B. K. Leach Memorial Conservation Area: hunting and access
B. K. Leach Memorial Conservation Area is 4,323 acres of MDC land in Lincoln County, next to Elsberry. MDC lists deer hunting here (archery only, antlerless permits allowed). Hunters checked 4,503 deer in Lincoln 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 areasNational wildlife refugesB. K. Leach Memorial Conservation AreaCounty lineLakeHighway
| Size | 4,323 acres in 4 pieces |
|---|---|
| County | Lincoln County |
| Deer harvest unit | Lincoln County |
| MDC lists for hunting | Deer, Turkey, Rabbit, Dove and Quail |
| MDC area number | 8514 |
| MDC region | St. Louis |
| Nearest towns | Elsberry (next to it), Foley (3 mi) and Annada (5 mi) |
What is B. K. Leach Memorial Conservation Area like?
B.K. Leach Memorial Conservation Area is in northeastern Lincoln County. The original tracts of this 4,307-acre area were acquired in 1985 using Design for Conservation Sales Tax revenue and a private land donation from Ms. Mary Leach in memory of her late father.
Following the flood of 1993, 500 acres of land impacted by the river levee failure were acquired from willing sellers. In 2001, 2,900 acres of Wetland Reserve Program lands were acquired through a North American Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA) grant involving the Natural Resources Conservation Service, United States Fish and Wildlife Service, Ducks Unlimited, American Land Conservancy, Mary E. Leach Trust, Waterfowl USA, and Forrest Keeling Nursery. The area contains a wide variety of wetland habitats, ranging from early successional marshes to deep backwater sloughs. The wetlands are managed to provide food for migrating waterfowl, while also providing habitat for resident marsh birds, and other wetland dependent wildlife.
In MDC's words, from the B. K. Leach Memorial Conservation Area page.
What can you hunt on B. K. Leach Memorial Conservation Area?
MDC's page for B. K. Leach Memorial Conservation Area lists: Deer: archery only, antlerless permits allowed; Turkey: archery and firearms; Rabbit; Dove; Quail.
What are the rules on B. K. Leach Memorial Conservation Area?
Closings: Portions of this department area are closed to protect waterfowl from October 15 through March 1 Portions of this department area are closed to protect waterfowl from October 15 through the end of the last segment of the appropriate zone's duck season.
Hunting: Nontoxic shot is required for all hunting with a shotgun on this area. Use or possession of lead shot is prohibited.
Waterfowl Hunting: Waterfowl hunting is prohibited after 1:00 p.m. on designated portions of this area (one of several MDC lists for this rule).
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 B. K. Leach Memorial Conservation Area?
B. K. Leach Memorial Conservation Area lies in Lincoln County. Hunters checked 4,503 deer in Lincoln County in 2025, against 4,098 in 2024.
| County | B. K. Leach Memorial Conservation Area acres in it | Deer, 2025 | Deer, 2024 | Deer, 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lincoln County | 4,323 | 4,503 | 4,098 | 4,515 |
Harvest for the whole county, not the conservation area alone: MDC deer harvest summaries (2021 to 2025 seasons).
How do you get to B. K. Leach Memorial Conservation Area?
MDC's directions: Area consists of three tracts. From Elsberry, take Highway 79 south 3 miles, then Route M east 3 miles to the main tract.
Nearest towns: Elsberry (next to it), Foley (3 miles), Annada (5 miles) and Winfield (7 miles). Highways within 5 miles: MO 79.
What other public land is near B. K. Leach Memorial Conservation Area?
MDC lands within 10 miles:
- Prairie Slough Conservation Area: 610 acres, next to it
- Upper Mississippi Conservation Area: 12,715 acres, next to it
- Hamburg Ferry Access: 27 acres, 2 miles away
- Sandy Island Conservation Area: 385 acres, 2.9 miles away
- Cuivre Island Conservation Area: 1,670 acres, 9.1 miles away
- Kessler Memorial Wildlife Area: 155 acres, 9.7 miles away
Public land within 3 miles of B. K. Leach Memorial Conservation Area
Counting B. K. Leach Memorial Conservation Area itself, 7,585 of the 66,122 acres within 3 miles of its boundary are public land open to the public (11.5%), by USGS PAD-US 4.1 and MDC conservation area boundaries.
| Manager | Acres within 3 miles |
|---|---|
| MDC conservation areas | 7,471 |
| National wildlife refuges | 114 |
Questions hunters ask
Where is B. K. Leach Memorial Conservation Area?
In Lincoln County, next to Elsberry.
Can you deer hunt on B. K. Leach Memorial Conservation Area?
Yes, by MDC's page: archery only, antlerless permits allowed.
How much public land is around B. K. Leach Memorial Conservation Area?
7,585 acres within 3 miles of its boundary, B. K. Leach Memorial Conservation Area included, by USGS PAD-US 4.1 and MDC conservation area boundaries. The closest other MDC area is Prairie Slough Conservation Area (next to it).
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Where these facts come from
- Area description, species, rules and directions: MDC, B. K. Leach Memorial 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.