Saline Valley Conservation Area: hunting and access
Saline Valley Conservation Area is 4,944 acres of MDC land in Miller County, next to Tuscumbia. MDC lists deer hunting here (archery and firearms, antlerless permits allowed). Hunters checked 2,850 deer in Miller 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 areasCounty, city and regional landSaline Valley Conservation AreaCounty lineLakeHighway
| Size | 4,944 acres |
|---|---|
| County | Miller County |
| Deer harvest unit | Miller County |
| MDC lists for hunting | Deer, Bear, Turkey, Rabbit, Squirrel, Dove and Quail |
| MDC area number | 7724 |
| MDC region | Central |
| Camping (MDC) | individual campsites |
| Nearest towns | Tuscumbia (next to it), Eugene (3 mi) and Aurora Springs (4 mi) |
What is Saline Valley Conservation Area like?
The area was established in 1977, with the original purchase of 292 acres by the Conservation Department. Subsequent purchases have increased the size of the area to 4,783 acres.
The central corridor to the 4,783-acre Saline (pronounced "suh-lean") Valley Conservation Area may be accessed by driving a short distance north from Tuscumbia on Route 17 and turning west on Saline Road. Visitors can access the headwater side of the area by turning east from Hwy. 54 near Eldon onto Miller County Route M and traveling to the end of the blacktop. Lower Saline Creek and properties adjacent to the Osage River are accessible by boat from the nearby Tuscumbia and Kings Bluff public boat accesses. Saline Valley Conservation Area provides public access to nine miles of bottomland corridor along Saline Creek. Jack Buster Creek, Jim Henry Creek and the Osage River provide an additional six miles of stream corridor access. Natural communities of the area include dry dolomite forest, dolomite glades, bottomland forest and a fen. The dominant trees of the nearly 3,500 acres of...
In MDC's words, from the Saline Valley Conservation Area page.
What can you hunt on Saline Valley Conservation Area?
MDC's page for Saline Valley Conservation Area lists: Deer: archery and firearms, antlerless permits allowed; Bear: archery and firearms; Turkey: archery and firearms; Rabbit; Squirrel; Dove; Quail.
What are the rules on Saline Valley 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 Saline Valley Conservation Area?
Saline Valley Conservation Area lies in Miller County. Hunters checked 2,850 deer in Miller County in 2025, against 2,295 in 2024.
| County | Saline Valley Conservation Area acres in it | Deer, 2025 | Deer, 2024 | Deer, 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Miller County | 4,944 | 2,850 | 2,295 | 3,043 |
Harvest for the whole county, not the conservation area alone: MDC deer harvest summaries (2021 to 2025 seasons).
How do you get to Saline Valley Conservation Area?
MDC's directions: Saline Valley Conservation Area is 2.3 miles southeast of Eldon on Highway M off of Highway 54.
Nearest towns: Tuscumbia (next to it), Eugene (3 miles), Aurora Springs (4 miles) and Eldon (4 miles). Highways within 5 miles: US 54, MO 52, MO 17 and MO 87.
What other public land is near Saline Valley Conservation Area?
MDC lands within 10 miles:
- Osage-Tavern Access: 27 acres, 5.9 miles away
- Wilson Camp Access: 155 acres, 7.2 miles away
- Boeckman Bridge Access: 57 acres, 8.6 miles away
Public land within 3 miles of Saline Valley Conservation Area
Counting Saline Valley Conservation Area itself, 4,954 of the 62,166 acres within 3 miles of its boundary are public land open to the public (8%), by USGS PAD-US 4.1 and MDC conservation area boundaries.
| Manager | Acres within 3 miles |
|---|---|
| MDC conservation areas | 4,953 |
| State parks and historic sites | 1 |
Questions hunters ask
Where is Saline Valley Conservation Area?
In Miller County, next to Tuscumbia.
Can you deer hunt on Saline Valley Conservation Area?
Yes, by MDC's page: archery and firearms, antlerless permits allowed.
How much public land is around Saline Valley Conservation Area?
4,954 acres within 3 miles of its boundary, Saline Valley Conservation Area included, by USGS PAD-US 4.1 and MDC conservation area boundaries. The closest other MDC area is Osage-Tavern Access (5.9 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, Saline Valley 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.