Bluffwoods Conservation Area: hunting and access
Bluffwoods Conservation Area is 2,247 acres of MDC land in Buchanan County, 2 miles from De Kalb. MDC lists deer hunting here (archery and firearms, antlerless permits not allowed). Hunters checked 867 deer in Buchanan 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 areasBluffwoods Conservation AreaCounty lineLakeHighway
| Size | 2,247 acres |
|---|---|
| County | Buchanan County |
| Deer harvest unit | Buchanan County |
| MDC lists for hunting | Deer, Turkey, Rabbit and Squirrel |
| MDC area number | 7403 |
| MDC region | Northwest |
| Camping (MDC) | designated camping sites and individual campsites |
| Nearest towns | De Kalb (2 mi), Rushville (3 mi) and Faucett (7 mi) |
What is Bluffwoods Conservation Area like?
The Bluffwoods and Goodell Conservation Areas are located just nine miles south of St. Joseph in the Missouri River loess hills in southwestern Buchanan County.
Bluffwoods was acquired in the mid-1970s for the purpose of providing a wide range of outdoor recreational opportunities and to maintain a portion of the last remaining oak-hickory forested areas in northwest Missouri. The forest on Bluffwoods is home to several different kinds of trees as one would expect including: northern red oak, chinkapin oak, basswood, black walnut, pawpaw and the spectacular fall color of the sugar maples. Other woodland plants that can be found include Adam and Eve orchids and showy orchids. The remaining acres on Bluffwoods consist of a mix of old crop fields, abandoned pasturelands, and homesteads (no structures remain) and a few native grass openings, likely remnants of dry loess hill prairies. Steep bluffs adjacent to the Missouri River valley provide numerous vantage points for scenic views that can be accessed by service roads and trail loops. The Forest...
In MDC's words, from the Bluffwoods Conservation Area page.
What can you hunt on Bluffwoods Conservation Area?
MDC's page for Bluffwoods Conservation Area lists: Deer: archery and firearms, antlerless permits not allowed; Turkey: archery and firearms; Rabbit; Squirrel.
What are the rules on Bluffwoods 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 Bluffwoods Conservation Area?
Bluffwoods Conservation Area lies in Buchanan County. Hunters checked 867 deer in Buchanan County in 2025, against 844 in 2024.
| County | Bluffwoods Conservation Area acres in it | Deer, 2025 | Deer, 2024 | Deer, 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buchanan County | 2,247 | 867 | 844 | 890 |
Harvest for the whole county, not the conservation area alone: MDC deer harvest summaries (2021 to 2025 seasons).
How do you get to Bluffwoods Conservation Area?
MDC's directions: From St. Joseph, take Highway 59 south 8 miles, then east on Bethel Road 0.60 mile to area entrance.
Nearest towns: De Kalb (2 miles), Rushville (3 miles), Faucett (7 miles) and Lewis and Clark Village (7 miles). Highways within 5 miles: US 59, MO 116 and MO 371.
What other public land is near Bluffwoods Conservation Area?
MDC lands within 10 miles:
- Bluffwoods Conservation Area - Goodell Memorial Annex: 58 acres, 0.8 miles away
- Jentell Brees Access: 31 acres, 3 miles away
- Wilfrid V. and Anna C. Kneib Memorial Conservation Area: 35 acres, 4.6 miles away
- Pigeon Hill Conservation Area: 460 acres, 6.6 miles away
- Little Bean Marsh Conservation Area: 440 acres, 7.8 miles away
- Bee Creek Conservation Area: 113 acres, 8.4 miles away
Public land within 3 miles of Bluffwoods Conservation Area
Counting Bluffwoods Conservation Area itself, 2,307 of the 39,409 acres within 3 miles of its boundary are public land open to the public (5.9%), by USGS PAD-US 4.1 and MDC conservation area boundaries.
| Manager | Acres within 3 miles |
|---|---|
| MDC conservation areas | 2,307 |
Questions hunters ask
Where is Bluffwoods Conservation Area?
In Buchanan County, 2 miles from De Kalb.
Can you deer hunt on Bluffwoods Conservation Area?
Yes, by MDC's page: archery and firearms, antlerless permits not allowed.
How much public land is around Bluffwoods Conservation Area?
2,307 acres within 3 miles of its boundary, Bluffwoods Conservation Area included, by USGS PAD-US 4.1 and MDC conservation area boundaries. The closest other MDC area is Bluffwoods Conservation Area - Goodell Memorial Annex (0.8 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, Bluffwoods 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.