Crooked Creek Conservation Area: hunting and access
Crooked Creek Conservation Area is 332 acres of MDC land in Crawford County, 8 miles from Steelville. MDC lists deer hunting here (archery and firearms, antlerless permits allowed). Hunters checked 3,667 deer in Crawford 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 landCrooked Creek Conservation AreaCounty lineLakeHighway
| Size | 332 acres |
|---|---|
| County | Crawford County |
| Deer harvest unit | Crawford County |
| MDC lists for hunting | Deer, Bear, Turkey and Squirrel |
| MDC area number | 7224 |
| MDC region | St. Louis |
| Nearest towns | Steelville (8 mi), Cuba (14 mi) and St. James (14 mi) |
What is Crooked Creek Conservation Area like?
This 337-acre conservation area in the middle of beautiful Crawford County, offers a sample of Ozark country that's not too far away from St. Louis. It' also the remnant of a celestial calamity. The area lies on an outcrop that's actually the rim of an impact crater created by a meteor strike thousands of years ago. A short, linear trail affords hikers an out-and-back trek to experience hills forested by oak-hickory and shortleaf pine.
In MDC's words, from the Crooked Creek Conservation Area page.
What can you hunt on Crooked Creek Conservation Area?
MDC's page for Crooked 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 Crooked 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 Crooked Creek Conservation Area?
Crooked Creek Conservation Area lies in Crawford County. Hunters checked 3,667 deer in Crawford County in 2025, against 3,082 in 2024.
| County | Crooked Creek Conservation Area acres in it | Deer, 2025 | Deer, 2024 | Deer, 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crawford County | 332 | 3,667 | 3,082 | 4,406 |
Harvest for the whole county, not the conservation area alone: MDC deer harvest summaries (2021 to 2025 seasons).
How do you get to Crooked Creek Conservation Area?
MDC's directions: From Cherryville take Route 19 south approximately 7 miles, then take Route VV northwest 5 miles until you reach the area.
Nearest towns: Steelville (8 miles), Cuba (14 miles), St. James (14 miles) and Salem (16 miles). Highways within 5 miles: MO 19.
What other public land is near Crooked Creek Conservation Area?
MDC lands within 10 miles:
- Woodson K. Woods Memorial Conservation Area: 5,819 acres, 4.8 miles away
- John N. and Melba S. Anderson Memorial Conservation Area: 339 acres, 5.7 miles away
- Indian Trail Conservation Area: 13,562 acres, 6.7 miles away
- Pearl G. and John J. Sizemore Memorial Conservation Area: 171 acres, 6.9 miles away
- Short Bend Access: 79 acres, 7.1 miles away
- Scotts Ford Access: 32 acres, 8.4 miles away
Public land within 3 miles of Crooked Creek Conservation Area
Counting Crooked Creek Conservation Area itself, 400 of the 24,291 acres within 3 miles of its boundary are public land open to the public (1.6%), by USGS PAD-US 4.1 and MDC conservation area boundaries.
| Manager | Acres within 3 miles |
|---|---|
| MDC conservation areas | 332 |
| State parks and historic sites | 68 |
Questions hunters ask
Where is Crooked Creek Conservation Area?
In Crawford County, 8 miles from Steelville.
Can you deer hunt on Crooked Creek Conservation Area?
Yes, by MDC's page: archery and firearms, antlerless permits allowed.
How much public land is around Crooked Creek Conservation Area?
400 acres within 3 miles of its boundary, Crooked Creek Conservation Area included, by USGS PAD-US 4.1 and MDC conservation area boundaries. The closest other MDC area is Woodson K. Woods Memorial Conservation Area (4.8 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, Crooked 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.