Managed deer hunts in Cape Girardeau County
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo (KBSI) – Deer are on the move as hunting season approaches.
Deer are on the move as its deer ‘rutting’ season, male deer are on the lookout for female deer right as we approach deer season. Deer like to move around dusk when it starts to get dark, and this can make roadways dangerous.
The Missouri Department of Conservation has scheduled managed deer archery hunts to help combat against the deer population.
These hunts will take place in public parks and be scheduled ahead of the hunting date.
The Cape Girardeau Public relations officer Bobbie Newton put out signs Monday, October 21 for a managed hunt that will take place in Shawnee Park.
“So today were out putting up the signs for the managed deer hunts that’s going to take place. It starts October 21 and then it will go for a week, up to five weeks and then it rotates every week we’ll have a hunt.”
The managed hunts are very controlled and archery only. The purpose of ‘managed hunting’ is to help fight against the over population of deer in congested areas.
According to the Missouri State Highway patrol over 3500 car accidents involving deer happen each year.
Deer season for archery runs from September 15 through November 10, and firearms season runs November 11th through the 21st.
Rachel Webster is a conservation agent for the Missouri department of conservation and shares how hunters can give back to the community.
“The Share The Harvest program, and this is a great program where you can take your deer to a share the harvest processor so some of the local ones will be Jackson Frozen Foods or Stoney’s in Perry County and those places will take the deer that you don’t want that was checked in legally of course and then it will be ground up and donated to a food bank or food pantry of some sort and then it’ll be distributed to needy families.”
If you would like to sign up for managed hunt or find a Share The Harvest processor, you can go to the Missouri Department of Conservations website.
