Cape Girardeau County, Missouri: deer harvest and public hunting land
Cape Girardeau County covers 586 square miles around Cape Girardeau. Hunters checked 3,186 deer here in the 2025 season, 1,260 of them antlered bucks, by MDC's harvest summary. That is up 2% from 2024. 2.3% of Cape Girardeau County is public land open to the public, the largest share MDC conservation areas (4,624 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 areasState parks and historic sitesOther state landCounty, city and regional landCape Girardeau CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 375,260 acres (586 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Deer checked, 2025 | 3,186 (1,260 antlered bucks, 337 button bucks, 1,589 does) |
| Firearms and archery, 2025 | 2,613 by firearms, 573 by archery |
| Public land | 2.3% (8,688 acres) |
| MDC lands | 10 (3,431 acres inside Cape Girardeau County) |
| MRAP land | None mapped this year |
| Towns in and near it | Cape Girardeau, Jackson, Gordonville, Scott City, Chaffee and Altenburg |
How many deer are harvested in Cape Girardeau County?
Hunters checked 3,186 deer in Cape Girardeau County in 2025: 1,260 antlered bucks, 337 button bucks and 1,589 does. By method: 2,613 by firearms (1,695 of them in the November portion) and 573 by archery; the rest came on managed hunts.
| Season | Deer checked | Antlered bucks | Button bucks | Does | Firearms | November portion | Archery |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 3,186 | 1,260 | 337 | 1,589 | 2,613 | 1,695 | 573 |
| 2024 | 3,111 | 1,216 | 307 | 1,588 | 2,511 | 1,911 | 571 |
| 2023 | 3,299 | 1,296 | 314 | 1,689 | 2,818 | 2,166 | 458 |
| 2022 | 3,136 | 1,228 | 295 | 1,613 | 2,603 | 2,238 | 529 |
| 2021 | 2,689 | 1,228 | 228 | 1,233 | 2,226 | 448 |
Source: MDC deer harvest summaries (2021 to 2025 seasons), Cape Girardeau 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 Cape Girardeau County?
8,688 of Cape Girardeau County's 375,260 acres are public land open to the public (2.3%). The biggest share is MDC conservation areas: 4,624 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Cape Girardeau County |
|---|---|---|
| MDC conservation areas | 4,624 | 1.2% |
| State parks and historic sites | 3,060 | 0.8% |
| County, city and regional land | 899 | 0.2% |
| Other state land | 105 | under 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 8,688 | 2.3% |
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 Cape Girardeau County
MDC lands in Cape Girardeau County, largest first, with the acres of each inside it:
- Apple Creek Conservation Area: 2,116 acres
- Maintz Wildlife Preserve: 809 acres
- Lake Girardeau Conservation Area: 344 acres
- Old Plantation Access: 74 acres
- Cape Woods Conservation Area: 36 acres
- Block Hole Access: 17 acres
- Headwaters Access: 12 acres
- Red Star Access: 9 acres
- North Park Lake (Cape Girardeau County): 8 acres
- South Park Lake (Cape Girardeau County): 6 acres
How do you get to Cape Girardeau County?
Highways through it: I-55 (about 55 miles inside), US 61 (about 36 miles inside), MO 25 (about 25 miles inside), MO 177 (about 23 miles inside) and MO 72 (about 13 miles inside). Towns inside: Cape Girardeau, Jackson, Gordonville, Oak Ridge, Delta and Whitewater. Nearby: Scott City (on the line), Chaffee (on the line), Altenburg (2 miles) and Sedgewickville (2 miles).
Which counties border Cape Girardeau County?
Cape Girardeau County touches 4 other counties. Their latest MDC harvest and public land, for comparison:
| County | Deer harvested | Year | Public land | MRAP land sites |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Perry County | 3,160 | 2025 | 1.1% | |
| Scott County | 900 | 2025 | 0.7% | |
| Stoddard County | 1,935 | 2025 | 4.3% | |
| Bollinger County | 3,992 | 2025 | 4.3% |
Questions hunters ask
How many deer were harvested in Cape Girardeau County in 2025?
Hunters checked 3,186 deer: 1,260 antlered bucks, 337 button bucks and 1,589 does (MDC). In 2024: 3,111.
Is there public hunting land in Cape Girardeau County?
Yes. 8,688 acres, 2.3% of the county, are public land open to the public by USGS PAD-US 4.1 and MDC conservation area boundaries, the largest share MDC conservation areas (4,624 acres). MDC's map shows 10 conservation areas here.
Does Cape Girardeau 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 Perry County Scott County Stoddard County Bollinger County