Apple Creek Conservation Area: hunting and access
Apple Creek Conservation Area is 2,117 acres of MDC land in Cape Girardeau County, 2 miles from New Wells. MDC lists deer hunting here (archery and firearms, antlerless permits allowed). Hunters checked 3,186 deer in Cape Girardeau County in 2025.
Data updated October 2026. Area facts: MDC's conservation area data, read 2026-10. Harvest: MDC deer harvest summaries, 2021 to 2025.
MDC conservation areasState parks and historic sitesApple Creek Conservation AreaCounty lineLakeHighway
| Size | 2,117 acres |
|---|---|
| County | Cape Girardeau County |
| Deer harvest unit | Cape Girardeau County |
| MDC lists for hunting | Deer, Turkey, Rabbit, Squirrel and Dove |
| MDC area number | 8612 |
| MDC region | Southeast |
| Camping (MDC) | designated camping sites and individual campsites |
| Shooting range (MDC) | archery, shotgun and rifle or pistol |
| Nearest towns | New Wells (2 mi), Shawneetown (3 mi) and Pocahontas (4 mi) |
What is Apple Creek Conservation Area like?
Apple Creek Conservation Area is located in northeast Cape Girardeau County, three miles east of New Wells on Route CC. Steep hills and narrow valleys characterize this area, and approximately 2.5 miles of Apple Creek stream frontage forms its northern border. The area is home to a mix of upland oak-hickory forests and a few bottomland forests. You may notice various forest improvement practices designed to improve wildlife habitat and maintain watershed quality. MDC has created watering ponds and permits agricultural crop planting within the area to provide additional food sources for wildlife.
In MDC's words, from the Apple Creek Conservation Area page.
What can you hunt on Apple Creek Conservation Area?
MDC's page for Apple Creek Conservation Area lists: Deer: archery and firearms, antlerless permits allowed; Turkey: archery and firearms; Rabbit; Squirrel; Dove.
What are the rules on Apple Creek Conservation Area?
Target Shooting and Shooting Ranges: An unstaffed range is located on this department area. Target shooting is not allowed anywhere on this area except for designated shooting range(s). Shooting hours are one-half hour before sunrise to one-half hour after sunset. Ranges may be closed to public use at any time for maintenance or department sponsored events or programs. Possession of alcoholic beverages is prohibited on all ranges and associated parking lots. Groups of more than 10 people must obtain a special use permit prior to using the range. To obtain a special use permit, contact the area manager at the phone number listed...
Every conservation area also follows MDC's standard rules in Chapter 11 of the Wildlife Code; the area's full rules are on MDC's site.
How many deer are taken around Apple Creek Conservation Area?
Apple Creek Conservation Area lies in Cape Girardeau County. Hunters checked 3,186 deer in Cape Girardeau County in 2025, against 3,111 in 2024.
| County | Apple Creek Conservation Area acres in it | Deer, 2025 | Deer, 2024 | Deer, 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cape Girardeau County | 2,116 | 3,186 | 3,111 | 3,299 |
Harvest for the whole county, not the conservation area alone: MDC deer harvest summaries (2021 to 2025 seasons).
How do you get to Apple Creek Conservation Area?
MDC's directions: North of Cape Girardeau, take the Fruitland exit off I-55, then Highway 61 north 7 miles, then Route CC east 6 miles to the area.
Nearest towns: New Wells (2 miles), Shawneetown (3 miles), Pocahontas (4 miles) and Altenburg (4 miles). Highways within 5 miles: MO 177 and US 61.
What other public land is near Apple Creek Conservation Area?
MDC lands within 10 miles:
- Seventy-Six Conservation Area: 870 acres, 9.2 miles away
Public land within 3 miles of Apple Creek Conservation Area
Counting Apple Creek Conservation Area itself, 2,118 of the 41,001 acres within 3 miles of its boundary are public land open to the public (5.2%), by USGS PAD-US 4.1 and MDC conservation area boundaries.
| Manager | Acres within 3 miles |
|---|---|
| MDC conservation areas | 2,118 |
Questions hunters ask
Where is Apple Creek Conservation Area?
In Cape Girardeau County, 2 miles from New Wells.
Can you deer hunt on Apple Creek Conservation Area?
Yes, by MDC's page: archery and firearms, antlerless permits allowed.
How much public land is around Apple Creek Conservation Area?
2,118 acres within 3 miles of its boundary, Apple Creek Conservation Area included, by USGS PAD-US 4.1 and MDC conservation area boundaries. The closest other MDC area is Seventy-Six Conservation Area (9.2 miles).
Get a Missouri hunt plan when they open
Hunt plans for Missouri are coming. Join the list and you'll hear first. The first 50 hunters in each new state get their plan free.
Until then, the free FilledTag app for iPhone has a map that works in every state, Missouri included.
Where these facts come from
- Area description, species, rules and directions: MDC, Apple Creek Conservation Area; MDC conservation area boundaries.
- Boundary and acres: MDC's map layer above. Surrounding public land: USGS PAD-US 4.1 (fee land open to the public) and MDC conservation area boundaries.
- Deer harvest: MDC deer harvest summaries (2021 to 2025 seasons).
FilledTag is not part of the Missouri Department of Conservation. Check MDC's rules and posted signs before you go.