Missouri deer research / St. Francois County
St. Francois County, Missouri Deer Hunting Research
Provisional FDR Deer Herd Index 39.2 Provisional, ranked #104 of 114 ranked Missouri counties. Built from Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) Telecheck records, 2015–2025 plus public-land access.
D - AverageWhat drives the St. Francois County index
Provisional components, each scored 0–100 against the ranked Missouri counties. Provisional.
Trophy Index
49↑ out of 100. How this county ranks for trophy bucks against every county we cover. 100 is the top. Ranked per acre of bow-huntable land (10 m estimate).
2015–2025 harvest trend
| Season | Total harvest |
|---|---|
| 2025 | 3,381 |
| 2024 | 2,509 |
| 2023 | 3,270 |
| 2022 | 2,461 |
| 2021 | 2,828 |
| 2020 | 2,959 |
| 2019 | 2,584 |
| 2018 | 2,263 |
| 2017 | 2,596 |
| 2016 | 2,269 |
| 2015 | 2,290 |
Harvest totals from Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) Telecheck records, 2015–2025. MDC reports totals by county and season; archery / firearm splits are not broken out in this dataset.
See full St. Francois County harvest charts →
Harvest composition
MDC reports each deer as an Antlered Buck, Doe, or Button Buck (a male fawn). In 2025, St. Francois County ran 1,431 antlered bucks, 1,628 does, and 322 button bucks.
| Season | Antlered buck | Doe | Button buck | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1,431 | 1,628 | 322 | 3,381 |
| 2024 | 1,077 | 1,143 | 289 | 2,509 |
| 2023 | 1,291 | 1,588 | 391 | 3,270 |
| 2022 | 1,129 | 1,055 | 277 | 2,461 |
| 2021 | 1,254 | 1,245 | 329 | 2,828 |
| 2020 | 1,285 | 1,316 | 358 | 2,959 |
| 2019 | 1,160 | 1,098 | 326 | 2,584 |
| 2018 | 1,052 | 931 | 280 | 2,263 |
| 2017 | 1,023 | 1,227 | 346 | 2,596 |
| 2016 | 1,046 | 942 | 281 | 2,269 |
| 2015 | 1,034 | 962 | 294 | 2,290 |
Antlered buck = adult male; button buck = male fawn; doe = adult female. Only MDC's additive method portions are summed, so the three sum to the county total, with no double-counting.
See full St. Francois County composition charts →
Herd & land detail
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Latest season (2025) | 3,381 deer |
| Harvest per sq mi | 7.48 |
| Buck : doe ratio | 0.88 |
| County land (sq mi) | 451.90 |
| Public-land acres | 154 |
Methodology
Provisional index. Provisional index: herd, harvest, trophy (the Trophy Index), and roadway (exposure-normalized deer-vehicle crash rate) components; habitat/age-structure partial where the state does not publish them.. FULLY DRAWN RESEARCH · Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) PROVISIONAL COUNTY DEER INDEX
Informational only. Built from public-record Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) county harvest data, US Census TIGER county land area, the Trophy Index, and exposure-normalized deer-vehicle crash rates where published. Provisional index; some components partial or pending. Not a prediction or guarantee. Verify with the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC).
See St. Francois County on the map
Parcels with owner & acreage, public hunting land, leaf-off imagery, and this research, together on one hunting map.
Nearby counties
Frequently asked questions
Is St. Francois County, Missouri good for deer hunting?
St. Francois County scores 39.2 of 100 on the provisional FDR Deer Herd Index (D - Average), ranked #104 of 114 ranked Missouri counties. The provisional index is built from MDC public harvest records, the Trophy Index and deer-vehicle crash data; some components are partial, as noted in the methodology.
How many deer were harvested in St. Francois County last season?
MDC records show 3,381 deer harvested in St. Francois County, Missouri in 2025, the most recent reported season.