Peter A. Eck Conservation Area: hunting and access
Peter A. Eck Conservation Area is 381 acres of MDC land in Texas County, 10 miles from Licking. MDC lists deer hunting here (archery only, 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 areasNational forestOther state landPeter A. Eck Conservation AreaCounty lineLakeHighway
| Size | 381 acres |
|---|---|
| County | Texas County |
| Deer harvest unit | Texas County |
| MDC lists for hunting | Deer, Bear, Turkey and Squirrel |
| MDC area number | 9007 |
| MDC region | Ozark |
| Nearest towns | Licking (10 mi), Plato (12 mi) and Edgar Springs (12 mi) |
What is Peter A. Eck Conservation Area like?
Area includes an old growth, pine-oak forest and Eck Natural Area.
In MDC's words, from the Peter A. Eck Conservation Area page.
What can you hunt on Peter A. Eck Conservation Area?
MDC's page for Peter A. Eck Conservation Area lists: Deer: archery only, antlerless permits allowed; Bear: archery only; Turkey: archery and firearms; Squirrel.
What are the rules on Peter A. Eck 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 Peter A. Eck Conservation Area?
Peter A. Eck Conservation Area lies in Texas County. Hunters checked 4,974 deer in Texas County in 2025, against 4,121 in 2024.
| County | Peter A. Eck Conservation Area acres in it | Deer, 2025 | Deer, 2024 | Deer, 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texas County | 381 | 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 Peter A. Eck Conservation Area?
MDC's directions: Peter A. Eck Conservation Area is 12 miles northwest of Licking in Texas County. To reach it by boat or canoe on the Big Piney River, watch for yellow MDC signs posted there. To reach it by road (a high clearance vehicle is recommended), from Highway 32 take Route N northwest to Mooney Hollow Road (gravel), turn north and then northwest onto Eck Road which changes from a maintained gravel road to a dirt road.
Nearest towns: Licking (10 miles), Plato (12 miles), Edgar Springs (12 miles) and Fort Leonard Wood (12 miles).
What other public land is near Peter A. Eck Conservation Area?
Public land within 3 miles of Peter A. Eck Conservation Area
Counting Peter A. Eck Conservation Area itself, 16,936 of the 26,379 acres within 3 miles of its boundary are public land open to the public (64.2%), by USGS PAD-US 4.1 and MDC conservation area boundaries.
| Manager | Acres within 3 miles |
|---|---|
| National forest | 16,555 |
| MDC conservation areas | 381 |
Questions hunters ask
Where is Peter A. Eck Conservation Area?
In Texas County, 10 miles from Licking.
Can you deer hunt on Peter A. Eck Conservation Area?
Yes, by MDC's page: archery only, antlerless permits allowed.
How much public land is around Peter A. Eck Conservation Area?
16,936 acres within 3 miles of its boundary, Peter A. Eck Conservation Area included, by USGS PAD-US 4.1 and MDC conservation area boundaries.
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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, Peter A. Eck 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.