Butler County, Missouri: deer harvest and public hunting land
Butler County covers 699 square miles around Poplar Bluff. Hunters checked 1,852 deer here in the 2025 season, 887 of them antlered bucks, by MDC's harvest summary. That is up 24% from 2024. 13.7% of Butler County is public land open to the public, the largest share national forest (48,117 acres), by USGS PAD-US 4.1 and MDC conservation area boundaries.
Data updated October 2026. Harvest: MDC's deer harvest summaries, 2021 to 2025. Land: PAD-US 4.1 and MDC's conservation area and MRAP layers.
MDC conservation areasNational forestNational wildlife refugesState parks and historic sitesOther state landCounty, city and regional landLand trusts and other open landButler CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 447,439 acres (699 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Deer checked, 2025 | 1,852 (887 antlered bucks, 171 button bucks, 794 does) |
| Firearms and archery, 2025 | 1,286 by firearms, 563 by archery |
| Public land | 13.7% (61,142 acres) |
| MDC lands | 13 (12,562 acres inside Butler County) |
| MRAP land | None mapped this year |
| Towns in and near it | Poplar Bluff, Neelyville, Qulin, Naylor, Williamsville and Ellsinore |
How many deer are harvested in Butler County?
Hunters checked 1,852 deer in Butler County in 2025: 887 antlered bucks, 171 button bucks and 794 does. By method: 1,286 by firearms (986 of them in the November portion) and 563 by archery; the rest came on managed hunts.
| Season | Deer checked | Antlered bucks | Button bucks | Does | Firearms | November portion | Archery |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1,852 | 887 | 171 | 794 | 1,286 | 986 | 563 |
| 2024 | 1,490 | 691 | 127 | 672 | 1,102 | 880 | 386 |
| 2023 | 2,045 | 968 | 169 | 908 | 1,509 | 1,310 | 529 |
| 2022 | 1,916 | 1,032 | 153 | 731 | 1,380 | 1,190 | 530 |
| 2021 | 1,383 | 707 | 136 | 540 | 999 | 381 |
Source: MDC deer harvest summaries (2021 to 2025 seasons), Butler County, from the county tables of each season (all methods, firearms, archery and the November portion). The 2021 summary has no separate November table.
How much public land is in Butler County?
61,142 of Butler County's 447,439 acres are public land open to the public (13.7%). The biggest share is national forest: 48,117 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Butler County |
|---|---|---|
| National forest | 48,117 | 10.8% |
| MDC conservation areas | 12,816 | 2.9% |
| County, city and regional land | 136 | under 0.1% |
| Other state land | 40 | under 0.1% |
| State parks and historic sites | 33 | under 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 61,142 | 13.7% |
Measured by FilledTag inside the county line from USGS PAD-US 4.1 (fee land open to the public) and MDC conservation area boundaries. Hunting rules differ by manager: MDC conservation areas allow the hunting each area's page lists; national forest is open; Corps of Engineers lake land is open to hunting in many places under each project's own rules; refuges follow U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service rules; the Ozark National Scenic Riverways allows hunting under state rules while most other national park land is closed; state parks and city and county land are closed to most hunting.
MDC lands in Butler County
MDC lands in Butler County, largest first, with the acres of each inside it:
- University Forest Conservation Area: 4,561 acres
- Coon Island Conservation Area: 3,179 acres
- Big Cane Conservation Area: 2,138 acres
- Poplar Bluff Conservation Area: 1,118 acres
- Stephen J. Sun Conservation Area: 505 acres
- Corkwood Conservation Area: 442 acres
- Wilhelmina Conservation Area: 251 acres
- Allred Lake Natural Area: 165 acres
- Dan River Access: 79 acres
- Otter Slough Conservation Area: 68 acres
- Harviell Access: 40 acres
- James Clark Access: 10 acres
- Sportsman's Park Access (Poplar Bluff): 6 acres
Other large public areas here, by PAD-US: Mark Twain National Forest (48,121 acres).
How do you get to Butler County?
Highways through it: US 67 (about 56 miles inside), US 60 (about 55 miles inside), MO 51 (about 25 miles inside), MO 142 (about 22 miles inside) and US 160 (about 22 miles inside). Towns inside: Poplar Bluff, Neelyville, Qulin, Fisk, Harviell and Broseley. Nearby: Naylor (on the line), Williamsville (3 miles), Ellsinore (4 miles) and Dudley (5 miles).
Which counties border Butler County?
Butler County touches 5 other counties. Their latest MDC harvest and public land, for comparison:
| County | Deer harvested | Year | Public land | MRAP land sites |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wayne County | 4,081 | 2025 | 26.6% | |
| Carter County | 2,210 | 2025 | 41.7% | |
| Ripley County | 3,088 | 2025 | 27.2% | |
| Dunklin County | 496 | 2025 | 2% | |
| Stoddard County | 1,935 | 2025 | 4.3% |
Questions hunters ask
How many deer were harvested in Butler County in 2025?
Hunters checked 1,852 deer: 887 antlered bucks, 171 button bucks and 794 does (MDC). In 2024: 1,490.
Is there public hunting land in Butler County?
Yes. 61,142 acres, 13.7% of the county, are public land open to the public by USGS PAD-US 4.1 and MDC conservation area boundaries, the largest share national forest (48,117 acres). MDC's map shows 13 conservation areas here.
Does Butler County have MRAP land?
Not on MDC's MRAP layer of tracts open to hunting.
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Where these numbers come from
- Deer harvest: MDC deer harvest summaries (2021 to 2025 seasons).
- Public land: USGS PAD-US 4.1 (fee land open to the public) and MDC conservation area boundaries. conservation areas: MDC conservation area boundaries. MRAP land: MDC Missouri Recreational Access Program (MRAP) lands.
- Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau 2024 cartographic county boundaries. Highways and towns: U.S. Census Bureau TIGER/Line 2024 primary and secondary roads; U.S. Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer, places.
FilledTag is not part of the Missouri Department of Conservation. Numbers are copied from MDC and the federal sources above, or measured from their maps; nothing on this page is estimated by FilledTag.
Missouri hunting Wayne County Carter County Ripley County Dunklin County Stoddard County