Dade County, Missouri: deer harvest and public hunting land
Dade County covers 506 square miles around Greenfield. Hunters checked 1,702 deer here in the 2025 season, 860 of them antlered bucks, by MDC's harvest summary. That is up 7% from 2024. 9.4% of Dade County is public land open to the public, the largest share federal land, mostly Corps of Engineers lakes (15,584 acres), by USGS PAD-US 4.1 and MDC conservation area boundaries.
Data updated October 2026. Harvest: MDC's deer harvest summaries, 2021 to 2025. Land: PAD-US 4.1 and MDC's conservation area and MRAP layers.
MDC conservation areasFederal land, mostly Corps of Engineers lakesState parks and historic sitesLand trusts and other open landDade CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 323,949 acres (506 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Deer checked, 2025 | 1,702 (860 antlered bucks, 155 button bucks, 687 does) |
| Firearms and archery, 2025 | 1,398 by firearms, 304 by archery |
| Public land | 9.4% (30,334 acres) |
| MDC lands | 10 (14,731 acres inside Dade County) |
| MRAP land | None mapped this year |
| Towns in and near it | Greenfield, Dadeville, Lockwood, Golden City, Ash Grove and Jerico Springs |
How many deer are harvested in Dade County?
Hunters checked 1,702 deer in Dade County in 2025: 860 antlered bucks, 155 button bucks and 687 does. By method: 1,398 by firearms (1,019 of them in the November portion) and 304 by archery; the rest came on managed hunts.
| Season | Deer checked | Antlered bucks | Button bucks | Does | Firearms | November portion | Archery |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1,702 | 860 | 155 | 687 | 1,398 | 1,019 | 304 |
| 2024 | 1,593 | 799 | 152 | 642 | 1,303 | 1,041 | 290 |
| 2023 | 1,787 | 881 | 147 | 759 | 1,553 | 1,245 | 232 |
| 2022 | 2,118 | 967 | 205 | 946 | 1,779 | 1,508 | 334 |
| 2021 | 1,665 | 872 | 134 | 659 | 1,397 | 268 |
Source: MDC deer harvest summaries (2021 to 2025 seasons), Dade County, from the county tables of each season (all methods, firearms, archery and the November portion). The 2021 summary has no separate November table.
How much public land is in Dade County?
30,334 of Dade County's 323,949 acres are public land open to the public (9.4%). The biggest share is federal land, mostly Corps of Engineers lakes: 15,584 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Dade County |
|---|---|---|
| Federal land, mostly Corps of Engineers lakes | 15,584 | 4.8% |
| MDC conservation areas | 14,729 | 4.5% |
| Land trusts and other open land | 16 | under 0.1% |
| State parks and historic sites | 5 | under 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 30,334 | 9.4% |
Measured by FilledTag inside the county line from USGS PAD-US 4.1 (fee land open to the public) and MDC conservation area boundaries. Hunting rules differ by manager: MDC conservation areas allow the hunting each area's page lists; national forest is open; Corps of Engineers lake land is open to hunting in many places under each project's own rules; refuges follow U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service rules; the Ozark National Scenic Riverways allows hunting under state rules while most other national park land is closed; state parks and city and county land are closed to most hunting.
MDC lands in Dade County
MDC lands in Dade County, largest first, with the acres of each inside it:
- Stockton Lake Management Lands: 12,185 acres
- Stony Point Prairie Conservation Area: 981 acres
- Wade and June Shelton Memorial Conservation Area: 322 acres
- Niawathe Prairie Conservation Area: 316 acres
- Dr. O. E. and Eloise Sloan Conservation Area: 314 acres
- Sons Creek Conservation Area: 299 acres
- Corry Flatrocks Conservation Area: 143 acres
- Horse Creek Prairie Conservation Area: 77 acres
- Fiddlers Ford Access: 53 acres
- Indigo Prairie Conservation Area: 41 acres
Other large public areas here, by PAD-US: Stockton Recreation Area (27,736 acres).
How do you get to Dade County?
Highways through it: US 160 (about 33 miles inside), MO 97 (about 24 miles inside), MO 39 (about 17 miles inside), MO 245 (about 13 miles inside) and MO 215 (about 9 miles inside). Towns inside: Greenfield, Dadeville, Lockwood, Everton, Arcola and South Greenfield. Nearby: Golden City (on the line), Ash Grove (2 miles), Jerico Springs (3 miles) and Umber View Heights (3 miles).
Which counties border Dade County?
Dade County touches 6 other counties. Their latest MDC harvest and public land, for comparison:
| County | Deer harvested | Year | Public land | MRAP land sites |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Polk County | 3,152 | 2025 | 3.1% | |
| Cedar County | 2,334 | 2025 | 8.9% | |
| Barton County | 1,844 | 2025 | 2.9% | 1 |
| Greene County | 2,955 | 2025 | 2.3% | |
| Jasper County | 2,607 | 2025 | 0.3% | |
| Lawrence County | 2,088 | 2025 | 1.4% |
Questions hunters ask
How many deer were harvested in Dade County in 2025?
Hunters checked 1,702 deer: 860 antlered bucks, 155 button bucks and 687 does (MDC). In 2024: 1,593.
Is there public hunting land in Dade County?
Yes. 30,334 acres, 9.4% of the county, are public land open to the public by USGS PAD-US 4.1 and MDC conservation area boundaries, the largest share federal land, mostly Corps of Engineers lakes (15,584 acres). MDC's map shows 10 conservation areas here.
Does Dade County have MRAP land?
Not on MDC's MRAP layer of tracts open to hunting.
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Where these numbers come from
- Deer harvest: MDC deer harvest summaries (2021 to 2025 seasons).
- Public land: USGS PAD-US 4.1 (fee land open to the public) and MDC conservation area boundaries. conservation areas: MDC conservation area boundaries. MRAP land: MDC Missouri Recreational Access Program (MRAP) lands.
- Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau 2024 cartographic county boundaries. Highways and towns: U.S. Census Bureau TIGER/Line 2024 primary and secondary roads; U.S. Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer, places.
FilledTag is not part of the Missouri Department of Conservation. Numbers are copied from MDC and the federal sources above, or measured from their maps; nothing on this page is estimated by FilledTag.
Missouri hunting Polk County Cedar County Barton County Greene County Jasper County Lawrence County