Big Buffalo Creek Conservation Area: hunting and access
Big Buffalo Creek Conservation Area is 3,646 acres of MDC land in Benton and Morgan counties, 4 miles from Stover. MDC lists deer hunting here (archery and firearms, antlerless permits allowed). Hunters checked 4,228 deer in Benton 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 areasBig Buffalo Creek Conservation AreaCounty lineLakeHighway
| Size | 3,646 acres in 2 pieces |
|---|---|
| Counties | Benton County and Morgan County |
| Deer harvest unit | Benton County, Morgan County |
| MDC lists for hunting | Deer, Bear, Turkey, Rabbit and Squirrel |
| MDC area number | 6315 |
| MDC region | Kansas City |
| Camping (MDC) | individual campsites |
| Nearest towns | Stover (4 mi), Cole Camp (9 mi) and Versailles (10 mi) |
What is Big Buffalo Creek Conservation Area like?
Big Buffalo Creek Conservation Area is in east-central Benton and west-central Morgan counties. This 3,612-acre, mostly forested area contains a 6-acre fishing pond, three springs and 3.0 miles of Big Buffalo Creek.
Big Buffalo Creek Conservation Area was acquired in 1964 with Sport Fish Restoration Funds for the purposes of fisheries research in the hatchery ponds and for smallmouth bass habitat research on Big Buffalo Creek. Stream-flow dynamics research is still on-going, but all original fisheries research projects have finished. Currently, the area is managed for the long-term health and sustainability of the diverse forest resources. Forest management activities that can be observed on the area include timber stand improvement, tree planting, commercial thinning, even-aged and uneven-aged commercial harvests, woodland restoration, and glade/savanna restoration. All of these practices are implemented using best management practices to protect the soil and water resources of the watershed. Management also includes the preservation of several old growth areas. All practices are carried out in...
In MDC's words, from the Big Buffalo Creek Conservation Area page.
What can you hunt on Big Buffalo Creek Conservation Area?
MDC's page for Big Buffalo Creek Conservation Area lists: Deer: archery and firearms, antlerless permits allowed; Bear: archery and firearms; Turkey: archery and firearms; Rabbit; Squirrel.
What are the rules on Big Buffalo Creek Conservation Area?
MDC's standard conservation area rules (Chapter 11 of the Wildlife Code) apply; the area's rules on MDC's site list any it adds.
How many deer are taken around Big Buffalo Creek Conservation Area?
Big Buffalo Creek Conservation Area lies in 2 counties. Hunters checked 4,228 deer in Benton County in 2025, against 3,915 in 2024.
| County | Big Buffalo Creek Conservation Area acres in it | Deer, 2025 | Deer, 2024 | Deer, 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Benton County | 1,902 | 4,228 | 3,915 | 4,692 |
| Morgan County | 1,743 | 3,962 | 3,591 | 4,291 |
Harvest for the whole county, not the conservation area alone: MDC deer harvest summaries (2021 to 2025 seasons).
How do you get to Big Buffalo Creek Conservation Area?
MDC's directions: From Versailles, take Highway 52 west 10 miles, then Route FF south 8 miles to the end of the blacktop, turn on Big Buffalo Road west, and watch for area signs.
Nearest towns: Stover (4 miles), Cole Camp (9 miles), Versailles (10 miles) and Gravois Mills (12 miles). Highways within 5 miles: MO 135 and MO 52.
What other public land is near Big Buffalo Creek Conservation Area?
MDC lands within 10 miles:
- Carpenter Memorial Conservation Area: 343 acres, 2.5 miles away
- Brickley Hollow Conservation Area: 211 acres, 6.5 miles away
- Edmonson Access: 103 acres, 6.5 miles away
- Wigwam School Access: 75 acres, 7.1 miles away
- Hite Prairie Conservation Area: 101 acres, 8.4 miles away
- Hi Lonesome Prairie Conservation Area: 650 acres, 9.9 miles away
Public land within 3 miles of Big Buffalo Creek Conservation Area
Counting Big Buffalo Creek Conservation Area itself, 3,827 of the 51,151 acres within 3 miles of its boundary are public land open to the public (7.5%), by USGS PAD-US 4.1 and MDC conservation area boundaries.
| Manager | Acres within 3 miles |
|---|---|
| MDC conservation areas | 3,827 |
Questions hunters ask
Where is Big Buffalo Creek Conservation Area?
In Benton and Morgan counties, 4 miles from Stover.
Can you deer hunt on Big Buffalo Creek Conservation Area?
Yes, by MDC's page: archery and firearms, antlerless permits allowed.
How much public land is around Big Buffalo Creek Conservation Area?
3,827 acres within 3 miles of its boundary, Big Buffalo Creek Conservation Area included, by USGS PAD-US 4.1 and MDC conservation area boundaries. The closest other MDC area is Carpenter Memorial Conservation Area (2.5 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, Big Buffalo 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.