Dunklin County, Missouri: deer harvest and public hunting land
Dunklin County covers 547 square miles around Malden. Hunters checked 496 deer here in the 2025 season, 252 of them antlered bucks, by MDC's harvest summary. That is up 4% from 2024. 2% of Dunklin County is public land open to the public, the largest share MDC conservation areas (6,804 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 areasState parks and historic sitesOther state landCounty, city and regional landDunklin CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 350,245 acres (547 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Deer checked, 2025 | 496 (252 antlered bucks, 32 button bucks, 212 does) |
| Firearms and archery, 2025 | 363 by firearms, 133 by archery |
| Public land | 2% (7,078 acres) |
| MDC lands | 8 (6,501 acres inside Dunklin County) |
| MRAP land | None mapped this year |
| Towns in and near it | Malden, Kennett, Senath, Bragg City, Gideon and Bernie |
How many deer are harvested in Dunklin County?
Hunters checked 496 deer in Dunklin County in 2025: 252 antlered bucks, 32 button bucks and 212 does. By method: 363 by firearms (279 of them in the November portion) and 133 by archery; the rest came on managed hunts.
| Season | Deer checked | Antlered bucks | Button bucks | Does | Firearms | November portion | Archery |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 496 | 252 | 32 | 212 | 363 | 279 | 133 |
| 2024 | 477 | 253 | 36 | 188 | 377 | 306 | 100 |
| 2023 | 540 | 297 | 34 | 209 | 422 | 354 | 118 |
| 2022 | 540 | 300 | 34 | 206 | 421 | 353 | 119 |
| 2021 | 415 | 236 | 31 | 148 | 322 | 92 |
Source: MDC deer harvest summaries (2021 to 2025 seasons), Dunklin 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 Dunklin County?
7,078 of Dunklin County's 350,245 acres are public land open to the public (2%). The biggest share is MDC conservation areas: 6,804 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Dunklin County |
|---|---|---|
| MDC conservation areas | 6,804 | 1.9% |
| State parks and historic sites | 164 | under 0.1% |
| County, city and regional land | 109 | under 0.1% |
| National wildlife refuges | 1 | under 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 7,078 | 2% |
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 Dunklin County
MDC lands in Dunklin County, largest first, with the acres of each inside it:
- Hornersville Swamp Conservation Area: 3,120 acres
- Ben Cash Memorial Conservation Area: 1,364 acres
- Wilhelmina Conservation Area: 1,308 acres
- Little River Conservation Area: 436 acres
- Frisbee Cutoff Access: 93 acres
- Warbler Woods Conservation Area: 87 acres
- Chalk Bluff Trail Access: 80 acres
- Hornersville Access: 13 acres
How do you get to Dunklin County?
Highways through it: US 412 (about 32 miles inside), MO 25 (about 32 miles inside), MO 164 (about 21 miles inside), US 62 (about 17 miles inside) and MO 53 (about 16 miles inside). Towns inside: Malden, Kennett, Senath, Campbell, Clarkton and Arbyrd. Nearby: Bragg City (3 miles), Gideon (3 miles), Bernie (3 miles) and Qulin (3 miles).
Which counties border Dunklin County?
Dunklin County touches 4 other counties. Their latest MDC harvest and public land, for comparison:
| County | Deer harvested | Year | Public land | MRAP land sites |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Butler County | 1,852 | 2025 | 13.7% | |
| Pemiscot County | 169 | 2025 | 2.9% | |
| Stoddard County | 1,935 | 2025 | 4.3% | |
| New Madrid County | 323 | 2025 | 1.5% |
Questions hunters ask
How many deer were harvested in Dunklin County in 2025?
Hunters checked 496 deer: 252 antlered bucks, 32 button bucks and 212 does (MDC). In 2024: 477.
Is there public hunting land in Dunklin County?
Yes. 7,078 acres, 2% 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 (6,804 acres). MDC's map shows 8 conservation areas here.
Does Dunklin 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 Butler County Pemiscot County Stoddard County New Madrid County