucks. Hunters may only take a buck that has four points on one side of it's rack. It would be a good idea to carry binoculars with you to be sure that buck has four points on one side of its rack before firing your gun.

Also new for this season... An extra weekend in January has been added to the youth portion and nonresidents who qualify as disabled veterans may purchase resident permits.

With the new firearm season fast approaching, two Missouri deer hunters are ready for another season like the one they had last fall. Walter Franklin and Dave Ash had just returned from a trip to Washington in time to join other friends at their deer camp in the Ozarks.

Franklin said, "When we finally arrived at the camp for a few days of hunting, we were tired from our traveling, but the sight of the cabin brought strength to our weary bones. The camp, a large log cabin, with plenty of room and a roaring fire in the stove soon brought sleep to us and when woke up the next morning we were ready for a hardy breakfast and ready to go hunting. We started down a trail towards the lake when we stopped for a break and to look around, two deer were spotted feeding towards us.

"We knew they would pass about a hundred yards in front so we stepped aside to a clearing where they should pass. I could feel myself begin to shake in suspense as the deer were now out of sight, but in a second one of them stepped out directly in the clearing. Firing and missing, it jumped a little and then the other deer appeared. Taking a quick aim at this one, I fired and it dropped instantly.

"Meanwhile, Dave was watching the other deer that was running to my left and he fired several shots and the deer turned toward us, coming to a stop about 30 yards away. Dave hurriedly felt in his pocket to find a shell and was having trouble finding one, but finally found one and slipped it in the chamber. All this time the deer stood looking every direction and not seeing us. At last, he fired and made a complete miss. He said that was the only time he had buck fever."

The next day Dave, was determined to get a deer and headed back to the spot where he had missed an easy shot. After waiting and watching a field next to the woods, he saw several deer moving in his direction.

When one nice buck stopped broadside some 50 yards out, he fired and dropped the 10-pointer. "I wasn't about to miss again," he said.

After a light lunch both hunters had their two deer loaded up and had memories of a very successful trip.

By the time the 2008 season has ended, it could be another record year. When the two youth hunts, archery, urban, muzzleloading, the regular November firearm and the antlerless hunt in December has ended, the number of deer taken will be well over 200,000.

For successful hunters that would like to share their harvest this season, an effective program appropriately called "Share the Harvest" allows hunters to donate deer meat to families who are in need. The program that started in 1992, lets hunters to legally donate venison to people who need food.

To learn more about the program, contact the Conservation Department at (573) 522-4115 ext. 3290 or the Conservation Federation of Missouri at (573) 634-2322.