Emmett and Leah Seat Memorial Conservation Area: hunting and access
Emmett and Leah Seat Memorial Conservation Area is 3,494 acres of MDC land in Worth and Gentry counties, 3 miles from Denver. MDC lists deer hunting here (muzzleloader and archery, antlerless permits allowed). Hunters checked 1,096 deer in Worth 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 areasEmmett and Leah Seat Memorial Conservation AreaCounty lineHighway
| Size | 3,494 acres |
|---|---|
| Counties | Worth County and Gentry County |
| Deer harvest unit | Worth County, Gentry County |
| MDC lists for hunting | Deer, Turkey, Rabbit, Dove and Quail |
| MDC area number | 8026 |
| MDC region | Northwest |
| Camping (MDC) | individual campsites |
| Shooting range (MDC) | archery |
| Nearest towns | Denver (3 mi), Allendale (4 mi) and New Hampton (8 mi) |
What is Emmett and Leah Seat Memorial Conservation Area like?
Emmett and Leah Seat Memorial Conservation Area is in Worth and Gentry counties. The area was created in 1980 with a donation of 439 acres by the late Emmett and Leah Seat. The Seat farm had been in the family since 1844 when Littleton Seat settled there.
The area's open fields are managed with farming, prescribed burning, herbicide, and disking. Other habitat management practices include shrub and native grass plantings, edge feathering and food plots. The area is managed primarily for bobwhite quail and associated game and non-game species.
In MDC's words, from the Emmett and Leah Seat Memorial Conservation Area page.
What can you hunt on Emmett and Leah Seat Memorial Conservation Area?
MDC's page for Emmett and Leah Seat Memorial Conservation Area lists: Deer: muzzleloader and archery, antlerless permits allowed; Turkey: archery and firearms; Rabbit; Dove; Quail.
What are the rules on Emmett and Leah Seat Memorial Conservation Area?
Target Shooting and Shooting Ranges: An unstaffed range is located on this department area. Target shooting is not allowed anywhere on this area except for designated shooting range(s). Shooting hours are one-half hour before sunrise to one-half hour after sunset. Ranges may be closed to public use at any time for maintenance or department sponsored events or programs. Possession of alcoholic beverages is prohibited on all ranges and associated parking lots. Groups of more than 10 people must obtain a special use permit prior to using the range. To obtain a special use permit, contact the area manager at the phone number listed...
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 Emmett and Leah Seat Memorial Conservation Area?
Emmett and Leah Seat Memorial Conservation Area lies in 2 counties. Hunters checked 1,096 deer in Worth County in 2025, against 1,085 in 2024.
| County | Emmett and Leah Seat Memorial Conservation Area acres in it | Deer, 2025 | Deer, 2024 | Deer, 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Worth County | 3,298 | 1,096 | 1,085 | 1,175 |
| Gentry County | 195 | 1,536 | 1,491 | 1,610 |
Harvest for the whole county, not the conservation area alone: MDC deer harvest summaries (2021 to 2025 seasons).
How do you get to Emmett and Leah Seat Memorial Conservation Area?
MDC's directions: From Albany, take Route C north 11 miles, then Route M east 1 mile.
Nearest towns: Denver (3 miles), Allendale (4 miles), New Hampton (8 miles) and Grant City (9 miles). Highways within 5 miles: MO 46.
What other public land is near Emmett and Leah Seat Memorial Conservation Area?
MDC lands within 10 miles:
- Sowards Ford Access: 58 acres, 2.5 miles away
- Blazing Prairie Conservation Area: 75 acres, 3.7 miles away
- Grand Trace Conservation Area: 1,523 acres, 6 miles away
- Harrison County Lake: 266 acres, 6.2 miles away
- Pawnee Prairie Conservation Area: 627 acres, 6.2 miles away
Public land within 3 miles of Emmett and Leah Seat Memorial Conservation Area
Counting Emmett and Leah Seat Memorial Conservation Area itself, 3,552 of the 42,900 acres within 3 miles of its boundary are public land open to the public (8.3%), by USGS PAD-US 4.1 and MDC conservation area boundaries.
| Manager | Acres within 3 miles |
|---|---|
| MDC conservation areas | 3,552 |
Questions hunters ask
Where is Emmett and Leah Seat Memorial Conservation Area?
In Worth and Gentry counties, 3 miles from Denver.
Can you deer hunt on Emmett and Leah Seat Memorial Conservation Area?
Yes, by MDC's page: muzzleloader and archery, antlerless permits allowed.
How much public land is around Emmett and Leah Seat Memorial Conservation Area?
3,552 acres within 3 miles of its boundary, Emmett and Leah Seat Memorial Conservation Area included, by USGS PAD-US 4.1 and MDC conservation area boundaries. The closest other MDC area is Sowards Ford Access (2.5 miles).
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Where these facts come from
- Area description, species, rules and directions: MDC, Emmett and Leah Seat Memorial 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.