Canaan Conservation Area: hunting and access
Canaan Conservation Area is 1,418 acres of MDC land in Gasconade County, 2 miles from Bland. MDC lists deer hunting here (muzzleloader and archery, antlerless permits allowed). Hunters checked 4,073 deer in Gasconade 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 areasCanaan Conservation AreaCounty lineLakeHighway
| Size | 1,418 acres |
|---|---|
| County | Gasconade County |
| Deer harvest unit | Gasconade County |
| MDC lists for hunting | Deer, Bear, Turkey, Rabbit and Squirrel |
| MDC area number | 8106 |
| MDC region | Central |
| Camping (MDC) | designated camping sites |
| Nearest towns | Bland (2 mi), Owensville (4 mi) and Belle (6 mi) |
What is Canaan Conservation Area like?
Canaan Conservation Area is located in Gasconade County, near Bland. Take Route A about 1.2 miles north from Bland to the Conservation Area's southern most access road. A sign on Route A shows the turn to the east; or stay on Route A an additional 1.7 miles to the north past this turn to Boettcher Road. Go east on Boettcher Road 1.5 miles to main entrance on right. The area has six parking areas.
The Conservation Department purchased this property in 1980. Canaan Conservation Area contains 1,435 acres, 77 percent of which are forested or woodland and glade. The area includes 1.4 miles of Clear Fork Creek, 1.2 miles of Sulphur Branch Creek, several small springs, and a deep muck fen. The area also features a scenic north-facing slope adjacent to Sulphur Branch and a glade/woodland complex. The first inhabitants of the area were nomadic Indians, who hunted here. Through the efforts of the German Resettlement Society, German immigrants then settled here and began working farms in the 1800s. The conservation area is composed of two of these working farms. The Conservation Department continues to crop a portion of the area. The Department also maintains the warm-season grasses, the deep muck fen, and the woodland/glade complex. In 2008 the Department opened a multi-use trail that is...
In MDC's words, from the Canaan Conservation Area page.
What can you hunt on Canaan Conservation Area?
MDC's page for Canaan Conservation Area lists: Deer: muzzleloader and archery, antlerless permits allowed; Bear: archery and firearms; Turkey: archery and firearms; Rabbit; Squirrel.
What are the rules on Canaan 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 Canaan Conservation Area?
Canaan Conservation Area lies in Gasconade County. Hunters checked 4,073 deer in Gasconade County in 2025, against 3,168 in 2024.
| County | Canaan Conservation Area acres in it | Deer, 2025 | Deer, 2024 | Deer, 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gasconade County | 1,418 | 4,073 | 3,168 | 4,102 |
Harvest for the whole county, not the conservation area alone: MDC deer harvest summaries (2021 to 2025 seasons).
How do you get to Canaan Conservation Area?
MDC's directions: From Bland, take Route A north about 1.20 miles, then east on the area's southern most access road (the road north of Rehmert Road).
Nearest towns: Bland (2 miles), Owensville (4 miles), Belle (6 miles) and Rosebud (10 miles). Highways within 5 miles: MO 28 and MO 19.
What other public land is near Canaan Conservation Area?
MDC lands within 10 miles:
- Cooper Hill Conservation Area: 219 acres, 6.2 miles away
- Mint Spring Conservation Area: 43 acres, 8.6 miles away
Public land within 3 miles of Canaan Conservation Area
Counting Canaan Conservation Area itself, 1,458 of the 32,928 acres within 3 miles of its boundary are public land open to the public (4.4%), by USGS PAD-US 4.1 and MDC conservation area boundaries.
| Manager | Acres within 3 miles |
|---|---|
| MDC conservation areas | 1,458 |
Questions hunters ask
Where is Canaan Conservation Area?
In Gasconade County, 2 miles from Bland.
Can you deer hunt on Canaan Conservation Area?
Yes, by MDC's page: muzzleloader and archery, antlerless permits allowed.
How much public land is around Canaan Conservation Area?
1,458 acres within 3 miles of its boundary, Canaan Conservation Area included, by USGS PAD-US 4.1 and MDC conservation area boundaries. The closest other MDC area is Cooper Hill Conservation Area (6.2 miles).
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, Canaan 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.