Carter County, Missouri: deer harvest and public hunting land
Carter County covers 509 square miles around Van Buren. Hunters checked 2,210 deer here in the 2025 season, 1,036 of them antlered bucks, by MDC's harvest summary. That is up 44% from 2024. 41.7% of Carter County is public land open to the public, the largest share national forest (91,498 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 park land (Ozark National Scenic Riverways and others)Land trusts and other open landCarter CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 325,779 acres (509 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Deer checked, 2025 | 2,210 (1,036 antlered bucks, 218 button bucks, 956 does) |
| Firearms and archery, 2025 | 1,554 by firearms, 562 by archery |
| Public land | 41.7% (135,964 acres) |
| MDC lands | 4 (29,107 acres inside Carter County) |
| MRAP land | None mapped this year |
| Towns in and near it | Van Buren, Ellsinore, Grandin, Mill Spring, Winona and Piedmont |
How many deer are harvested in Carter County?
Hunters checked 2,210 deer in Carter County in 2025: 1,036 antlered bucks, 218 button bucks and 956 does. By method: 1,554 by firearms (1,301 of them in the November portion) and 562 by archery; the rest came on managed hunts.
| Season | Deer checked | Antlered bucks | Button bucks | Does | Firearms | November portion | Archery |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2,210 | 1,036 | 218 | 956 | 1,554 | 1,301 | 562 |
| 2024 | 1,539 | 757 | 165 | 617 | 1,116 | 943 | 387 |
| 2023 | 2,942 | 1,276 | 260 | 1,406 | 2,104 | 1,879 | 745 |
| 2022 | 1,852 | 941 | 199 | 712 | 1,262 | 1,083 | 512 |
| 2021 | 1,795 | 910 | 181 | 704 | 1,194 | 530 |
Source: MDC deer harvest summaries (2021 to 2025 seasons), Carter 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 Carter County?
135,964 of Carter County's 325,779 acres are public land open to the public (41.7%). The biggest share is national forest: 91,498 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Carter County |
|---|---|---|
| National forest | 91,498 | 28.1% |
| MDC conservation areas | 29,271 | 9% |
| National park land (Ozark National Scenic Riverways and others) | 15,044 | 4.6% |
| Land trusts and other open land | 151 | under 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 135,964 | 41.7% |
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 Carter County
MDC lands in Carter County, largest first, with the acres of each inside it:
- Peck Ranch Conservation Area: 27,757 acres
- Current River Conservation Area: 846 acres
- Carter Creek Conservation Area: 444 acres
- Miller Community Lake: 60 acres
Other large public areas here, by PAD-US: Mark Twain National Forest (91,500 acres) and Ozark National Scenic Riverways (15,281 acres).
How do you get to Carter County?
Highways through it: US 60 (about 78 miles inside), MO 21 (about 26 miles inside) and MO 103 (about 4 miles inside). Towns inside: Van Buren, Ellsinore, Grandin, Hunter and Fremont. Nearby: Mill Spring (3 miles), Winona (6 miles), Piedmont (7 miles) and Williamsville (8 miles).
Which counties border Carter County?
Carter County touches 6 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% | |
| Butler County | 1,852 | 2025 | 13.7% | |
| Oregon County | 4,176 | 2025 | 21.2% | |
| Ripley County | 3,088 | 2025 | 27.2% | |
| Shannon County | 3,030 | 2025 | 41.7% | |
| Reynolds County | 2,746 | 2025 | 30.7% |
Questions hunters ask
How many deer were harvested in Carter County in 2025?
Hunters checked 2,210 deer: 1,036 antlered bucks, 218 button bucks and 956 does (MDC). In 2024: 1,539.
Is there public hunting land in Carter County?
Yes. 135,964 acres, 41.7% 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 (91,498 acres). MDC's map shows 4 conservation areas here.
Does Carter 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 Butler County Oregon County Ripley County Shannon County Reynolds County