Grand Trace Conservation Area: hunting and access
Grand Trace Conservation Area is 1,523 acres of MDC land in Harrison County, 5 miles from Bethany. MDC lists deer hunting here (archery and firearms, archery antlerless permits only). Hunters checked 3,220 deer in Harrison 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 areasOther state landCounty, city and regional landGrand Trace Conservation AreaCounty lineLakeHighway
| Size | 1,523 acres |
|---|---|
| County | Harrison County |
| Deer harvest unit | Harrison County |
| MDC lists for hunting | Deer, Turkey, Rabbit, Squirrel, Dove and Quail |
| MDC area number | 7938 |
| MDC region | Northwest |
| Camping (MDC) | individual campsites |
| Nearest towns | Bethany (5 mi), New Hampton (5 mi) and Ridgeway (8 mi) |
What is Grand Trace Conservation Area like?
This area is tucked away in what was once an expansive sea of prairie. The area was rich with wildlife, such as deer, buffalo, turkey, and prairie chickens.
Indian hunting camps were common here and Indian trails crisscrossed this wild and beautiful country. One main trail, the Grand Trace, connected the small, seasonal villages of the area with the St. Louis trading center, located at the confluence of the Missouri and Mississippi rivers. The Conservation Department purchased this area in 1979 from a grain production corporation. Subsequent acquisitions have increased the area to to it's current size. Since the time of settlement around 1840, the timber of the region has repeatedly been cut over, grazed, and burned. Grand Trace Conservation Area now consists of about half woodland; most of it on the area's steeper slopes and along small creek bottoms. The remainder of the area is open fields, which are managed with farming, haying, prescribed burning, and food plots. Woodland management is also practiced on the area. This conservation area...
In MDC's words, from the Grand Trace Conservation Area page.
What can you hunt on Grand Trace Conservation Area?
MDC's page for Grand Trace Conservation Area lists: Deer: archery and firearms, archery antlerless permits only; Turkey: archery and firearms; Rabbit; Squirrel; Dove; Quail.
What are the rules on Grand Trace 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 Grand Trace Conservation Area?
Grand Trace Conservation Area lies in Harrison County. Hunters checked 3,220 deer in Harrison County in 2025, against 3,217 in 2024.
| County | Grand Trace Conservation Area acres in it | Deer, 2025 | Deer, 2024 | Deer, 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harrison County | 1,523 | 3,220 | 3,217 | 3,623 |
Harvest for the whole county, not the conservation area alone: MDC deer harvest summaries (2021 to 2025 seasons).
How do you get to Grand Trace Conservation Area?
MDC's directions: From the west end of Main Street in Bethany, take Route W north 2.50 miles, then Route F west 5.50 miles to the west entrance of the area.
Nearest towns: Bethany (5 miles), New Hampton (5 miles), Ridgeway (8 miles) and Eagleville (10 miles). Highways within 5 miles: I-35, US 69 and US 136.
What other public land is near Grand Trace Conservation Area?
MDC lands within 10 miles:
- North Bethany City Reservoir (Bethany): 74 acres, 3.2 miles away
- Harrison County Lake: 266 acres, 3.6 miles away
- Emmett and Leah Seat Memorial Conservation Area: 3,494 acres, 6 miles away
- Blazing Prairie Conservation Area: 75 acres, 9.1 miles away
Public land within 3 miles of Grand Trace Conservation Area
Counting Grand Trace Conservation Area itself, 1,524 of the 34,060 acres within 3 miles of its boundary are public land open to the public (4.5%), by USGS PAD-US 4.1 and MDC conservation area boundaries.
| Manager | Acres within 3 miles |
|---|---|
| MDC conservation areas | 1,524 |
Questions hunters ask
Where is Grand Trace Conservation Area?
In Harrison County, 5 miles from Bethany.
Can you deer hunt on Grand Trace Conservation Area?
Yes, by MDC's page: archery and firearms, archery antlerless permits only.
How much public land is around Grand Trace Conservation Area?
1,524 acres within 3 miles of its boundary, Grand Trace Conservation Area included, by USGS PAD-US 4.1 and MDC conservation area boundaries. The closest other MDC area is North Bethany City Reservoir (Bethany) (3.2 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, Grand Trace 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.