Atlanta Conservation Area: hunting and access
Atlanta Conservation Area is 2,381 acres of MDC land in Macon County, next to Atlanta. MDC lists deer hunting here (archery and firearms, antlerless permits allowed). Hunters checked 4,525 deer in Macon 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 areasFederal land, mostly Corps of Engineers lakesAtlanta Conservation AreaCounty lineLakeHighway
| Size | 2,381 acres |
|---|---|
| County | Macon County |
| Deer harvest unit | Macon County |
| MDC lists for hunting | Deer, Turkey, Rabbit, Squirrel, Dove and Quail |
| MDC area number | 6116 |
| MDC region | Northeast |
| Camping (MDC) | walk-in, float-in or backpack camping (not during deer and turkey seasons) and individual campsites |
| Shooting range (MDC) | rifle or pistol |
| Nearest towns | Atlanta (next to it), Bevier (8 mi) and Elmer (8 mi) |
What is Atlanta Conservation Area like?
This 4,809-acre area is composed of the 2,355-acre Atlanta tract and the 2,454-acre Long Branch tract.
The Conservation Department purchased the Atlanta tract in 1960. The management of the Long Branch tract was assumed in 1978 under license from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The East Fork of the Little Chariton River runs three miles through the NW portion of the Long Branch tract, which includes the upper reaches of Long Branch Lake. The area is gently rolling, except for the bottomlands. The forest is predominately oak/hickory in the uplands and mixed hardwoods in the lowlands and contains a variety of woodland edge and grassland wildlife. The area also contains three managed marshes, totaling approximately 90 acres, and several natural oxbow lakes. The Conservation Department manages the resources of this area to provide public recreation and to protect soil and water quality. Management practices include farming, timber harvest and prescribed fire. Most area ponds and Long...
In MDC's words, from the Atlanta Conservation Area page.
What can you hunt on Atlanta Conservation Area?
MDC's page for Atlanta Conservation Area lists: Deer: archery and firearms, antlerless permits allowed; Turkey: archery and firearms; Rabbit; Squirrel; Dove; Quail.
What are the rules on Atlanta 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 Atlanta Conservation Area?
Atlanta Conservation Area lies in Macon County. Hunters checked 4,525 deer in Macon County in 2025, against 4,489 in 2024.
| County | Atlanta Conservation Area acres in it | Deer, 2025 | Deer, 2024 | Deer, 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Macon County | 2,381 | 4,525 | 4,489 | 4,746 |
Harvest for the whole county, not the conservation area alone: MDC deer harvest summaries (2021 to 2025 seasons).
How do you get to Atlanta Conservation Area?
MDC's directions: From Macon, take Highway 63 north 5 miles, then Route AX west 2 miles, and Jupiter Avenue north 2.50 miles.
Nearest towns: Atlanta (next to it), Bevier (8 miles), Elmer (8 miles) and Macon (8 miles). Highways within 5 miles: US 63.
What other public land is near Atlanta Conservation Area?
MDC lands within 10 miles:
- Long Branch Lake Management Lands: 2,506 acres, next to it
- Macon City Lake: 189 acres, 6.2 miles away
- Redman Conservation Area: 122 acres, 6.8 miles away
- Dodd Access: 41 acres, 8.4 miles away
- La Plata City Lake: 84 acres, 8.6 miles away
- Hidden Hollow Conservation Area: 1,332 acres, 8.8 miles away
Public land within 3 miles of Atlanta Conservation Area
Counting Atlanta Conservation Area itself, 5,560 of the 35,952 acres within 3 miles of its boundary are public land open to the public (15.5%), by USGS PAD-US 4.1 and MDC conservation area boundaries.
| Manager | Acres within 3 miles |
|---|---|
| MDC conservation areas | 4,888 |
| Federal land, mostly Corps of Engineers lakes | 672 |
Questions hunters ask
Where is Atlanta Conservation Area?
In Macon County, next to Atlanta.
Can you deer hunt on Atlanta Conservation Area?
Yes, by MDC's page: archery and firearms, antlerless permits allowed.
How much public land is around Atlanta Conservation Area?
5,560 acres within 3 miles of its boundary, Atlanta Conservation Area included, by USGS PAD-US 4.1 and MDC conservation area boundaries. The closest other MDC area is Long Branch Lake Management Lands (next to it).
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, Atlanta 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.