Whitetail Deer History
Scientists believe that deer once inhabited bitter-cold regions around the Arctic Circle. It wasn't until about 4 million years ago that the first deer migrated to what we now call the United States. When Europeans came to the New World, the white-tailed deer played an important role in providing food. The army of Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto found venison and whitetail hides being used by many Indian tribes. The first settlers of America feasted on various animals, such as turkeys and grouse. Then they discovered the big Virginia whitetail. Native Americans taught the colonists how to utilize a deer efficiently, using every scrap of meat, hide and bone.
Rampant market hunting in the late 1800s reduced the whitetail population to an all-time low of 500,000, and does and bucks disappeared completely in some areas. In 1900 The Lacy Act, the first federal wildlife law, was enacted. Lacy prohibited the interstate trafficking of venison and other wild game, and the exploitation of whitetails began to slow. In 1908, 41 states established departments of conservation, furthering the protection of deer.
Rampant market hunting in the late 1800s reduced the whitetail population to an all-time low of 500,000, and does and bucks disappeared completely in some areas. In 1900 The Lacy Act, the first federal wildlife law, was enacted. Lacy prohibited the interstate trafficking of venison and other wild game, and the exploitation of whitetails began to slow. In 1908, 41 states established departments of conservation, furthering the protection of deer.
Whitetail Deer in Missouri
During presettlement times, the whitetail was abundant in Missouri, especially in the more fertile and diverse habitats of northern Missouri. The influx of European settlers to Missouri during the last half of the 19th century coincided with a rapid decline in the deer population. Unrestricted market hunting and
habitat destruction, such as cutting, burning, farming and grazing forest lands, contributed most to this decline. Token laws restricting the killing of deer were passed in the late 1800s and early 1900s, but they went largely unenforced. In 1925, the state’s deer herd was estimated to be only around 400. In response to these findings, the Missouri State Legislature declared deer season closed and made the first substantial effort to enforce its regulation. At the same time, deer brought to Missouri from Michigan were released onto five refuges in the Ozarks. In 1931, deer season reopened but resulted in a small harvest, which indicated a low population that was stable or declining. Missouri’s deer management program has come a long way since 1944. That year, 7,557 hunters took 583 deer during a two-day, bucks-only season in 20 southern Missouri counties. In recent years, nearly 500,000 gun and bow hunters typically harvest around 300,000 deer annually during statewide seasons |
Missouri state record non-typical whitetail buck. Shot by Kevin Thomas of Sweet Springs, MO. in 1999. The buck had 33 scorable points, and has held the record for 15 years.
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