Howell County, Missouri: deer harvest and public hunting land
Howell County covers 928 square miles around West Plains. Hunters checked 5,474 deer here in the 2025 season, 2,458 of them antlered bucks, by MDC's harvest summary. That is up 22% from 2024. 10% of Howell County is public land open to the public, the largest share national forest (50,944 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 forestNational park land (Ozark National Scenic Riverways and others)State parks and historic sitesCounty, city and regional landHowell CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 594,181 acres (928 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Deer checked, 2025 | 5,474 (2,458 antlered bucks, 526 button bucks, 2,490 does) |
| Firearms and archery, 2025 | 4,605 by firearms, 869 by archery |
| Public land | 10% (59,700 acres) |
| MDC lands | 8 (8,411 acres inside Howell County) |
| MRAP land | None mapped this year |
| Towns in and near it | West Plains, Mountain View, Willow Springs, Koshkonong, Bakersfield and Cabool |
How many deer are harvested in Howell County?
Hunters checked 5,474 deer in Howell County in 2025: 2,458 antlered bucks, 526 button bucks and 2,490 does. By method: 4,605 by firearms (2,961 of them in the November portion) and 869 by archery; the rest came on managed hunts.
| Season | Deer checked | Antlered bucks | Button bucks | Does | Firearms | November portion | Archery |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 5,474 | 2,458 | 526 | 2,490 | 4,605 | 2,961 | 869 |
| 2024 | 4,476 | 1,774 | 509 | 2,193 | 3,776 | 2,734 | 700 |
| 2023 | 6,346 | 2,629 | 581 | 3,136 | 5,486 | 3,749 | 858 |
| 2022 | 4,544 | 1,895 | 448 | 2,201 | 3,854 | 3,200 | 687 |
| 2021 | 4,794 | 2,152 | 509 | 2,133 | 4,019 | 771 |
Source: MDC deer harvest summaries (2021 to 2025 seasons), Howell 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 Howell County?
59,700 of Howell County's 594,181 acres are public land open to the public (10%). The biggest share is national forest: 50,944 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Howell County |
|---|---|---|
| National forest | 50,944 | 8.6% |
| MDC conservation areas | 8,533 | 1.4% |
| County, city and regional land | 218 | under 0.1% |
| Other state land | 3 | under 0.1% |
| National park land (Ozark National Scenic Riverways and others) | 2 | under 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 59,700 | 10% |
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 Howell County
MDC lands in Howell County, largest first, with the acres of each inside it:
- White Ranch Conservation Area: 6,694 acres
- Dan and Maureen Cover Prairie Conservation Area: 744 acres
- Carrick W. Davidson - Robert G. Paris Wildlife Area: 269 acres
- Tingler Prairie Conservation Area: 254 acres
- Dean Davis Conservation Area: 186 acres
- Archie and Gracie Vanderhoef Memorial State Forest: 146 acres
- Sims Valley Community Lake: 100 acres
- Ozark Regional Office: 18 acres
Other large public areas here, by PAD-US: Mark Twain National Forest (50,944 acres).
How do you get to Howell County?
Highways through it: US 63 (about 62 miles inside), MO 17 (about 60 miles inside), MO 142 (about 51 miles inside), US 60 (about 42 miles inside) and MO 14 (about 24 miles inside). Towns inside: West Plains, Mountain View, Willow Springs, Brandsville, Pomona and South Fork. Nearby: Koshkonong (on the line), Bakersfield (2 miles), Cabool (5 miles) and Thayer (7 miles).
Which counties border Howell County?
Howell County touches 5 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% | |
| Texas County | 4,974 | 2025 | 9.1% | |
| Oregon County | 4,176 | 2025 | 21.2% | |
| Douglas County | 3,695 | 2025 | 8.3% | |
| Shannon County | 3,030 | 2025 | 41.7% |
Questions hunters ask
How many deer were harvested in Howell County in 2025?
Hunters checked 5,474 deer: 2,458 antlered bucks, 526 button bucks and 2,490 does (MDC). In 2024: 4,476.
Is there public hunting land in Howell County?
Yes. 59,700 acres, 10% 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 (50,944 acres). MDC's map shows 8 conservation areas here.
Does Howell 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 Texas County Oregon County Douglas County Shannon County