Missouri hunters took nearly 239,000 deer during the 2011-2012 firearms hunting season.

Conservation officials said the season’s total was up about 7,400 from last year, but roughly 13,000 below the 10-year average.

Jason Sumners, of the Conservation Department, says this year’s sharp departure from the average reflects a decline in deer populations in central and northern Missouri.

At the same time, Sumners says deer numbers in southern Missouri continue to increase gradually.

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