Catawissa Conservation Area: hunting and access
Catawissa Conservation Area is 216 acres of MDC land in Franklin County, 2 miles from Pacific. MDC lists deer hunting here (muzzleloader and archery, antlerless permits allowed). Hunters checked 6,751 deer in Franklin 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 areasState parks and historic sitesCounty, city and regional landLand trusts and other open landCatawissa Conservation AreaCounty lineLakeHighway
| Size | 216 acres (199 by MDC's page) |
|---|---|
| County | Franklin County |
| Deer harvest unit | Franklin County |
| MDC lists for hunting | Deer, Bear, Turkey and Rabbit |
| MDC area number | 7853 |
| MDC region | St. Louis |
| Nearest towns | Pacific (2 mi), Lake Tekakwitha (2 mi) and Gray Summit (4 mi) |
What is Catawissa Conservation Area like?
Catawissa Conservation Area is in eastern Franklin County between Pacific and Catawissa. The area was originally acquired in 1978 and was an old gravel mining operation in the floodplain of the Meramec River.
The goal of the area was originally to provide year round access to the Meramec River. Due to sediment deposition by Meramec River flooding, the access has since changed to a seasonal access that is accessible when the river is high enough to connect the gravel pit lake where the boat ramp is located with the river. The area is mostly forested with early successional bottomland species that have grown up since the area was initially acquired and also has about 53 acres of manmade lakes that used to be gravel mining pits in which the water level is controlled by the Meramec River.
In MDC's words, from the Catawissa Conservation Area page.
What can you hunt on Catawissa Conservation Area?
MDC's page for Catawissa Conservation Area lists: Deer: muzzleloader and archery, antlerless permits allowed; Bear: archery only; Turkey: archery and firearms; Rabbit.
What are the rules on Catawissa 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 Catawissa Conservation Area?
Catawissa Conservation Area lies in Franklin County. Hunters checked 6,751 deer in Franklin County in 2025, against 6,199 in 2024.
| County | Catawissa Conservation Area acres in it | Deer, 2025 | Deer, 2024 | Deer, 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Franklin County | 216 | 6,751 | 6,199 | 7,397 |
Harvest for the whole county, not the conservation area alone: MDC deer harvest summaries (2021 to 2025 seasons).
How do you get to Catawissa Conservation Area?
MDC's directions: North of Catawissa on Route N, then east on Frisco Drive.
Nearest towns: Pacific (2 miles), Lake Tekakwitha (2 miles), Gray Summit (4 miles) and LaBarque Creek (5 miles). Highways within 5 miles: I-44, US 50, MO 100 and US 66.
What other public land is near Catawissa Conservation Area?
MDC lands within 10 miles:
- Pacific Palisades Conservation Area: 732 acres, 2 miles away
- Myron and Sonya Glassberg Family Conservation Area: 628 acres, 3.4 miles away
- LaBarque Creek Conservation Area: 1,284 acres, 3.4 miles away
- Young Conservation Area: 1,278 acres, 4.6 miles away
- Rockwoods Range: 1,461 acres, 4.9 miles away
Public land within 3 miles of Catawissa Conservation Area
Counting Catawissa Conservation Area itself, 4,017 of the 22,655 acres within 3 miles of its boundary are public land open to the public (17.7%), by USGS PAD-US 4.1 and MDC conservation area boundaries.
| Manager | Acres within 3 miles |
|---|---|
| Land trusts and other open land | 2,106 |
| State parks and historic sites | 1,117 |
| MDC conservation areas | 743 |
| County, city and regional land | 51 |
Questions hunters ask
Where is Catawissa Conservation Area?
In Franklin County, 2 miles from Pacific.
Can you deer hunt on Catawissa Conservation Area?
Yes, by MDC's page: muzzleloader and archery, antlerless permits allowed.
How much public land is around Catawissa Conservation Area?
4,017 acres within 3 miles of its boundary, Catawissa Conservation Area included, by USGS PAD-US 4.1 and MDC conservation area boundaries. The closest other MDC area is Pacific Palisades Conservation Area (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, Catawissa 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.