Mo. youth hunters kill 13,000 deer

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) - Missouri’s young hunters have killed more than 13,000 deer this year.

The Missouri Department of Conservation says that’s the second-highest total for youth hunters during a two-day season that ended Sunday. Conservation officials say cool weather made deer more active and easier to see.

The top counties for the year were Osage County with 318 deer, Franklin County with 295 and Callaway County with 240.

The Conservation Department reported one gun-related incident during this year’s season. A 9-year-old hunter in northeast Missouri accidentally shot his 18-year-old brother in the leg while walking into a hunting blind.

The November portion of the gun season for deer runs Nov. 14 through Nov. 24. It accounts for about 80 percent of the deer that are taken.