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JEFFERSON CITY, MO. (AP) -- The Missouri Department of Conservation says the firearms deer hunting season got off to a big start over the weekend.

The department says hunters killed 91,236 deer statewide as of 7:30 p.m. Sunday. Of those, 52,304 were taken on opening day on Saturday.

Vernon Archer, office manager for the Conservation Department's Springfield office, says the state was anticipating the weekend numbers would reach 100,000 deer by the end of Sunday.

The Springfield News-Leader reports that the opening weekend total in 2009 was 86,202.

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