Crowleys Ridge Conservation Area: hunting and access
Crowleys Ridge Conservation Area is 1,928 acres of MDC land in Stoddard County, 4 miles from Bloomfield. MDC lists deer hunting here (archery and firearms, archery antlerless permits only). Hunters checked 1,935 deer in Stoddard 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 areasCrowleys Ridge Conservation AreaCounty lineLakeHighway
| Size | 1,928 acres |
|---|---|
| County | Stoddard County |
| Deer harvest unit | Stoddard County |
| MDC lists for hunting | Deer, Bear, Turkey, Rabbit, Squirrel, Dove and Quail |
| MDC area number | 8107 |
| MDC region | Southeast |
| Camping (MDC) | individual campsites |
| Nearest towns | Bloomfield (4 mi), Puxico (8 mi) and Bell City (10 mi) |
What is Crowleys Ridge Conservation Area like?
Crowleys Ridge Conservation Area is in Stoddard County, 10 miles east of Puxico.
Surrounded by the lowlands of the Missouri Bootheel, this 1,878-acre area sits on the elevated land formation known as Crowleys Ridge. This ridge, named after an early settler, begins southwest of Cape Girardeau and extends about 200 miles to Helena, Arkansas. Crowleys Ridge is a peninsula of rolling hills rising 250 feet above the lowlands. The area is highly fertile due to alluvial river deposits, and it supports many wildlife species including small game, deer, and turkey. Prescribed burning, discing, timber stand improvement, edgefeathering, and farming are all used to create and maintain early successional habitats to benefit small game especially bobwhite quail. The area also featurestwo small lakes and several small ponds. Ponds 1, 2, & 3 are stocked annually with channel catfish. Crowleys Ridge Conservation Area was acquired in part through the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife...
In MDC's words, from the Crowleys Ridge Conservation Area page.
What can you hunt on Crowleys Ridge Conservation Area?
MDC's page for Crowleys Ridge Conservation Area lists: Deer: archery and firearms, archery antlerless permits only; Bear: archery and firearms; Turkey: archery and firearms; Rabbit; Squirrel; Dove; Quail.
What are the rules on Crowleys Ridge Conservation Area?
Dove Hunting: Use or possession of lead shot is prohibited for hunting doves on this area.
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 Crowleys Ridge Conservation Area?
Crowleys Ridge Conservation Area lies in Stoddard County. Hunters checked 1,935 deer in Stoddard County in 2025, against 2,117 in 2024.
| County | Crowleys Ridge Conservation Area acres in it | Deer, 2025 | Deer, 2024 | Deer, 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stoddard County | 1,928 | 1,935 | 2,117 | 2,158 |
Harvest for the whole county, not the conservation area alone: MDC deer harvest summaries (2021 to 2025 seasons).
How do you get to Crowleys Ridge Conservation Area?
MDC's directions: From Puxico, take Route PP east 10 miles, then County Road 237 south 1 mile.
Nearest towns: Bloomfield (4 miles), Puxico (8 miles), Bell City (10 miles) and Dexter (10 miles). Highways within 5 miles: MO 25.
What other public land is near Crowleys Ridge Conservation Area?
MDC lands within 10 miles:
- Aquilla Access: 88 acres, 2.1 miles away
- Duck Creek Conservation Area: 6,404 acres, 5.5 miles away
- Holly Ridge Conservation Area: 1,012 acres, 6 miles away
- Greenbrier Unit of Duck Creek Conservation Area: 462 acres, 9.5 miles away
Public land within 3 miles of Crowleys Ridge Conservation Area
Counting Crowleys Ridge Conservation Area itself, 2,017 of the 34,923 acres within 3 miles of its boundary are public land open to the public (5.8%), by USGS PAD-US 4.1 and MDC conservation area boundaries.
| Manager | Acres within 3 miles |
|---|---|
| MDC conservation areas | 2,017 |
Questions hunters ask
Where is Crowleys Ridge Conservation Area?
In Stoddard County, 4 miles from Bloomfield.
Can you deer hunt on Crowleys Ridge Conservation Area?
Yes, by MDC's page: archery and firearms, archery antlerless permits only.
How much public land is around Crowleys Ridge Conservation Area?
2,017 acres within 3 miles of its boundary, Crowleys Ridge Conservation Area included, by USGS PAD-US 4.1 and MDC conservation area boundaries. The closest other MDC area is Aquilla Access (2.1 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, Crowleys Ridge 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.