Daviess County, Missouri: deer harvest and public hunting land
Daviess County covers 569 square miles around Gallatin. Hunters checked 2,873 deer here in the 2025 season, 1,376 of them antlered bucks, by MDC's harvest summary. That is up 1% from 2024. 0.3% of Daviess County is public land open to the public, the largest share MDC conservation areas (945 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 areasNational wildlife refugesMRAP landDaviess CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 364,153 acres (569 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Deer checked, 2025 | 2,873 (1,376 antlered bucks, 205 button bucks, 1,292 does) |
| Firearms and archery, 2025 | 2,242 by firearms, 631 by archery |
| Public land | 0.3% (1,254 acres) |
| MDC lands | 6 (941 acres inside Daviess County) |
| MRAP land | 1 site, 218 acres |
| Towns in and near it | Gallatin, Gilman City, Pattonsburg, Kidder, McFall and Brimson |
How many deer are harvested in Daviess County?
Hunters checked 2,873 deer in Daviess County in 2025: 1,376 antlered bucks, 205 button bucks and 1,292 does. By method: 2,242 by firearms (1,406 of them in the November portion) and 631 by archery; the rest came on managed hunts.
| Season | Deer checked | Antlered bucks | Button bucks | Does | Firearms | November portion | Archery |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2,873 | 1,376 | 205 | 1,292 | 2,242 | 1,406 | 631 |
| 2024 | 2,836 | 1,285 | 217 | 1,334 | 2,252 | 1,736 | 584 |
| 2023 | 3,015 | 1,368 | 255 | 1,392 | 2,455 | 1,802 | 559 |
| 2022 | 2,781 | 1,306 | 228 | 1,247 | 2,231 | 1,801 | 550 |
| 2021 | 2,711 | 1,291 | 215 | 1,205 | 2,155 | 556 |
Source: MDC deer harvest summaries (2021 to 2025 seasons), Daviess 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 Daviess County?
1,254 of Daviess County's 364,153 acres are public land open to the public (0.3%). The biggest share is MDC conservation areas: 945 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Daviess County |
|---|---|---|
| MDC conservation areas | 945 | 0.3% |
| National wildlife refuges | 307 | 0.1% |
| State parks and historic sites | 2 | under 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 1,254 | 0.3% |
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 Daviess County
MDC lands in Daviess County, largest first, with the acres of each inside it:
- Gallatin Conservation Area: 682 acres
- Jamesport Community Lake: 142 acres
- Holmes Bend Access: 83 acres
- Savage Access: 13 acres
- Wabash Crossing Access: 12 acres
- Newman Memorial Access: 9 acres
MRAP land in Daviess County
MDC's MRAP layer shows 1 tract in Daviess County open to some hunting, 218 acres of private land enrolled for public access. Each tract's map says what it allows. MDC: MRAP.
How do you get to Daviess County?
Highways through it: I-35 (about 52 miles inside), MO 13 (about 28 miles inside), MO 6 (about 28 miles inside), US 69 (about 26 miles inside) and MO 190 (about 19 miles inside). Towns inside: Gallatin, Gilman City, Pattonsburg, Jamesport, Winston and Altamont. Nearby: Kidder (on the line), McFall (on the line), Brimson (2 miles) and Breckenridge (2 miles).
Which counties border Daviess County?
Daviess County touches 6 other counties. Their latest MDC harvest and public land, for comparison:
| County | Deer harvested | Year | Public land | MRAP land sites |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DeKalb County | 1,097 | 2025 | 1.8% | 1 |
| Gentry County | 1,536 | 2025 | 0.7% | |
| Grundy County | 1,812 | 2025 | 0.8% | 1 |
| Caldwell County | 2,129 | 2025 | 0.7% | 6 |
| Harrison County | 3,220 | 2025 | 2% | |
| Livingston County | 2,120 | 2025 | 2.8% |
Questions hunters ask
How many deer were harvested in Daviess County in 2025?
Hunters checked 2,873 deer: 1,376 antlered bucks, 205 button bucks and 1,292 does (MDC). In 2024: 2,836.
Is there public hunting land in Daviess County?
Yes. 1,254 acres, 0.3% 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 (945 acres). MDC's map shows 6 conservation areas here.
Does Daviess County have MRAP land?
Yes. 1 tract open to some hunting, 218 acres, on MDC's MRAP layer.
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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 DeKalb County Gentry County Grundy County Caldwell County Harrison County Livingston County