Callaway County, Missouri: deer harvest and public hunting land
Callaway County covers 847 square miles around Fulton. Hunters checked 5,197 deer here in the 2025 season, 2,360 of them antlered bucks, by MDC's harvest summary. That is up 17% from 2024. 4.4% of Callaway County is public land open to the public, the largest share national forest (12,663 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 landCallaway CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 542,297 acres (847 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Deer checked, 2025 | 5,197 (2,360 antlered bucks, 437 button bucks, 2,400 does) |
| Firearms and archery, 2025 | 4,171 by firearms, 992 by archery |
| Public land | 4.4% (24,091 acres) |
| MDC lands | 11 (10,917 acres inside Callaway County) |
| MRAP land | None mapped this year |
| Towns in and near it | Fulton, Holts Summit, Kingdom City, Chamois, Jefferson City and Morrison |
How many deer are harvested in Callaway County?
Hunters checked 5,197 deer in Callaway County in 2025: 2,360 antlered bucks, 437 button bucks and 2,400 does. By method: 4,171 by firearms (2,490 of them in the November portion) and 992 by archery; the rest came on managed hunts.
| Season | Deer checked | Antlered bucks | Button bucks | Does | Firearms | November portion | Archery |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 5,197 | 2,360 | 437 | 2,400 | 4,171 | 2,490 | 992 |
| 2024 | 4,440 | 1,785 | 410 | 2,245 | 3,424 | 2,465 | 871 |
| 2023 | 5,775 | 2,255 | 626 | 2,894 | 4,706 | 3,218 | 907 |
| 2022 | 5,437 | 2,303 | 506 | 2,628 | 4,307 | 3,419 | 962 |
| 2021 | 5,458 | 2,268 | 523 | 2,667 | 4,185 | 1,119 |
Source: MDC deer harvest summaries (2021 to 2025 seasons), Callaway 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 Callaway County?
24,091 of Callaway County's 542,297 acres are public land open to the public (4.4%). The biggest share is national forest: 12,663 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Callaway County |
|---|---|---|
| National forest | 12,663 | 2.3% |
| MDC conservation areas | 11,099 | 2% |
| County, city and regional land | 285 | 0.1% |
| State parks and historic sites | 42 | under 0.1% |
| Other state land | 2 | under 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 24,091 | 4.4% |
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 Callaway County
MDC lands in Callaway County, largest first, with the acres of each inside it:
- Whetstone Creek Conservation Area: 5,318 acres
- Reform Conservation Area: 3,283 acres
- Prairie Fork Conservation Area: 913 acres
- Little Dixie Lake Conservation Area: 742 acres
- Tate Island Conservation Area: 421 acres
- Moores Mill Access: 104 acres
- Earthquake Hollow Conservation Area: 83 acres
- Hams Prairie Access: 22 acres
- McCredie Farm Lake (University of Missouri): 13 acres
- Mokane Access: 10 acres
- Morningside Lake (Fulton): 8 acres
Other large public areas here, by PAD-US: Mark Twain National Forest (12,663 acres).
How do you get to Callaway County?
Highways through it: US 54 (about 78 miles inside), US 40 (about 56 miles inside), I-70 (about 56 miles inside), MO 94 (about 32 miles inside) and US 63 (about 13 miles inside). Towns inside: Fulton, Holts Summit, Kingdom City, New Bloomfield, Auxvasse and Mokane. Nearby: Chamois (on the line), Jefferson City (on the line), Morrison (2 miles) and Martinsburg (3 miles).
Which counties border Callaway County?
Callaway County touches 5 other counties. Their latest MDC harvest and public land, for comparison:
| County | Deer harvested | Year | Public land | MRAP land sites |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cole County | 2,029 | 2025 | 2.6% | 1 |
| Boone County | 3,439 | 2025 | 4.4% | |
| Osage County | 3,740 | 2025 | 1.2% | |
| Audrain County | 2,305 | 2025 | 0.6% | |
| Montgomery County | 3,419 | 2025 | 1.4% |
Questions hunters ask
How many deer were harvested in Callaway County in 2025?
Hunters checked 5,197 deer: 2,360 antlered bucks, 437 button bucks and 2,400 does (MDC). In 2024: 4,440.
Is there public hunting land in Callaway County?
Yes. 24,091 acres, 4.4% 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 (12,663 acres). MDC's map shows 11 conservation areas here.
Does Callaway 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 Cole County Boone County Osage County Audrain County Montgomery County