Visitors flocked to Benton County this past weekend as the annual Missouri deer season started on Saturday morning at daylight. Hunters in Benton County harvested 2,102 whitetails the first weekend of the season. Of those, 868 were does, 162 button bucks and 1,072 were antlered deer.
Franklin County topped the charts in Missouri again with 3,158 deer harvested on the first weekend of the season. Other top counties included: Jefferson, 2,646; Pike, 2,257; Callaway, 2,254; Howell, 2,211; Macon, 2,210; Texas, 2,180; Lincoln, 2,130; Benton, 2,102.
Deer Firearms November season runs from November 16 to November 26 from one half-hour before sunrise to one half-hour after sunrise.
Only one antlered deer may be taken during the entire firearms season.
A hunter may take only two antlered deer during the archery and firearms deer season.
Part of the fun of the hunt include the great stories that come out of bagging the big one. Warsaw's Todd Griffin said a special memory for him was what he referred to as “The Emmett Buck”.
“The Emmett Buck Deer season 2015, I was hunting on a farm south of Warsaw near Bentonville. I got a text from April about 4:30 stating I needed to come get Emmett, my 10-month old grandson. Our daughter, Chelsea was working as a server at Hilltop BBQ and a 10-month old at work was not working out. I immediately returned a text and told my wife, April that it was prime time (cloudy cool damp day in the late afternoon) and I didn’t want to leave. I asked her if she could wait an hour. A quick reply from her was, "NO"!
“I reluctantly slipped out of the woods and headed home. After about a 15-minute drive, I returned home. As I got out of my truck, I spotted a beautiful buck about 100 yards from my house in front of my barn. I grabbed my rifle and quickly placed the crosshairs on him and dispatched him. I grabbed my phone and called April who was en route to the house with Emmett. I told her I just shot a monster buck. As usual, she didn’t believe me. A few minutes later, she arrived at home and saw it for herself. If it were not for Emmett, I would not have that buck on the wall at Hilltop. So, it’s not over until it’s over. That day ended with a bang,” said Griffin!
Fristoe resident Richard Vaughn had many fond memories of deer season.
“Deer season has had a large impact on my life since my earliest memories. Vacations are taken from work and it’s celebrated like a holiday in our area. Family and friends make the trek to southern Benton County to get a chance at some of Missouri’s finest whitetails,” said Vaughn.
Edwards resident Michael Henderson had similar memories of deer season.
“When I was about 11 years old, my family was big into rifle deer season at that time. It was like the night before Christmas for us kids. We always had a large group of deer hunters, sometimes in the neighborhood of 50, who would come to sign in to hunt our land the night before rifle deer season started. My Grandpa Sam and Grandma Louise would come stay at our house for the opening weekend of the rifle season. Bright and early on opening morning, Grandma Louise would get up and have homemade biscuits and gravy ready at 5:00 AM. After morning hunting, we would all gather around the ranch yard waiting for hunters to come in and show us the ‘big one’ they had in the back of their pickup, or at least tell a wild story of how he got away. My brother and I grew up going deer hunting with my dad and Grandpa Sam. We started actually getting to go with the intention to shoot around 10 years of age. I had seen an uncle of mine get scope ringed (busted above the eye due to not having a good hold on the rifle) and so I was afraid to shoot a gun with a scope, in fear that I would have the same demise. I convinced my grandpa Sam to let me use his iron sites 30-30 rifle. We were raised in the country, and knew how to safely handle a firearm. My dad took me out on the Sunday afternoon of the first weekend and set me in an old brush pile. I had gone hunting a few times before, but always with someone else. That day I was left in an old brush pile all by myself. Back then we didn’t have deer stands and deer blinds, and all the creations that they have nowadays. We didn’t have scent locker suits or scent away spray or anything like that. Dad got me dropped off and went further down the pasture and set up on the hill, where I believe he could keep a watch on me, but have his own hunt at the same time. I saw nothing more than chipmunks and squirrels until about 30 minutes or so before final shooting hours. Approximately 100 yards away, I saw some movement coming out of the timber and when I focused my eyes on it I noticed it was a large buck. At that time, the largest I had seen while hunting. It was an 8-point deer with a large body and he came to a stop standing broadside, giving me the perfect shot. I took my time, got the gun up real slow and squeezed off a shot, and he just stood there. I didn’t know it, but I nicked him in the neck and he just stood there. I had so much adrenaline coursing through my body I chambered another round and let it fly. I saw it hit in the dirt beyond him. I chambered another round and let it fly. I saw it hit in the dirt in front of him. I chambered another round and let it fly, that time hitting the mark, and the deer turned and ran up in the timber as I lost sight of him. I was as nervous as any 11-year old had ever been and couldn’t hardly crawl out of the brush pile due to sitting in the brush all day. I finally got out of the brush pile and started walking in the direction I had last seen the deer. My dad met me on the way and asked what had happened. I began to tell a story that I would end up repeating many, many times later. My dad simply replied, ‘I heard all the shooting.’
“We walked into the timber and saw the buck lying there dead. First deer I had ever killed and he was a nice 8 point. My dad helped me field dress him and we loaded him onto the truck. When we got back to the ranch yard and all the hunters started to come in, I began to tell the tale. I was beaming. Back then we had to take deer to a check-in station. They seemed to be at about every gas station, although now I know that wasn’t the case. When we got to the check-in station, I was greeted by more hunters than I had never met, and I got to tell my story again. So many things have changed from the way hunting was done then, and how it is done now, but the end result is very similar. Memories that will last a lifetime," said Henderson.
Deer hunting memories have been made this season as well. Erin Goodpaster was successful on her hunt.
“I went hunting with my dad on Saturday at my grandpa's farm. We didn't get around to going hunting until late in the afternoon. After my dad talked to my grandpa and uncle for a while, we walked down the hill toward the creek. At the bottom of the hill, I saw a deer and used the scope on the gun to look at it. It was just a doe. Though I would have liked to get a buck this year, I have always shot the first deer I can get a good aim on. I aimed for the neck and dropped the doe where it had stood. After walking over to it, we noticed It just happened to be about 50 feet from where I had dropped my deer last year. After taking a picture, we dragged it out of the woods and my dad gutted it. Not long after, my dad got his button buck as we were getting ready to cross the creek into a field. He also got a neck shot and dropped it. We loaded our two deer up, my dad talked to my grandpa and uncle for a bit, then we went home,” said Goodpaster.
According to Edwards resident Gary Findley, the weather hasn’t been the best for deer hunting. He reported that the warm weather and full moon have kept the deer from moving around as much as usual for this time of year.
Cooler weather is expected this weekend so maybe those deer will be moving around and giving hunters their prize.
