Sugar Creek Conservation Area: hunting and access
Sugar Creek Conservation Area is 2,589 acres of MDC land in Adair County, 3 miles from Millard. MDC lists deer hunting here (archery and firearms, antlerless permits allowed). Hunters checked 2,639 deer in Adair 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 areasState parks and historic sitesSugar Creek Conservation AreaCounty lineLakeHighway
| Size | 2,589 acres |
|---|---|
| County | Adair County |
| Deer harvest unit | Adair County |
| MDC lists for hunting | Deer, Turkey and Squirrel |
| MDC area number | 7307 |
| MDC region | Northeast |
| Camping (MDC) | walk-in, float-in or backpack camping (not during deer and turkey seasons) and designated camping sites |
| Shooting range (MDC) | shotgun and rifle or pistol |
| Nearest towns | Millard (3 mi), South Gifford (5 mi) and Kirksville (6 mi) |
What is Sugar Creek Conservation Area like?
Sugar Creek Conservation Area is in Adair County, four miles southwest of Kirksville. The Conservation Department acquired the original 72 acres of this area as a forest fire lookout tower site, but the tower was never built. Known then as Kirksville Woods, this small area was combined with a 2,536-acre tract, purchased in 1974, to create Sugar Creek Conservation Area.
The area is primarily forested, with a few open fields on ridges and along Sugar Creek. Both Sugar Creek and Elm Creek run through the area. Around the turn of the century, thousands of acres of the region's forests, including this area, were cleared to meet the great demand for mine props and timbers for the coal mining industry in northeast Missouri. Subsequent tree sprouting here was once contained by grazing goats, and part of the area was once known as the goat ranch. Most of the area was then allowed to revert back to trees, which accounts for the large, continuous stand of similar-age trees. Wildlife management practices include crop fields to serve as food sources for animals and harvesting timber, which provides wildlife improved forage and cover. White-tailed deer and wild turkey are abundant on the area, as are numerous songbirds and a variety of mammals.
In MDC's words, from the Sugar Creek Conservation Area page.
What can you hunt on Sugar Creek Conservation Area?
MDC's page for Sugar Creek Conservation Area lists: Deer: archery and firearms, antlerless permits allowed; Turkey: archery and firearms; Squirrel.
What are the rules on Sugar Creek Conservation Area?
Target Shooting and Shooting Ranges: An unstaffed range is located on this department area. Target shooting is not allowed anywhere on this area except for designated shooting range(s). Shooting hours are one-half hour before sunrise to one-half hour after sunset. Ranges may be closed to public use at any time for maintenance or department sponsored events or programs. Possession of alcoholic beverages is prohibited on all ranges and associated parking lots. Groups of more than 10 people must obtain a special use permit prior to using the range. To obtain a special use permit, contact the area manager at the phone number listed...
Every conservation area also follows MDC's standard rules in Chapter 11 of the Wildlife Code; the area's full rules are on MDC's site.
How many deer are taken around Sugar Creek Conservation Area?
Sugar Creek Conservation Area lies in Adair County. Hunters checked 2,639 deer in Adair County in 2025, against 2,827 in 2024.
| County | Sugar Creek Conservation Area acres in it | Deer, 2025 | Deer, 2024 | Deer, 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adair County | 2,589 | 2,639 | 2,827 | 2,823 |
Harvest for the whole county, not the conservation area alone: MDC deer harvest summaries (2021 to 2025 seasons).
How do you get to Sugar Creek Conservation Area?
MDC's directions: From Kirksville, take Highway 11 west 4 miles, then Route N south 0.25 mile to the area.
Nearest towns: Millard (3 miles), South Gifford (5 miles), Kirksville (6 miles) and La Plata (8 miles). Highways within 5 miles: US 63, MO 11, MO 3, MO 156 and MO 149.
What other public land is near Sugar Creek Conservation Area?
MDC lands within 10 miles:
- Big Creek Conservation Area: 1,055 acres, 1.8 miles away
- Rock Lake Conservation Area: 216 acres, 3.4 miles away
- Northeast Regional Office: 32 acres, 3.7 miles away
- Hidden Hollow Conservation Area: 1,332 acres, 5.8 miles away
- Montgomery Woods Conservation Area: 349 acres, 9.2 miles away
Public land within 3 miles of Sugar Creek Conservation Area
Counting Sugar Creek Conservation Area itself, 4,017 of the 39,815 acres within 3 miles of its boundary are public land open to the public (10.1%), by USGS PAD-US 4.1 and MDC conservation area boundaries.
| Manager | Acres within 3 miles |
|---|---|
| MDC conservation areas | 3,169 |
| State parks and historic sites | 848 |
Questions hunters ask
Where is Sugar Creek Conservation Area?
In Adair County, 3 miles from Millard.
Can you deer hunt on Sugar Creek Conservation Area?
Yes, by MDC's page: archery and firearms, antlerless permits allowed.
How much public land is around Sugar Creek Conservation Area?
4,017 acres within 3 miles of its boundary, Sugar Creek Conservation Area included, by USGS PAD-US 4.1 and MDC conservation area boundaries. The closest other MDC area is Big Creek Conservation Area (1.8 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, Sugar Creek 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.