Mora Conservation Area: hunting and access
Mora Conservation Area is 589 acres of MDC land in Benton County, 3 miles from Cole Camp. MDC lists deer hunting here (archery and firearms, archery antlerless permits only). Hunters checked 4,228 deer in Benton 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 areasMora Conservation AreaCounty lineLakeHighway
| Size | 589 acres |
|---|---|
| County | Benton County |
| Deer harvest unit | Benton County |
| MDC lists for hunting | Deer, Bear, Turkey, Rabbit, Dove and Quail |
| MDC area number | 6705 |
| MDC region | Kansas City |
| Nearest towns | Cole Camp (3 mi), Ionia (6 mi) and Lincoln (10 mi) |
What is Mora Conservation Area like?
The original portion of this 601-acre area was acquired by the Conservation Department in 1967. Prior to that purchase this entire area was native prairie, but the landowner plowed it prior to acquisition by the Conservation Department. Additional acres were added in 1997.
Early management emphasized small upland game species. Current management efforts are focused on grassland species and their habitat needs. This area has been designated by Audubon Missouri as an Important Bird Area (IBA). IBAs are sites that have been identified by Audubon as those that are most crucial for bird populations, due to their abundance and/or diversity of birds present. High quality grasslands are important habitat for many species. This area is being managed for grassland diversity that provides habitat for a diverse group of plants and animals. Because less thanone-half of one percentof our original prairie remains, some of these species have become increasingly rare. Area managers use prescribed fire, grazing, and other management practices to maintain healthy grasslands, simulate historic disturbances, and limit the negative impacts of invasive species.
In MDC's words, from the Mora Conservation Area page.
What can you hunt on Mora Conservation Area?
MDC's page for Mora Conservation Area lists: Deer: archery and firearms, archery antlerless permits only; Bear: archery and firearms; Turkey: archery and firearms; Rabbit; Dove; Quail.
What are the rules on Mora 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 Mora Conservation Area?
Mora Conservation Area lies in Benton County. Hunters checked 4,228 deer in Benton County in 2025, against 3,915 in 2024.
| County | Mora Conservation Area acres in it | Deer, 2025 | Deer, 2024 | Deer, 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Benton County | 589 | 4,228 | 3,915 | 4,692 |
Harvest for the whole county, not the conservation area alone: MDC deer harvest summaries (2021 to 2025 seasons).
How do you get to Mora Conservation Area?
MDC's directions: From Cole Camp, take Route U north 4 miles.
Nearest towns: Cole Camp (3 miles), Ionia (6 miles), Lincoln (10 miles) and Stover (12 miles). Highways within 5 miles: US 65 and MO 52.
What other public land is near Mora Conservation Area?
MDC lands within 10 miles:
- Hi Lonesome Prairie Conservation Area: 650 acres, 1 mile away
- Paint Brush Prairie Conservation Area: 524 acres, 2.3 miles away
- Sedalia (Spring Fork Lake): 113 acres, 2.8 miles away
- Ionia Ridge Conservation Area: 238 acres, 3.2 miles away
- Drovers' Prairie Conservation Area: 78 acres, 4 miles away
- Friendly Prairie Conservation Area: 39 acres, 4.6 miles away
Public land within 3 miles of Mora Conservation Area
Counting Mora Conservation Area itself, 1,577 of the 26,563 acres within 3 miles of its boundary are public land open to the public (5.9%), by USGS PAD-US 4.1 and MDC conservation area boundaries.
| Manager | Acres within 3 miles |
|---|---|
| MDC conservation areas | 1,577 |
Questions hunters ask
Where is Mora Conservation Area?
In Benton County, 3 miles from Cole Camp.
Can you deer hunt on Mora Conservation Area?
Yes, by MDC's page: archery and firearms, archery antlerless permits only.
How much public land is around Mora Conservation Area?
1,577 acres within 3 miles of its boundary, Mora Conservation Area included, by USGS PAD-US 4.1 and MDC conservation area boundaries. The closest other MDC area is Hi Lonesome Prairie Conservation Area (1 mile).
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, Mora 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.