Franklin County, Missouri: deer harvest and public hunting land
Franklin County covers 931 square miles around Washington. Hunters checked 6,751 deer here in the 2025 season, 3,185 of them antlered bucks, by MDC's harvest summary. That is up 9% from 2024. 3.1% of Franklin County is public land open to the public, the largest share MDC conservation areas (10,885 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 sitesCounty, city and regional landLand trusts and other open landFranklin CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 595,683 acres (931 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Deer checked, 2025 | 6,751 (3,185 antlered bucks, 623 button bucks, 2,943 does) |
| Firearms and archery, 2025 | 5,439 by firearms, 1,274 by archery |
| Public land | 3.1% (18,191 acres) |
| MDC lands | 20 (9,895 acres inside Franklin County) |
| MRAP land | None mapped this year |
| Towns in and near it | Washington, Union, Sullivan, West Sullivan, Lake Tekakwitha and Three Creeks |
How many deer are harvested in Franklin County?
Hunters checked 6,751 deer in Franklin County in 2025: 3,185 antlered bucks, 623 button bucks and 2,943 does. By method: 5,439 by firearms (3,601 of them in the November portion) and 1,274 by archery; the rest came on managed hunts.
| Season | Deer checked | Antlered bucks | Button bucks | Does | Firearms | November portion | Archery |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 6,751 | 3,185 | 623 | 2,943 | 5,439 | 3,601 | 1,274 |
| 2024 | 6,199 | 2,869 | 579 | 2,751 | 4,956 | 3,517 | 1,221 |
| 2023 | 7,397 | 3,312 | 657 | 3,428 | 6,142 | 4,284 | 1,206 |
| 2022 | 6,471 | 3,125 | 600 | 2,746 | 5,218 | 4,325 | 1,192 |
| 2021 | 6,601 | 3,153 | 662 | 2,786 | 5,291 | 1,306 |
Source: MDC deer harvest summaries (2021 to 2025 seasons), Franklin 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 Franklin County?
18,191 of Franklin County's 595,683 acres are public land open to the public (3.1%). The biggest share is MDC conservation areas: 10,885 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Franklin County |
|---|---|---|
| MDC conservation areas | 10,885 | 1.8% |
| State parks and historic sites | 4,470 | 0.8% |
| Land trusts and other open land | 2,429 | 0.4% |
| County, city and regional land | 407 | 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 18,191 | 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 Franklin County
MDC lands in Franklin County, largest first, with the acres of each inside it:
- Meramec Conservation Area: 3,938 acres
- Little Indian Creek Conservation Area: 2,697 acres
- Long Ridge Conservation Area: 1,867 acres
- River 'Round Conservation Area: 314 acres
- Port Hudson Lake Conservation Area: 225 acres
- Catawissa Conservation Area: 216 acres
- Noser Mill Conservation Area: 175 acres
- Engelmann Woods Natural Area: 155 acres
- Caldwell Memorial Wildlife Area: 136 acres
- Redhorse Access: 46 acres
- Sand Ford Access: 35 acres
- Chouteau Claim Access: 16 acres
- Reiker Ford Access: 14 acres
- Washington (Lion's Lake): 12 acres
- Dr. Henry A. and Amalia Uhlemeyer Access: 12 acres
- Union Access: 10 acres
- Mill Rock Access: 9 acres
- Mayers Landing Access: 7 acres
- Colter's Landing Access: 6 acres
- Wenkel Ford Access: 5 acres
How do you get to Franklin County?
Highways through it: I-44 (about 68 miles inside), US 50 (about 49 miles inside), MO 100 (about 48 miles inside), MO 185 (about 39 miles inside) and MO 47 (about 31 miles inside). Towns inside: Washington, Union, Sullivan, Pacific, St. Clair and New Haven. Nearby: West Sullivan (on the line), Lake Tekakwitha (on the line), Three Creeks (on the line) and Augusta (on the line).
Which counties border Franklin County?
Franklin County touches 7 other counties. Their latest MDC harvest and public land, for comparison:
| County | Deer harvested | Year | Public land | MRAP land sites |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Warren County | 2,787 | 2025 | 2.9% | |
| Crawford County | 3,667 | 2025 | 13.5% | |
| Gasconade County | 4,073 | 2025 | 0.5% | |
| Jefferson County | 5,173 | 2025 | 1.9% | |
| St. Louis County | 1,922 | 2025 | 9.8% | |
| Washington County | 3,425 | 2025 | 20% | |
| St. Charles County | 2,141 | 2025 | 8.3% |
Questions hunters ask
How many deer were harvested in Franklin County in 2025?
Hunters checked 6,751 deer: 3,185 antlered bucks, 623 button bucks and 2,943 does (MDC). In 2024: 6,199.
Is there public hunting land in Franklin County?
Yes. 18,191 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 (10,885 acres). MDC's map shows 20 conservation areas here.
Does Franklin 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 Warren County Crawford County Gasconade County Jefferson County St. Louis County Washington County St. Charles County