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Hickory County, Missouri: deer harvest and public hunting land

Hickory County covers 412 square miles around Hermitage. Hunters checked 2,578 deer here in the 2025 season, 1,160 of them antlered bucks, by MDC's harvest summary. That is up 5% from 2024. 9.2% of Hickory County is public land open to the public, the largest share federal land, mostly Corps of Engineers lakes (14,122 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.

Map of Missouri's Hickory County: public land by manager, MRAP land, the counties around it, highways US 54, MO 83 and US 65; towns: Hermitage, Wheatland, Weaubleau, Flemington and Urbana

MDC conservation areasFederal land, mostly Corps of Engineers lakesMRAP landHickory CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway

Hickory County at a glance
Size263,538 acres (412 square miles)
Deer checked, 20252,578 (1,160 antlered bucks, 269 button bucks, 1,149 does)
Firearms and archery, 20252,085 by firearms, 493 by archery
Public land9.2% (24,207 acres)
MDC lands5 (10,076 acres inside Hickory County)
MRAP land1 site, 958 acres
Towns in and near itHermitage, Wheatland, Weaubleau, Flemington, Urbana and Humansville

How many deer are harvested in Hickory County?

Hunters checked 2,578 deer in Hickory County in 2025: 1,160 antlered bucks, 269 button bucks and 1,149 does. By method: 2,085 by firearms (1,370 of them in the November portion) and 493 by archery; the rest came on managed hunts.

SeasonDeer checkedAntlered bucksButton bucksDoesFirearmsNovember portionArchery
20252,5781,1602691,1492,0851,370493
20242,4561,0972401,1191,9511,464489
20232,9261,3332881,3052,4801,723434
20222,4511,0932631,0951,9991,624451
20212,7321,2732901,1692,181531

Source: MDC deer harvest summaries (2021 to 2025 seasons), Hickory 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 Hickory County?

24,207 of Hickory County's 263,538 acres are public land open to the public (9.2%). The biggest share is federal land, mostly Corps of Engineers lakes: 14,122 acres.

ManagerAcresShare of Hickory County
Federal land, mostly Corps of Engineers lakes14,1225.4%
MDC conservation areas10,0783.8%
State parks and historic sites7under 0.1%
All public land open to the public24,2079.2%

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 Hickory County

MDC lands in Hickory County, largest first, with the acres of each inside it:

Other large public areas here, by PAD-US: Pomme De Terre Recreation Area (13,939 acres) and Harry Truman Recreation Area (6,787 acres).

MRAP land in Hickory County

MDC's MRAP layer shows 1 tract in Hickory County open to some hunting, 958 acres of private land enrolled for public access. Each tract's map says what it allows. MDC: MRAP.

How do you get to Hickory County?

Highways through it: US 54 (about 30 miles inside), MO 83 (about 23 miles inside), US 65 (about 14 miles inside), MO 254 (about 10 miles inside) and MO 64 (about 9 miles inside). Towns inside: Hermitage, Wheatland, Weaubleau, Preston and Cross Timbers. Nearby: Flemington (on the line), Urbana (on the line), Humansville (on the line) and Collins (3 miles).

Which counties border Hickory County?

Hickory County touches 5 other counties. Their latest MDC harvest and public land, for comparison:

CountyDeer harvestedYearPublic landMRAP land sites
Polk County3,15220253.1%
Benton County4,228202512.9%
Camden County3,71420254.4%
Dallas County2,95120253.1%
St. Clair County3,383202511.8%

Questions hunters ask

How many deer were harvested in Hickory County in 2025?

Hunters checked 2,578 deer: 1,160 antlered bucks, 269 button bucks and 1,149 does (MDC). In 2024: 2,456.

Is there public hunting land in Hickory County?

Yes. 24,207 acres, 9.2% of the county, are public land open to the public by USGS PAD-US 4.1 and MDC conservation area boundaries, the largest share federal land, mostly Corps of Engineers lakes (14,122 acres). MDC's map shows 5 conservation areas here.

Does Hickory County have MRAP land?

Yes. 1 tract open to some hunting, 958 acres, on MDC's MRAP layer.

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Where these numbers come from

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 Polk County Benton County Camden County Dallas County St. Clair County