Douglas County, Missouri: deer harvest and public hunting land
Douglas County covers 815 square miles around Ava. Hunters checked 3,695 deer here in the 2025 season, 1,820 of them antlered bucks, by MDC's harvest summary. That is up 21% from 2024. 8.3% of Douglas County is public land open to the public, the largest share national forest (41,081 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 forestCounty, city and regional landDouglas CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 521,354 acres (815 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Deer checked, 2025 | 3,695 (1,820 antlered bucks, 263 button bucks, 1,612 does) |
| Firearms and archery, 2025 | 3,089 by firearms, 606 by archery |
| Public land | 8.3% (43,480 acres) |
| MDC lands | 6 (2,343 acres inside Douglas County) |
| MRAP land | None mapped this year |
| Towns in and near it | Ava, Norwood, Mansfield and Cabool |
How many deer are harvested in Douglas County?
Hunters checked 3,695 deer in Douglas County in 2025: 1,820 antlered bucks, 263 button bucks and 1,612 does. By method: 3,089 by firearms (1,997 of them in the November portion) and 606 by archery; the rest came on managed hunts.
| Season | Deer checked | Antlered bucks | Button bucks | Does | Firearms | November portion | Archery |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 3,695 | 1,820 | 263 | 1,612 | 3,089 | 1,997 | 606 |
| 2024 | 3,048 | 1,373 | 272 | 1,403 | 2,589 | 1,862 | 458 |
| 2023 | 4,138 | 1,867 | 351 | 1,920 | 3,548 | 2,768 | 589 |
| 2022 | 3,349 | 1,563 | 345 | 1,441 | 2,952 | 2,527 | 394 |
| 2021 | 3,496 | 1,730 | 316 | 1,450 | 2,996 | 497 |
Source: MDC deer harvest summaries (2021 to 2025 seasons), Douglas 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 Douglas County?
43,480 of Douglas County's 521,354 acres are public land open to the public (8.3%). The biggest share is national forest: 41,081 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Douglas County |
|---|---|---|
| National forest | 41,081 | 7.9% |
| MDC conservation areas | 2,349 | 0.5% |
| County, city and regional land | 46 | under 0.1% |
| Other state land | 2 | under 0.1% |
| Land trusts and other open land | 2 | under 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 43,480 | 8.3% |
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 Douglas County
MDC lands in Douglas County, largest first, with the acres of each inside it:
- Shannon Ranch Conservation Area: 1,572 acres
- Rippee Conservation Area: 439 acres
- Richard Massengill Conservation Area: 203 acres
- Vera Cruz Access: 79 acres
- Grundy Memorial Wildlife Area: 37 acres
- Hebron Access: 13 acres
Other large public areas here, by PAD-US: Mark Twain National Forest (41,089 acres).
How do you get to Douglas County?
Highways through it: MO 76 (about 59 miles inside), MO 14 (about 58 miles inside), MO 181 (about 29 miles inside), MO 5 (about 23 miles inside) and MO 95 (about 20 miles inside). Towns inside: Ava. Nearby: Norwood (3 miles), Mansfield (3 miles), Cabool (5 miles) and Mountain Grove (5 miles).
Which counties border Douglas County?
Douglas County touches 7 other counties. Their latest MDC harvest and public land, for comparison:
| County | Deer harvested | Year | Public land | MRAP land sites |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ozark County | 2,819 | 2025 | 14.1% | |
| Taney County | 2,452 | 2025 | 24.7% | |
| Texas County | 4,974 | 2025 | 9.1% | |
| Howell County | 5,474 | 2025 | 10% | |
| Wright County | 3,625 | 2025 | 2.2% | |
| Webster County | 2,914 | 2025 | 0.5% | |
| Christian County | 2,458 | 2025 | 15.5% |
Questions hunters ask
How many deer were harvested in Douglas County in 2025?
Hunters checked 3,695 deer: 1,820 antlered bucks, 263 button bucks and 1,612 does (MDC). In 2024: 3,048.
Is there public hunting land in Douglas County?
Yes. 43,480 acres, 8.3% of the county, are public land open to the public by USGS PAD-US 4.1 and MDC conservation area boundaries, the largest share national forest (41,081 acres). MDC's map shows 6 conservation areas here.
Does Douglas 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 Ozark County Taney County Texas County Howell County Wright County Webster County Christian County