Pawnee Prairie Conservation Area: hunting and access
Pawnee Prairie Conservation Area is 627 acres of MDC land in Harrison County, 6 miles from Allendale. MDC lists deer hunting here (archery and firearms, antlerless permits allowed). 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 areasLand trusts and other open landPawnee Prairie Conservation AreaCounty lineHighway
| Size | 627 acres in 2 pieces |
|---|---|
| County | Harrison County |
| Deer harvest unit | Harrison County |
| MDC lists for hunting | Deer and Turkey |
| MDC area number | 9631 |
| MDC region | Northwest |
| Nearest towns | Allendale (6 mi), Eagleville (8 mi) and Denver (10 mi) |
What is Pawnee Prairie Conservation Area like?
Pawnee Prairie Natural Area is in northern Harrison County.
Pawnee Prairie was named for a Native American tribe that occupied the area. It is also the name of a nearby town. This area represents a relict island of the once vast, rolling prairie of Northwest Missouri. Plants and animals unique to a tallgrass prairie ecosystem survive on portions of the area that have never been plowed. The remainder of the area is in various stages of prairie restoration. The area is part of the larger Grand River Grasslands Conservation Opportunity Area. The wide variety of grassland wildlife, especially birds, found here as well as tracts of unplowed prairie, indicate this is the best area in northern Missouri to restore a functioning tallgrass prairie ecosystem on a landscape scale. The Missouri Department of Conservation, The Nature Conservancy, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, the Natural Resources Conservation Service, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife...
In MDC's words, from the Pawnee Prairie Conservation Area page.
What can you hunt on Pawnee Prairie Conservation Area?
MDC's page for Pawnee Prairie Conservation Area lists: Deer: archery and firearms, antlerless permits allowed; Turkey: archery and firearms.
What are the rules on Pawnee Prairie 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 Pawnee Prairie Conservation Area?
Pawnee Prairie Conservation Area lies in Harrison County. Hunters checked 3,220 deer in Harrison County in 2025, against 3,217 in 2024.
| County | Pawnee Prairie Conservation Area acres in it | Deer, 2025 | Deer, 2024 | Deer, 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harrison County | 627 | 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 Pawnee Prairie Conservation Area?
MDC's directions: From Hatfield, take West 140th Avenue south 0.50 mile.
Nearest towns: Allendale (6 miles), Eagleville (8 miles), Denver (10 miles) and Irena (11 miles). Highways within 5 miles: MO 46.
What other public land is near Pawnee Prairie Conservation Area?
MDC lands within 10 miles:
- Blazing Prairie Conservation Area: 75 acres, 2.5 miles away
- Emmett and Leah Seat Memorial Conservation Area: 3,494 acres, 6.2 miles away
- Harrison County Lake: 266 acres, 7.3 miles away
Public land within 3 miles of Pawnee Prairie Conservation Area
Counting Pawnee Prairie Conservation Area itself, 2,909 of the 31,712 acres within 3 miles of its boundary are public land open to the public (9.2%), by USGS PAD-US 4.1 and MDC conservation area boundaries.
| Manager | Acres within 3 miles |
|---|---|
| Land trusts and other open land | 2,190 |
| MDC conservation areas | 719 |
Questions hunters ask
Where is Pawnee Prairie Conservation Area?
In Harrison County, 6 miles from Allendale.
Can you deer hunt on Pawnee Prairie Conservation Area?
Yes, by MDC's page: archery and firearms, antlerless permits allowed.
How much public land is around Pawnee Prairie Conservation Area?
2,909 acres within 3 miles of its boundary, Pawnee Prairie Conservation Area included, by USGS PAD-US 4.1 and MDC conservation area boundaries. The closest other MDC area is Blazing Prairie Conservation Area (2.5 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, Pawnee Prairie 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.