Christian County, Missouri: deer harvest and public hunting land
Christian County covers 564 square miles around Ozark. Hunters checked 2,458 deer here in the 2025 season, 1,302 of them antlered bucks, by MDC's harvest summary. That is up 16% from 2024. 15.5% of Christian County is public land open to the public, the largest share national forest (52,254 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 forestFederal land, mostly Corps of Engineers lakesNational park land (Ozark National Scenic Riverways and others)County, city and regional landChristian CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 360,791 acres (564 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Deer checked, 2025 | 2,458 (1,302 antlered bucks, 200 button bucks, 956 does) |
| Firearms and archery, 2025 | 1,873 by firearms, 585 by archery |
| Public land | 15.5% (55,967 acres) |
| MDC lands | 3 (2,733 acres inside Christian County) |
| MRAP land | None mapped this year |
| Towns in and near it | Ozark, Nixa, Saddlebrooke, Marionville, Battlefield and Rogersville |
How many deer are harvested in Christian County?
Hunters checked 2,458 deer in Christian County in 2025: 1,302 antlered bucks, 200 button bucks and 956 does. By method: 1,873 by firearms (1,234 of them in the November portion) and 585 by archery; the rest came on managed hunts.
| Season | Deer checked | Antlered bucks | Button bucks | Does | Firearms | November portion | Archery |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2,458 | 1,302 | 200 | 956 | 1,873 | 1,234 | 585 |
| 2024 | 2,114 | 1,039 | 183 | 892 | 1,613 | 1,178 | 501 |
| 2023 | 2,695 | 1,314 | 225 | 1,156 | 2,200 | 1,551 | 494 |
| 2022 | 2,220 | 1,061 | 183 | 976 | 1,736 | 1,458 | 483 |
| 2021 | 2,482 | 1,290 | 210 | 982 | 1,916 | 564 |
Source: MDC deer harvest summaries (2021 to 2025 seasons), Christian 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 Christian County?
55,967 of Christian County's 360,791 acres are public land open to the public (15.5%). The biggest share is national forest: 52,254 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Christian County |
|---|---|---|
| National forest | 52,254 | 14.5% |
| MDC conservation areas | 2,734 | 0.8% |
| National park land (Ozark National Scenic Riverways and others) | 811 | 0.2% |
| County, city and regional land | 168 | under 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 55,967 | 15.5% |
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 Christian County
MDC lands in Christian County, largest first, with the acres of each inside it:
- Busiek State Forest and Wildlife Area: 2,693 acres
- Shelvin Rock Access: 20 acres
- Delaware Town Access: 20 acres
Other large public areas here, by PAD-US: Mark Twain National Forest (52,254 acres) and Wilson's Creek National Battlefield (811 acres).
How do you get to Christian County?
Highways through it: MO 14 (about 44 miles inside), US 65 (about 40 miles inside), MO 125 (about 30 miles inside), US 160 (about 24 miles inside) and MO 13 (about 24 miles inside). Towns inside: Ozark, Nixa, Saddlebrooke, Highlandville, Clever and Sparta. Nearby: Marionville (on the line), Battlefield (2 miles), Rogersville (2 miles) and Hurley (4 miles).
Which counties border Christian County?
Christian County touches 6 other counties. Their latest MDC harvest and public land, for comparison:
| County | Deer harvested | Year | Public land | MRAP land sites |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stone County | 2,137 | 2025 | 16.5% | |
| Taney County | 2,452 | 2025 | 24.7% | |
| Greene County | 2,955 | 2025 | 2.3% | |
| Douglas County | 3,695 | 2025 | 8.3% | |
| Webster County | 2,914 | 2025 | 0.5% | |
| Lawrence County | 2,088 | 2025 | 1.4% |
Questions hunters ask
How many deer were harvested in Christian County in 2025?
Hunters checked 2,458 deer: 1,302 antlered bucks, 200 button bucks and 956 does (MDC). In 2024: 2,114.
Is there public hunting land in Christian County?
Yes. 55,967 acres, 15.5% 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 (52,254 acres). MDC's map shows 3 conservation areas here.
Does Christian 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 Stone County Taney County Greene County Douglas County Webster County Lawrence County