Sunklands Conservation Area: hunting and access
Sunklands Conservation Area is 40,675 acres of MDC land in Shannon and Texas counties, 7 miles from Summersville. MDC lists deer hunting here (archery and firearms, antlerless permits allowed). Hunters checked 3,030 deer in Shannon 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 forestNational park land (Ozark National Scenic Riverways and others)State parks and historic sitesOther state landLand trusts and other open landSunklands Conservation AreaCounty lineLakeHighway
| Size | 40,675 acres in 7 pieces |
|---|---|
| Counties | Shannon County and Texas County |
| Deer harvest unit | Shannon County, Texas County |
| MDC lists for hunting | Deer, Bear, Turkey, Rabbit, Squirrel, Dove and Quail |
| MDC area number | 9511 |
| MDC region | Ozark |
| Camping (MDC) | open camping - walk-in/float-in/backpack and designated camping sites |
| Nearest towns | Summersville (7 mi), Eminence (8 mi) and Raymondville (9 mi) |
What is Sunklands Conservation Area like?
Few regions today preserve the wild and natural beauty of the Ozarks as well as Sunklands. Sunklands Conservation Area combined the former Sunklands-Burr Oak Basin Natural Area and Skunk Pond, Hartshorn, and Shannondale conservation areas with Kerr-McGee land.
Sunklands is valuable for its array of native plant and animal species. The area is the only known habitat in Missouri for monkshood, a showy purple wildflower. Several upland ponds or sinkholes contain water and form a marshy area. The wetlands are rare and important homes to salamanders and other amphibians that require a fish-free habitat. The area is managed with a sustainable ecological approach to multiple-use management. The management goal is to improve the overall health and vigor of the forest, woodland, and glade natural communities indigenous to the landtype association. The management will guide these natural communities to more ecological and biological stable conditions that will enhance productivity and value over time. Management techniques include prescribed fire, invasive species control, planting, selective and regeneration harvests. Other areas are set aside for...
In MDC's words, from the Sunklands Conservation Area page.
What can you hunt on Sunklands Conservation Area?
MDC's page for Sunklands 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 Sunklands 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 Sunklands Conservation Area?
Sunklands Conservation Area lies in 2 counties. Hunters checked 3,030 deer in Shannon County in 2025, against 2,069 in 2024.
| County | Sunklands Conservation Area acres in it | Deer, 2025 | Deer, 2024 | Deer, 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shannon County | 38,660 | 3,030 | 2,069 | 4,146 |
| Texas County | 2,014 | 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 Sunklands Conservation Area?
MDC's directions: From Summersville, take Highway 17 west, then Route K north 8 miles, then Route KB east. Watch for an area sign at the junction of Route KB and MDC Trail 360. The area can also be accessed by driving north of Eminence on Highway 19, then County Road 19-324 west 1 mile. Watch for the area sign.
Nearest towns: Summersville (7 miles), Eminence (8 miles), Raymondville (9 miles) and Bunker (11 miles). Highways within 5 miles: MO 19.
What other public land is near Sunklands Conservation Area?
MDC lands within 10 miles:
- Angeline Conservation Area: 40,078 acres, next to it
- Cedar Grove Conservation Area: 880 acres, 4 miles away
- Gist Ranch Conservation Area: 11,206 acres, 7.5 miles away
- Midvale Conservation Area: 85 acres, 8.4 miles away
- Rocky Creek Conservation Area: 42,323 acres, 8.5 miles away
Public land within 3 miles of Sunklands Conservation Area
Counting Sunklands Conservation Area itself, 61,887 of the 164,892 acres within 3 miles of its boundary are public land open to the public (37.5%), by USGS PAD-US 4.1 and MDC conservation area boundaries.
| Manager | Acres within 3 miles |
|---|---|
| MDC conservation areas | 53,682 |
| National park land (Ozark National Scenic Riverways and others) | 7,196 |
| State parks and historic sites | 773 |
| Land trusts and other open land | 144 |
| National forest | 92 |
Questions hunters ask
Where is Sunklands Conservation Area?
In Shannon and Texas counties, 7 miles from Summersville.
Can you deer hunt on Sunklands Conservation Area?
Yes, by MDC's page: archery and firearms, antlerless permits allowed.
How much public land is around Sunklands Conservation Area?
61,887 acres within 3 miles of its boundary, Sunklands Conservation Area included, by USGS PAD-US 4.1 and MDC conservation area boundaries. The closest other MDC area is Angeline Conservation Area (next to it).
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, Sunklands 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.