Dallas County, Missouri: deer harvest and public hunting land
Dallas County covers 543 square miles around Buffalo. Hunters checked 2,951 deer here in the 2025 season, 1,475 of them antlered bucks, by MDC's harvest summary. That is up 9% from 2024. 3.1% of Dallas County is public land open to the public, the largest share MDC conservation areas (9,818 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 sitesOther state landCounty, city and regional landLand trusts and other open landDallas CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 347,398 acres (543 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Deer checked, 2025 | 2,951 (1,475 antlered bucks, 280 button bucks, 1,196 does) |
| Firearms and archery, 2025 | 2,351 by firearms, 582 by archery |
| Public land | 3.1% (10,648 acres) |
| MDC lands | 8 (9,756 acres inside Dallas County) |
| MRAP land | None mapped this year |
| Towns in and near it | Buffalo, Urbana, Louisburg, Conway, Fair Grove and Preston |
How many deer are harvested in Dallas County?
Hunters checked 2,951 deer in Dallas County in 2025: 1,475 antlered bucks, 280 button bucks and 1,196 does. By method: 2,351 by firearms (1,569 of them in the November portion) and 582 by archery; the rest came on managed hunts.
| Season | Deer checked | Antlered bucks | Button bucks | Does | Firearms | November portion | Archery |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2,951 | 1,475 | 280 | 1,196 | 2,351 | 1,569 | 582 |
| 2024 | 2,707 | 1,294 | 233 | 1,180 | 2,151 | 1,556 | 544 |
| 2023 | 3,442 | 1,555 | 363 | 1,524 | 2,878 | 1,929 | 564 |
| 2022 | 3,140 | 1,437 | 275 | 1,428 | 2,604 | 2,216 | 536 |
| 2021 | 3,632 | 1,809 | 342 | 1,481 | 2,950 | 680 |
Source: MDC deer harvest summaries (2021 to 2025 seasons), Dallas 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 Dallas County?
10,648 of Dallas County's 347,398 acres are public land open to the public (3.1%). The biggest share is MDC conservation areas: 9,818 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Dallas County |
|---|---|---|
| MDC conservation areas | 9,818 | 2.8% |
| State parks and historic sites | 418 | 0.1% |
| Other state land | 379 | 0.1% |
| County, city and regional land | 33 | under 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 10,648 | 3.1% |
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 Dallas County
MDC lands in Dallas County, largest first, with the acres of each inside it:
- Lead Mine Conservation Area: 7,832 acres
- Alfred Newton Gossett Conservation Area: 678 acres
- Goose Creek Conservation Area: 442 acres
- Barclay Conservation Area: 425 acres
- Bennett Spring Access: 180 acres
- Charity Access: 145 acres
- Williams Ford Access: 37 acres
- Big John Access: 17 acres
How do you get to Dallas County?
Highways through it: US 65 (about 50 miles inside), MO 64 (about 20 miles inside), MO 32 (about 19 miles inside), MO 73 (about 19 miles inside) and MO 38 (about 7 miles inside). Towns inside: Buffalo, Urbana and Louisburg. Nearby: Conway (on the line), Fair Grove (2 miles), Preston (3 miles) and Phillipsburg (3 miles).
Which counties border Dallas County?
Dallas 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% | |
| Camden County | 3,714 | 2025 | 4.4% | |
| Greene County | 2,955 | 2025 | 2.3% | |
| Hickory County | 2,578 | 2025 | 9.2% | 1 |
| Laclede County | 3,328 | 2025 | 7.3% | |
| Webster County | 2,914 | 2025 | 0.5% |
Questions hunters ask
How many deer were harvested in Dallas County in 2025?
Hunters checked 2,951 deer: 1,475 antlered bucks, 280 button bucks and 1,196 does (MDC). In 2024: 2,707.
Is there public hunting land in Dallas County?
Yes. 10,648 acres, 3.1% of the county, are public land open to the public by USGS PAD-US 4.1 and MDC conservation area boundaries, the largest share MDC conservation areas (9,818 acres). MDC's map shows 8 conservation areas here.
Does Dallas 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 Camden County Greene County Hickory County Laclede County Webster County