Church Farm Conservation Area: hunting and access
Church Farm Conservation Area is 1,254 acres of MDC land in Cole County, 2 miles from Hartsburg. MDC lists deer hunting here (muzzleloader and archery, archery antlerless permits only). Hunters checked 2,029 deer in Cole 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 areasNational forestState parks and historic sitesLand trusts and other open landChurch Farm Conservation AreaCounty lineLakeHighway
| Size | 1,254 acres |
|---|---|
| County | Cole County |
| Deer harvest unit | Cole County |
| MDC lists for hunting | Deer, Bear and Turkey |
| MDC area number | 201604 |
| MDC region | Central |
| Nearest towns | Hartsburg (2 mi), St. Martins (4 mi) and Centertown (6 mi) |
What is Church Farm Conservation Area like?
Church Farm Conservation Area includes 1,277 acres of bottomland along the Missouri River in Cole County. It was leased by the Department of Conservation beginning in 2016. Prior to that it was managed by the Department of Corrections and functioned as a working farm staffed by inmates to help provide food for the prisoners.
Levee failures during the floods of 1993 and 95 created a number of scour holes on the area. These and natural sloughs that hold water seasonally provide habitat for waterfowl and other wading birds and shorebirds. Bald eagles also nest in some of the larger cottonwoods and sycamores that grow along the Missouri River. Some of the adjacent uplands are drained by Workmans Creek, that flows through the area and empties into the Missouri River. Nontoxic shot is required for all hunting with a shotgun on this area. Use or possession of lead shot is prohibited.
In MDC's words, from the Church Farm Conservation Area page.
What can you hunt on Church Farm Conservation Area?
MDC's page for Church Farm Conservation Area lists: Deer: muzzleloader and archery, archery antlerless permits only; Bear: archery only; Turkey: archery and firearms.
What are the rules on Church Farm Conservation Area?
Hunting: Nontoxic shot is required for all hunting with a shotgun on this area. Use or possession of lead shot is prohibited.
Every conservation area also follows MDC's standard rules in Chapter 11 of the Wildlife Code; the area's full rules are on MDC's site.
How many deer are taken around Church Farm Conservation Area?
Church Farm Conservation Area lies in Cole County. Hunters checked 2,029 deer in Cole County in 2025, against 1,866 in 2024.
| County | Church Farm Conservation Area acres in it | Deer, 2025 | Deer, 2024 | Deer, 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cole County | 1,254 | 2,029 | 1,866 | 2,049 |
Harvest for the whole county, not the conservation area alone: MDC deer harvest summaries (2021 to 2025 seasons).
How do you get to Church Farm Conservation Area?
MDC's directions: From the intersection of Highway 50 and Highway 79 go 6 miles north on Highway 179.
Nearest towns: Hartsburg (2 miles), St. Martins (4 miles), Centertown (6 miles) and Jefferson City (7 miles). Highways within 5 miles: US 50, US 63 and MO 179.
What other public land is near Church Farm Conservation Area?
MDC lands within 10 miles:
- Hart Creek Conservation Area: 659 acres, 2.5 miles away
- Hartsburg Access: 36 acres, 2.8 miles away
- Binder Community Lake: 201 acres, 3 miles away
- Marion Bottoms Conservation Area: 2,943 acres, 3 miles away
- Conservation Commission Headquarters: 156 acres, 4 miles away
- Roger V. and Viola Wachal Smith Conservation Area: 484 acres, 5.1 miles away
Public land within 3 miles of Church Farm Conservation Area
Counting Church Farm Conservation Area itself, 1,501 of the 32,369 acres within 3 miles of its boundary are public land open to the public (4.6%), by USGS PAD-US 4.1 and MDC conservation area boundaries.
| Manager | Acres within 3 miles |
|---|---|
| MDC conservation areas | 1,483 |
| Land trusts and other open land | 12 |
| State parks and historic sites | 6 |
Questions hunters ask
Where is Church Farm Conservation Area?
In Cole County, 2 miles from Hartsburg.
Can you deer hunt on Church Farm Conservation Area?
Yes, by MDC's page: muzzleloader and archery, archery antlerless permits only.
How much public land is around Church Farm Conservation Area?
1,501 acres within 3 miles of its boundary, Church Farm Conservation Area included, by USGS PAD-US 4.1 and MDC conservation area boundaries. The closest other MDC area is Hart Creek 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, Church Farm 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.