Pete Jones is the co-owner of Grandpa's Guns in Columbia and he's certainly glad deer hunting season is here. He's seen his business increase these past few weeks.

"Four and five weeks before deer season actually starts is when people are looking to buy a new deer rifle or trade one in," Jones said.

Jones isn't the only one seeing increasing numbers this season. The Missouri Department of Conservation says it's seeing higher numbers too — but these are a different type of numbers.

"Hunters were very successful; they killed a few more deer this year than they did last year," said Department of Conservation central region supervisor Tom Strother.

Strother says the amount of hunter's permits are about the same as last year.

Missouri needs hunters to hold the deer population in check. The state doesn't have any natural predators, such as bears.

"The most common is a vehicle, and that is not the best predator for a deer. That's why hunting is the best tool to manage the herd," said Strother.

He says the abundant amount of deer this season is causing hunters to be more successful. More successful hunters is a good thing for Jones' business.

"It is a privilege and a right to go out and shoot, especially if we get young people involved," he said.

Jones feels it is a privilege that can bring mothers, fathers, and kids closer together.

The best example of this is the designated "young hunters days," he said. This year, that was Oct. 31-Nov. 1. Kids harvested 13,000 deer in those two days. That was an increase of 4,000 deer from the 2008 youth hunting days.