Franklin Island Conservation Area: hunting and access
Franklin Island Conservation Area is 1,668 acres of MDC land in Howard County, 2 miles from New Franklin. MDC lists deer hunting here (muzzleloader and archery, archery antlerless permits only). Hunters checked 2,304 deer in Howard 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 wildlife refugesState parks and historic sitesCounty, city and regional landFranklin Island Conservation AreaCounty lineLakeHighway
| Size | 1,668 acres |
|---|---|
| County | Howard County |
| Deer harvest unit | Howard County |
| MDC lists for hunting | Deer, Turkey, Squirrel, Dove and Quail |
| MDC area number | 7904 |
| MDC region | Central |
| Camping (MDC) | designated camping sites |
| Nearest towns | New Franklin (2 mi), Franklin (2 mi) and Boonville (2 mi) |
What is Franklin Island Conservation Area like?
This area contains 1,625 acres, including bottomland timber in the Missouri River and Bonne Femme Creek corridors, permanent grasses on the levees and some agricultural fields, portions of which are left unharvested to provide food for wildlife.
The Missouri River once cut a channel on the area's north boundary, and the land was surrounded by water. In 1952, the remnant chute was closed permanently by a flood control levee. The Conservation Department purchased the land in 1978. The Missouri River conveyed both French trappers, who provided the name of Bonne Femme Creek, and American explorers, including Lewis and Clark, who camped near the creek's mouth. The first early settlers to come up the river were tobacco farmers from Virginia and Kentucky. Soon, agricultural crops were being shipped from the ports of Franklin, Glasgow, and Rocheport. Farming increased in the bottomlands as the river was narrowed and straightened in the early part of the century. By the 1950s, continued narrowing and straightening and the construction of flood protection levees combined to provide relief from recurrent flooding. Current management goals...
In MDC's words, from the Franklin Island Conservation Area page.
What can you hunt on Franklin Island Conservation Area?
MDC's page for Franklin Island Conservation Area lists: Deer: muzzleloader and archery, archery antlerless permits only; Turkey: archery and firearms; Squirrel; Dove; Quail.
What are the rules on Franklin Island 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 Franklin Island Conservation Area?
Franklin Island Conservation Area lies in Howard County. Hunters checked 2,304 deer in Howard County in 2025, against 2,077 in 2024.
| County | Franklin Island Conservation Area acres in it | Deer, 2025 | Deer, 2024 | Deer, 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Howard County | 1,668 | 2,304 | 2,077 | 2,441 |
Harvest for the whole county, not the conservation area alone: MDC deer harvest summaries (2021 to 2025 seasons).
How do you get to Franklin Island Conservation Area?
MDC's directions: Franklin Island Conservation Area is in Howard County, two miles north of Boonville on Highway 40. From New Franklin, take Highway 40 east 2 miles.
Nearest towns: New Franklin (2 miles), Franklin (2 miles), Boonville (2 miles) and Windsor Place (3 miles). Highways within 5 miles: I-70, US 40, MO 5, MO 87 and MO 98.
What other public land is near Franklin Island Conservation Area?
MDC lands within 10 miles:
- Davisdale Conservation Area: 2,784 acres, 1.7 miles away
- Diana Bend Conservation Area: 1,342 acres, 2 miles away
- Moniteau Creek Conservation Area: 744 acres, 7.5 miles away
Public land within 3 miles of Franklin Island Conservation Area
Counting Franklin Island Conservation Area itself, 3,871 of the 36,158 acres within 3 miles of its boundary are public land open to the public (10.7%), by USGS PAD-US 4.1 and MDC conservation area boundaries.
| Manager | Acres within 3 miles |
|---|---|
| MDC conservation areas | 3,292 |
| National wildlife refuges | 372 |
| County, city and regional land | 196 |
| State parks and historic sites | 11 |
Questions hunters ask
Where is Franklin Island Conservation Area?
In Howard County, 2 miles from New Franklin.
Can you deer hunt on Franklin Island Conservation Area?
Yes, by MDC's page: muzzleloader and archery, archery antlerless permits only.
How much public land is around Franklin Island Conservation Area?
3,871 acres within 3 miles of its boundary, Franklin Island Conservation Area included, by USGS PAD-US 4.1 and MDC conservation area boundaries. The closest other MDC area is Davisdale Conservation Area (1.7 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, Franklin Island 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.