Clifty Creek Conservation Area: hunting and access
Clifty Creek Conservation Area is 250 acres of MDC land in Maries County, 6 miles from Dixon. MDC lists deer hunting here (archery and firearms, antlerless permits allowed). Hunters checked 2,204 deer in Maries 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 areasClifty Creek Conservation AreaCounty lineLakeHighway
| Size | 250 acres |
|---|---|
| County | Maries County |
| Deer harvest unit | Maries County |
| MDC lists for hunting | Deer, Bear, Turkey and Squirrel |
| MDC area number | 7309 |
| MDC region | Central |
| Camping (MDC) | open camping - walk-in/float-in/backpack |
| Nearest towns | Dixon (6 mi), Doolittle (8 mi) and Newburg (9 mi) |
What is Clifty Creek Conservation Area like?
Clifty Creek Conservation Area and Clifty Creek Natural Area are adjacent to one another and combined offer the public 486 acres in Maries County to enjoy. A six-car parking lot for the area is found on Maries County Road 511.
Due to the rugged terrain in this part of the state, much of this area has seen little change since settlement times and due to the lack of fire has developed into an overstocked forest. Settlers found only the extreme southern and a few northern portions of the area level enough for cultivation. In 1984, The Donald Walker Trust donated 156 acres to the Conservation Department, which later purchased 100 additional acres to form the conservation area. The conservation area and the adjacent Clifty Creek Natural Area, owned by the L-A-D Foundation provide crucial watershed protection for Clifty and Little Clifty creeks which run through the areas. One of the more dramatic features of Clifty Creek Natural Area is a natural bridge with a span of about 40 feet that was created by a tributary of Clifty Creek carving through Gasconade dolomite. The areas also contain oak-hickory forest, mixed...
In MDC's words, from the Clifty Creek Conservation Area page.
What can you hunt on Clifty Creek Conservation Area?
MDC's page for Clifty Creek Conservation Area lists: Deer: archery and firearms, antlerless permits allowed; Bear: archery and firearms; Turkey: archery and firearms; Squirrel.
What are the rules on Clifty Creek 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 Clifty Creek Conservation Area?
Clifty Creek Conservation Area lies in Maries County. Hunters checked 2,204 deer in Maries County in 2025, against 1,910 in 2024.
| County | Clifty Creek Conservation Area acres in it | Deer, 2025 | Deer, 2024 | Deer, 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maries County | 250 | 2,204 | 1,910 | 2,391 |
Harvest for the whole county, not the conservation area alone: MDC deer harvest summaries (2021 to 2025 seasons).
How do you get to Clifty Creek Conservation Area?
MDC's directions: From Dixon, take Highway 28 northeast, then Route W east until the pavement ends and gravel leads to area.
Nearest towns: Dixon (6 miles), Doolittle (8 miles), Newburg (9 miles) and Vienna (11 miles). Highways within 5 miles: MO 28.
What other public land is near Clifty Creek Conservation Area?
MDC lands within 10 miles:
- Clifty Creek Natural Area: 237 acres, next to it
- Rinquelin Trail Lake Conservation Area: 282 acres, 9.1 miles away
Public land within 3 miles of Clifty Creek Conservation Area
Counting Clifty Creek Conservation Area itself, 486 of the 23,957 acres within 3 miles of its boundary are public land open to the public (2%), by USGS PAD-US 4.1 and MDC conservation area boundaries.
| Manager | Acres within 3 miles |
|---|---|
| MDC conservation areas | 486 |
Questions hunters ask
Where is Clifty Creek Conservation Area?
In Maries County, 6 miles from Dixon.
Can you deer hunt on Clifty Creek Conservation Area?
Yes, by MDC's page: archery and firearms, antlerless permits allowed.
How much public land is around Clifty Creek Conservation Area?
486 acres within 3 miles of its boundary, Clifty Creek Conservation Area included, by USGS PAD-US 4.1 and MDC conservation area boundaries. The closest other MDC area is Clifty Creek Natural Area (next to it).
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Where these facts come from
- Area description, species, rules and directions: MDC, Clifty Creek 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.