La Due Bottoms Conservation Area: hunting and access
La Due Bottoms Conservation Area is 347 acres of MDC land in Henry County, next to La Due. MDC lists deer hunting here (muzzleloader and archery, antlerless permits not allowed). Hunters checked 3,300 deer in Henry 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 areasFederal land, mostly Corps of Engineers lakesLa Due Bottoms Conservation AreaCounty lineLakeHighway
| Size | 347 acres in 3 pieces |
|---|---|
| County | Henry County |
| Deer harvest unit | Henry County |
| MDC lists for hunting | Deer, Bear, Turkey, Rabbit, Squirrel and Dove |
| MDC area number | 9020 |
| MDC region | Kansas City |
| Nearest towns | La Due (next to it), Deepwater (5 mi) and Montrose (6 mi) |
What is La Due Bottoms Conservation Area like?
La Due Bottoms Conservation Area is located in Henry county, 1.5 miles east of Montrose Lake and four miles southwest of Clinton off of Route T.
Named for the small community of La Due, this 361-acre area is composed of three non-adjoining tracts. Most of the property is bottomland cropfields. The Conservation Department acquired the property from the U.S. Army Corps or Engineers. The east unit, the largest of the three units, rests in the flight path of waterfowl moving from the Montrose Conservation Area to Truman Lake. This unit's large bottomland cropfield is managed to entice use by waterfowl and includes three-fourths mile frontage on Deepwater Creek. The unit floods during high water flow periods into Harry S Truman Reservoir. The two west units, located just south of La Due, provide habitat for upland species, such as quail, rabbits, deer, turkey, and doves. The smaller cropfields in these units are surrounded by brushy fencerows, warm-season grass plantings, and some bottomland timber.
In MDC's words, from the La Due Bottoms Conservation Area page.
What can you hunt on La Due Bottoms Conservation Area?
MDC's page for La Due Bottoms Conservation Area lists: Deer: muzzleloader and archery, antlerless permits not allowed; Bear: archery and firearms; Turkey: archery and firearms; Rabbit; Squirrel; Dove.
What are the rules on La Due Bottoms 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 La Due Bottoms Conservation Area?
La Due Bottoms Conservation Area lies in Henry County. Hunters checked 3,300 deer in Henry County in 2025, against 3,293 in 2024.
| County | La Due Bottoms Conservation Area acres in it | Deer, 2025 | Deer, 2024 | Deer, 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Henry County | 347 | 3,300 | 3,293 | 3,754 |
Harvest for the whole county, not the conservation area alone: MDC deer harvest summaries (2021 to 2025 seasons).
How do you get to La Due Bottoms Conservation Area?
MDC's directions: East tract: from La Due, take Route T east 1.50 miles, then County Road SW 501 south 0.50 mile.
Nearest towns: La Due (next to it), Deepwater (5 miles), Montrose (6 miles) and Clinton (6 miles). Highways within 5 miles: MO 52, MO 18 and MO 13.
What other public land is near La Due Bottoms Conservation Area?
MDC lands within 10 miles:
- Truman Reservoir Management Lands (Deepwater Creek): 5,637 acres, 0.5 miles away
- Truman Reservoir Management Lands (Grand River Bottoms): 8,505 acres, 1 mile away
- Montrose Conservation Area: 2,870 acres, 1.6 miles away
- Clinton Office: 259 acres, 4.4 miles away
- Chapel View Prairie Conservation Area: 384 acres, 4.9 miles away
- Truman Reservoir Management Lands (Bethlehem): 3,402 acres, 5.3 miles away
Public land within 3 miles of La Due Bottoms Conservation Area
Counting La Due Bottoms Conservation Area itself, 7,247 of the 28,912 acres within 3 miles of its boundary are public land open to the public (25.1%), by USGS PAD-US 4.1 and MDC conservation area boundaries.
| Manager | Acres within 3 miles |
|---|---|
| MDC conservation areas | 7,242 |
| Federal land, mostly Corps of Engineers lakes | 5 |
Questions hunters ask
Where is La Due Bottoms Conservation Area?
In Henry County, next to La Due.
Can you deer hunt on La Due Bottoms Conservation Area?
Yes, by MDC's page: muzzleloader and archery, antlerless permits not allowed.
How much public land is around La Due Bottoms Conservation Area?
7,247 acres within 3 miles of its boundary, La Due Bottoms Conservation Area included, by USGS PAD-US 4.1 and MDC conservation area boundaries. The closest other MDC area is Truman Reservoir Management Lands (Deepwater Creek) (0.5 miles).
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Where these facts come from
- Area description, species, rules and directions: MDC, La Due Bottoms 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.