Gist Ranch Conservation Area: hunting and access
Gist Ranch Conservation Area is 11,206 acres of MDC land in Texas County, 5 miles from Summersville. MDC lists deer hunting here (archery and firearms, antlerless permits allowed). Hunters checked 4,974 deer in Texas 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 areasGist Ranch Conservation AreaCounty lineHighway
| Size | 11,206 acres |
|---|---|
| County | Texas County |
| Deer harvest unit | Texas County |
| MDC lists for hunting | Deer, Bear, Turkey, Rabbit, Squirrel, Dove and Quail |
| MDC area number | 9729 |
| MDC region | Ozark |
| Camping (MDC) | designated camping sites and individual campsites |
| Shooting range (MDC) | archery, shotgun and rifle or pistol |
| Nearest towns | Summersville (5 mi), Raymondville (8 mi) and Mountain View (11 mi) |
What is Gist Ranch Conservation Area like?
Gist Ranch Conservation Area is in Texas County, approximately five miles west of Summersville and 14 miles east of Houston. Gist Ranch is a local name for this tract of land. The Conservation Department purchased this property in 1997 from Smith Flooring Company of Mountain View. The area is contained in one contiguous tract and is heavily forested. Visitors to the area will find abundant populations of deer, turkey, and other wildlife species. A number of natural communities can be found on Gist Ranch CA. These include small springs and wetlands (also called fens). The spring and fen areas host wildflowers like orange coneflower and cowbane and provide valuable habitat for salamanders, frogs, and other wildlife. Small dolomite glades, surrounded by woodland, also occur on the ridges, and on south- and west-facing slopes on Gist Ranch CA. These areas support a diverse flora, including little bluestem, leadplant, wild quinine, blazing star, and rattlesnake master. They also serve as important foraging spots for deer, turkey, and quail. Other features and facilities here include: rifle, pistol, and shotgun shooting range, primitive camping areas, walk through archery range, fishing ponds, and 12 miles of hiking/biking/equestrian trails. Annual management activities may include timber harvest or thinning, prescribed fire, or old field management.
In MDC's words, from the Gist Ranch Conservation Area page.
What can you hunt on Gist Ranch Conservation Area?
MDC's page for Gist Ranch Conservation Area lists: Deer: archery and firearms, antlerless permits allowed; Bear: archery and firearms; Turkey: archery and firearms; Rabbit; Squirrel; Dove; Quail.
What are the rules on Gist Ranch 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 Gist Ranch Conservation Area?
Gist Ranch Conservation Area lies in Texas County. Hunters checked 4,974 deer in Texas County in 2025, against 4,121 in 2024.
| County | Gist Ranch Conservation Area acres in it | Deer, 2025 | Deer, 2024 | Deer, 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texas County | 11,206 | 4,974 | 4,121 | 6,190 |
Harvest for the whole county, not the conservation area alone: MDC deer harvest summaries (2021 to 2025 seasons).
How do you get to Gist Ranch Conservation Area?
MDC's directions: From Summersville, take Highway 17 west 4 miles, then Route W south 3 miles, then Ranch Road west 1.75 miles to the area. Another entrance road to the area is 5 miles west of Summersville on Highway 17.
Nearest towns: Summersville (5 miles), Raymondville (8 miles), Mountain View (11 miles) and Houston (11 miles). Highways within 5 miles: MO 17 and MO 137.
What other public land is near Gist Ranch Conservation Area?
MDC lands within 10 miles:
- Midvale Conservation Area: 85 acres, 0.9 miles away
- Angeline Conservation Area: 40,078 acres, 6.5 miles away
- Barn Hollow Natural Area: 251 acres, 6.9 miles away
- Sunklands Conservation Area: 40,675 acres, 7.5 miles away
- Sims Valley Community Lake: 100 acres, 9 miles away
Public land within 3 miles of Gist Ranch Conservation Area
Counting Gist Ranch Conservation Area itself, 11,293 of the 67,589 acres within 3 miles of its boundary are public land open to the public (16.7%), by USGS PAD-US 4.1 and MDC conservation area boundaries.
| Manager | Acres within 3 miles |
|---|---|
| MDC conservation areas | 11,293 |
Questions hunters ask
Where is Gist Ranch Conservation Area?
In Texas County, 5 miles from Summersville.
Can you deer hunt on Gist Ranch Conservation Area?
Yes, by MDC's page: archery and firearms, antlerless permits allowed.
How much public land is around Gist Ranch Conservation Area?
11,293 acres within 3 miles of its boundary, Gist Ranch Conservation Area included, by USGS PAD-US 4.1 and MDC conservation area boundaries. The closest other MDC area is Midvale Conservation Area (0.9 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, Gist Ranch 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.