Harrison County, Missouri: deer harvest and public hunting land
Harrison County covers 726 square miles around Bethany. Hunters checked 3,220 deer here in the 2025 season, 1,719 of them antlered bucks, by MDC's harvest summary. That is about the same as 2024. 2% of Harrison County is public land open to the public, the largest share MDC conservation areas (5,344 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 areasCounty, city and regional landLand trusts and other open landHarrison CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 464,881 acres (726 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Deer checked, 2025 | 3,220 (1,719 antlered bucks, 182 button bucks, 1,319 does) |
| Firearms and archery, 2025 | 2,457 by firearms, 763 by archery |
| Public land | 2% (9,432 acres) |
| MDC lands | 7 (5,323 acres inside Harrison County) |
| MRAP land | None mapped this year |
| Towns in and near it | Bethany, Cainsville, Ridgeway, Gilman City, Brimson and McFall |
How many deer are harvested in Harrison County?
Hunters checked 3,220 deer in Harrison County in 2025: 1,719 antlered bucks, 182 button bucks and 1,319 does. By method: 2,457 by firearms (1,641 of them in the November portion) and 763 by archery; the rest came on managed hunts.
| Season | Deer checked | Antlered bucks | Button bucks | Does | Firearms | November portion | Archery |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 3,220 | 1,719 | 182 | 1,319 | 2,457 | 1,641 | 763 |
| 2024 | 3,217 | 1,688 | 212 | 1,317 | 2,507 | 1,888 | 709 |
| 2023 | 3,623 | 1,891 | 214 | 1,518 | 2,870 | 2,120 | 753 |
| 2022 | 3,509 | 1,914 | 232 | 1,363 | 2,780 | 2,209 | 729 |
| 2021 | 3,414 | 1,942 | 190 | 1,282 | 2,705 | 708 |
Source: MDC deer harvest summaries (2021 to 2025 seasons), Harrison 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 Harrison County?
9,432 of Harrison County's 464,881 acres are public land open to the public (2%). The biggest share is MDC conservation areas: 5,344 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Harrison County |
|---|---|---|
| MDC conservation areas | 5,344 | 1.1% |
| Land trusts and other open land | 4,057 | 0.9% |
| County, city and regional land | 27 | under 0.1% |
| Other state land | 4 | under 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 9,432 | 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 Harrison County
MDC lands in Harrison County, largest first, with the acres of each inside it:
- The Wayne Helton Memorial Wildlife Area: 2,740 acres
- Grand Trace Conservation Area: 1,523 acres
- Pawnee Prairie Conservation Area: 627 acres
- Harrison County Lake: 266 acres
- Blazing Prairie Conservation Area: 75 acres
- North Bethany City Reservoir (Bethany): 74 acres
- Old Bethany City Lake (Bethany): 18 acres
How do you get to Harrison County?
Highways through it: I-35 (about 63 miles inside), US 69 (about 35 miles inside), US 136 (about 27 miles inside), MO 146 (about 18 miles inside) and MO 46 (about 15 miles inside). Towns inside: Bethany, Cainsville, Ridgeway, Mount Moriah, Eagleville and New Hampton. Nearby: Gilman City (on the line), Brimson (on the line), McFall (2 miles) and Coffey (2 miles).
Which counties border Harrison County?
Harrison County touches 5 other counties. Their latest MDC harvest and public land, for comparison:
| County | Deer harvested | Year | Public land | MRAP land sites |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Worth County | 1,096 | 2025 | 2% | |
| Gentry County | 1,536 | 2025 | 0.7% | |
| Grundy County | 1,812 | 2025 | 0.8% | 1 |
| Mercer County | 2,036 | 2025 | 1% | |
| Daviess County | 2,873 | 2025 | 0.3% | 1 |
Questions hunters ask
How many deer were harvested in Harrison County in 2025?
Hunters checked 3,220 deer: 1,719 antlered bucks, 182 button bucks and 1,319 does (MDC). In 2024: 3,217.
Is there public hunting land in Harrison County?
Yes. 9,432 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 (5,344 acres). MDC's map shows 7 conservation areas here.
Does Harrison 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 Worth County Gentry County Grundy County Mercer County Daviess County