Prairie Home Conservation Area: hunting and access
Prairie Home Conservation Area is 1,468 acres of MDC land in Cooper and Moniteau counties, 2 miles from Prairie Home. MDC lists deer hunting here (archery and firearms, archery antlerless permits only). Hunters checked 2,320 deer in Cooper 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 areasPrairie Home Conservation AreaCounty lineLakeHighway
| Size | 1,468 acres |
|---|---|
| Counties | Cooper County and Moniteau County |
| Deer harvest unit | Cooper County, Moniteau County |
| MDC lists for hunting | Deer, Bear, Turkey, Rabbit, Squirrel and Quail |
| MDC area number | 6404 |
| MDC region | Central |
| Camping (MDC) | designated camping sites |
| Nearest towns | Prairie Home (2 mi), Jamestown (4 mi) and Lupus (8 mi) |
What is Prairie Home Conservation Area like?
Prairie Home Conservation Area, located in eastern Cooper County, is an upland area with a mix of oldfields, small cropfields, grasslands, and woodlands.
The original acquisition in 1963 included 212 acres in the northwest corner of the area. In 1997, Allen and Wilda Johnson donated funds earmarked for resource management that resulted in the construction of three lakes that range in size from three to 11 acres. Their generous donation provides habitat for fish, reptiles, amphibians, waterfowl, waterbirds, and songbirds. Area users enjoy opportunities for fishing and wildlife viewing. For the hunting enthusiast, the area supports deer, turkey, squirrel, rabbit and quail. Hikers and birders find a seasonal array of migrant and resident songbirds including summer tanagers, woodpeckers, vireos, warblers, and sparrows.
In MDC's words, from the Prairie Home Conservation Area page.
What can you hunt on Prairie Home Conservation Area?
MDC's page for Prairie Home Conservation Area lists: Deer: archery and firearms, archery antlerless permits only; Bear: archery and firearms; Turkey: archery and firearms; Rabbit; Squirrel; Quail.
What are the rules on Prairie Home 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 Prairie Home Conservation Area?
Prairie Home Conservation Area lies in 2 counties. Hunters checked 2,320 deer in Cooper County in 2025, against 2,216 in 2024.
| County | Prairie Home Conservation Area acres in it | Deer, 2025 | Deer, 2024 | Deer, 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cooper County | 1,032 | 2,320 | 2,216 | 2,587 |
| Moniteau County | 436 | 1,822 | 1,693 | 1,948 |
Harvest for the whole county, not the conservation area alone: MDC deer harvest summaries (2021 to 2025 seasons).
How do you get to Prairie Home Conservation Area?
MDC's directions: From Prairie Home, take Route J west 0.50 miles, then Route W south 2 miles to the area.
Nearest towns: Prairie Home (2 miles), Jamestown (4 miles), Lupus (8 miles) and Clarksburg (8 miles). Highways within 5 miles: MO 87 and MO 179.
What other public land is near Prairie Home Conservation Area?
MDC lands within 10 miles:
- Plowboy Bend Conservation Area: 2,678 acres, 7.7 miles away
- Eagle Bluffs Conservation Area: 4,596 acres, 7.7 miles away
- Marion Bottoms Conservation Area: 2,943 acres, 8.9 miles away
- Roger V. and Viola Wachal Smith Conservation Area: 484 acres, 9.7 miles away
- Huntsdale Access: 20 acres, 9.9 miles away
Public land within 3 miles of Prairie Home Conservation Area
Counting Prairie Home Conservation Area itself, 1,468 of the 33,528 acres within 3 miles of its boundary are public land open to the public (4.4%), by USGS PAD-US 4.1 and MDC conservation area boundaries.
| Manager | Acres within 3 miles |
|---|---|
| MDC conservation areas | 1,468 |
Questions hunters ask
Where is Prairie Home Conservation Area?
In Cooper and Moniteau counties, 2 miles from Prairie Home.
Can you deer hunt on Prairie Home Conservation Area?
Yes, by MDC's page: archery and firearms, archery antlerless permits only.
How much public land is around Prairie Home Conservation Area?
1,468 acres within 3 miles of its boundary, Prairie Home Conservation Area included, by USGS PAD-US 4.1 and MDC conservation area boundaries. The closest other MDC area is Plowboy Bend Conservation Area (7.7 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, Prairie Home 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.