Prairie Slough Conservation Area: hunting and access
Prairie Slough Conservation Area is 610 acres of MDC land in Lincoln and Pike counties, 3 miles from Elsberry. MDC lists deer hunting here (archery only, antlerless permits allowed). Hunters checked 4,503 deer in Lincoln 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 wildlife refugesPrairie Slough Conservation AreaCounty lineLakeHighway
| Size | 610 acres |
|---|---|
| Counties | Lincoln County and Pike County |
| Deer harvest unit | Lincoln County, Pike County |
| MDC lists for hunting | Deer, Turkey and Squirrel |
| MDC area number | 7901 |
| MDC region | St. Louis |
| Nearest towns | Elsberry (3 mi), Annada (5 mi) and Paynesville (8 mi) |
What is Prairie Slough Conservation Area like?
Prairie Slough Conservation Area is in Pike and Lincoln counties, near Elsberry. The area consists of 584 acres, including 463 acres of bottomland timber and 121 acres of open land and sloughs. The Conservation Department purchased the majority of the area in 1979 and added a small parcel to the area in 1985.
Prairie Slough, from which the area takes its name, was a chute of the Mississippi River at the turn of the century. The majority of the area was on the east side of the chute and was an island. Natural river meandering and man's efforts have combined to shift the river flow away from the chute, resulting in a slough, a body of water blocked from the river on the upstream end, except during periods of flooding. Prior to its purchase by the Conservation Department, the area was a fee fishing area, known as Prairie Slough Fishing Paradise. The 1985 purchase added Deer Slough. Several smaller natural sloughs are also located on the area. The area makes available for public use approximately three-fourths of a mile of frontage on Prairie Slough and another three-fourths of a mile of frontage on Deer Slough. Two emergent marshes near the main entrance to the area maintain water throughout...
In MDC's words, from the Prairie Slough Conservation Area page.
What can you hunt on Prairie Slough Conservation Area?
MDC's page for Prairie Slough Conservation Area lists: Deer: archery only, antlerless permits allowed; Turkey: archery and firearms; Squirrel.
What are the rules on Prairie Slough 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 Slough Conservation Area?
Prairie Slough Conservation Area lies in 2 counties. Hunters checked 4,503 deer in Lincoln County in 2025, against 4,098 in 2024.
| County | Prairie Slough Conservation Area acres in it | Deer, 2025 | Deer, 2024 | Deer, 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lincoln County | 599 | 4,503 | 4,098 | 4,515 |
| Pike County | 12 | 4,848 | 4,425 | 4,855 |
Harvest for the whole county, not the conservation area alone: MDC deer harvest summaries (2021 to 2025 seasons).
How do you get to Prairie Slough Conservation Area?
MDC's directions: From Elsberry, take Route P northeast 5 miles.
Nearest towns: Elsberry (3 miles), Annada (5 miles), Paynesville (8 miles) and Foley (11 miles). Highways within 5 miles: MO 79.
What other public land is near Prairie Slough Conservation Area?
MDC lands within 10 miles:
- B. K. Leach Memorial Conservation Area: 4,323 acres, next to it
- Upper Mississippi Conservation Area: 12,715 acres, next to it
- Hamburg Ferry Access: 27 acres, next to it
Public land within 3 miles of Prairie Slough Conservation Area
Counting Prairie Slough Conservation Area itself, 4,741 of the 29,329 acres within 3 miles of its boundary are public land open to the public (16.2%), by USGS PAD-US 4.1 and MDC conservation area boundaries.
| Manager | Acres within 3 miles |
|---|---|
| MDC conservation areas | 4,029 |
| National wildlife refuges | 712 |
Questions hunters ask
Where is Prairie Slough Conservation Area?
In Lincoln and Pike counties, 3 miles from Elsberry.
Can you deer hunt on Prairie Slough Conservation Area?
Yes, by MDC's page: archery only, antlerless permits allowed.
How much public land is around Prairie Slough Conservation Area?
4,741 acres within 3 miles of its boundary, Prairie Slough Conservation Area included, by USGS PAD-US 4.1 and MDC conservation area boundaries. The closest other MDC area is B. K. Leach Memorial Conservation Area (next to it).
Get a Missouri hunt plan when they open
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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, Prairie Slough 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.