Bunch Hollow Conservation Area: hunting and access
Bunch Hollow Conservation Area is 3,304 acres of MDC land in Carroll County, 5 miles from Dawn. MDC lists deer hunting here (archery and firearms, antlerless permits allowed). Hunters checked 2,358 deer in Carroll 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 areasBunch Hollow Conservation AreaCounty lineHighway
| Size | 3,304 acres |
|---|---|
| County | Carroll County |
| Deer harvest unit | Carroll County |
| MDC lists for hunting | Deer, Turkey, Rabbit, Squirrel, Dove and Quail |
| MDC area number | 8331 |
| MDC region | Northwest |
| Camping (MDC) | individual campsites |
| Nearest towns | Dawn (5 mi), Ludlow (6 mi) and Tina (7 mi) |
What is Bunch Hollow Conservation Area like?
The Bunch Hollow Conservation Area began with an initial purchase of 1,409 acres in 1984. Additional acquisitions have increased the area to include about 1,285 acres of old fields and pastures, 1,300 acres of timber and 200 acres of crop fields. Approximately 1,000 acres in the central portion of Bunch Hollow Conservation Area is a prairie/savanna/forest complex restoration project in which prescribed burning is being used to encourage the development of a natural plant community. Many native warm season grasses and forbs, such as Indian grass, bluestem, rattlesnake master, compass plant, coneflower and blazing star, are responding to management efforts. The area is managed to improve existing habitat for deer, turkey, quail, and other resident wildlife species.
Area closed to bicycle use (and horseback riding) during all portions of the firearms deer hunting season and spring turkey hunting seasons.
In MDC's words, from the Bunch Hollow Conservation Area page.
What can you hunt on Bunch Hollow Conservation Area?
MDC's page for Bunch Hollow Conservation Area lists: Deer: archery and firearms, antlerless permits allowed; Turkey: archery and firearms; Rabbit; Squirrel; Dove; Quail.
What are the rules on Bunch Hollow 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 Bunch Hollow Conservation Area?
Bunch Hollow Conservation Area lies in Carroll County. Hunters checked 2,358 deer in Carroll County in 2025, against 2,411 in 2024.
| County | Bunch Hollow Conservation Area acres in it | Deer, 2025 | Deer, 2024 | Deer, 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carroll County | 3,304 | 2,358 | 2,411 | 2,745 |
Harvest for the whole county, not the conservation area alone: MDC deer harvest summaries (2021 to 2025 seasons).
How do you get to Bunch Hollow Conservation Area?
MDC's directions: From Carrollton, take Highway 65 north 10 miles, then Route Z west and north 7 miles, then CR130 west 2 miles to the area.
Nearest towns: Dawn (5 miles), Ludlow (6 miles), Tina (7 miles) and Avalon (7 miles). Highways within 5 miles: US 65.
What other public land is near Bunch Hollow Conservation Area?
Public land within 3 miles of Bunch Hollow Conservation Area
Counting Bunch Hollow Conservation Area itself, 3,304 of the 44,342 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 | 3,304 |
Questions hunters ask
Where is Bunch Hollow Conservation Area?
In Carroll County, 5 miles from Dawn.
Can you deer hunt on Bunch Hollow Conservation Area?
Yes, by MDC's page: archery and firearms, antlerless permits allowed.
How much public land is around Bunch Hollow Conservation Area?
3,304 acres within 3 miles of its boundary, Bunch Hollow Conservation Area included, by USGS PAD-US 4.1 and MDC conservation area boundaries.
Get a Missouri hunt plan when they open
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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, Bunch Hollow 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.