Young hunters checked 135 deer in Macon County during last weekend's early youth portion of firearms deer season, about half of the 272 they checked in the same portion last year, according to the Missouri Department of Conservation's online harvest table.
It was the county's lowest early youth count in at least five years. Youth hunters checked 207 deer in the county in 2022, 204 in 2023, and 194 in 2024, according to the table.
This year's Macon County total included 84 antlered bucks, 10 button bucks, and 41 does. Last year's included 192 antlered bucks, 25 button bucks, and 55 does.
The drop was statewide. Hunters ages 6 through 15 checked 11,878 deer across Missouri on Oct. 24 and 25, according to preliminary MDC figures released Monday. That compares with an average of about 14,600 in recent years, the department said.
According to MDC, above-average temperatures affected the harvest.
"Unfortunately, the abnormally warm fall we've been experiencing so far continued through last weekend," said Jason Isabelle, MDC's cervid program supervisor. "Although not as warm as the early antlerless portion, highs in the 80s during the early youth portion undoubtedly suppressed daytime deer movement."
Isabelle said cooler temperatures are in the forecast for early November, peak time for archery hunters, according to the release.
Last year's early youth portion was held Nov. 1-2, a week later on the calendar than this year's, according to the Chronicle's Oct. 22 report.
Macon County checked more youth-season deer than all but one of its seven neighbors.
Every county in the group fell by at least a third. Macon's drop, about 50 percent, was the second steepest after Chariton County's, about 55 percent.
Macon County tied for 33rd among Missouri's 114 counties for the youth weekend, according to the table. Last year it ranked 11th. Howell, Franklin, and Texas counties led the state this year. Franklin, Howell, and Pike counties led last year.
The youth weekend followed a hot early antlerless portion Oct. 9-11, when Macon County hunters checked 132 deer, as the Chronicle reported Oct. 13. That was down from 142 in the same portion last year, according to the harvest table. Statewide, the early antlerless count fell from 8,520 last year to 6,527 this year.
With archery added, Macon County hunters had checked 550 deer for the season as of Tuesday: 283 by archery, 132 in the early antlerless portion, and 135 in the youth portion. The county's hunters checked 4,525 deer in the 2025-26 season, seventh in the state, according to MDC figures the Chronicle reported Oct. 22.
Archery season runs through Nov. 13 and reopens Nov. 25 through Jan. 15, 2027. The November firearms portion runs Nov. 14-24. The late youth portion is Nov. 27-29, the late antlerless portion is Dec. 5-13 in select counties, and the alternative methods portion runs Dec. 26 through Jan. 5, 2027.
Harvest figures by county are at extra.mdc.mo.gov/widgets/harvest_table.