Iron County, Missouri: deer harvest and public hunting land
Iron County covers 552 square miles around Viburnum. Hunters checked 1,903 deer here in the 2025 season, 923 of them antlered bucks, by MDC's harvest summary. That is up 53% from 2024, and the most in the 5 years shown. 31.7% of Iron County is public land open to the public, the largest share national forest (98,606 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 forestFederal land, mostly Corps of Engineers lakesNational wildlife refugesState parks and historic sitesCounty, city and regional landLand trusts and other open landIron CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 353,287 acres (552 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Deer checked, 2025 | 1,903 (923 antlered bucks, 190 button bucks, 790 does) |
| Firearms and archery, 2025 | 1,482 by firearms, 421 by archery |
| Public land | 31.7% (111,914 acres) |
| MDC lands | 6 (8,827 acres inside Iron County) |
| MRAP land | None mapped this year |
| Towns in and near it | Viburnum, Ironton, Pilot Knob, Iron Mountain Lake, Caledonia and Bismarck |
How many deer are harvested in Iron County?
Hunters checked 1,903 deer in Iron County in 2025: 923 antlered bucks, 190 button bucks and 790 does. By method: 1,482 by firearms (1,298 of them in the November portion) and 421 by archery; the rest came on managed hunts.
| Season | Deer checked | Antlered bucks | Button bucks | Does | Firearms | November portion | Archery |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1,903 | 923 | 190 | 790 | 1,482 | 1,298 | 421 |
| 2024 | 1,240 | 619 | 141 | 480 | 957 | 832 | 283 |
| 2023 | 1,843 | 831 | 237 | 775 | 1,547 | 1,403 | 296 |
| 2022 | 1,534 | 734 | 151 | 649 | 1,239 | 1,117 | 294 |
| 2021 | 1,533 | 922 | 141 | 470 | 1,238 | 295 |
Source: MDC deer harvest summaries (2021 to 2025 seasons), Iron 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 Iron County?
111,914 of Iron County's 353,287 acres are public land open to the public (31.7%). The biggest share is national forest: 98,606 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Iron County |
|---|---|---|
| National forest | 98,606 | 27.9% |
| MDC conservation areas | 12,198 | 3.5% |
| State parks and historic sites | 965 | 0.3% |
| National wildlife refuges | 96 | under 0.1% |
| County, city and regional land | 49 | under 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 111,914 | 31.7% |
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 Iron County
MDC lands in Iron County, largest first, with the acres of each inside it:
- Buford Mountain Conservation Area: 3,928 acres
- Ketcherside Mountain Conservation Area: 3,653 acres
- Bismarck Conservation Area: 474 acres
- Riverside Conservation Area: 378 acres
- Graves Mountain Conservation Area: 212 acres
- Funk Memorial State Forest and Wildlife Area: 182 acres
Other large public areas here, by PAD-US: Mark Twain National Forest (98,606 acres).
How do you get to Iron County?
Highways through it: MO 49 (about 44 miles inside), MO 21 (about 29 miles inside), MO 32 (about 27 miles inside), MO 72 (about 21 miles inside) and MO 143 (about 5 miles inside). Towns inside: Viburnum, Ironton, Pilot Knob, Arcadia, Annapolis and Des Arc. Nearby: Iron Mountain Lake (on the line), Caledonia (2 miles), Bismarck (3 miles) and Irondale (7 miles).
Which counties border Iron County?
Iron County touches 7 other counties. Their latest MDC harvest and public land, for comparison:
| County | Deer harvested | Year | Public land | MRAP land sites |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dent County | 2,659 | 2025 | 19.9% | |
| Wayne County | 4,081 | 2025 | 26.6% | |
| Madison County | 2,892 | 2025 | 17.8% | |
| Crawford County | 3,667 | 2025 | 13.5% | |
| Reynolds County | 2,746 | 2025 | 30.7% | |
| Washington County | 3,425 | 2025 | 20% | |
| St. Francois County | 3,381 | 2025 | 4.4% |
Questions hunters ask
How many deer were harvested in Iron County in 2025?
Hunters checked 1,903 deer: 923 antlered bucks, 190 button bucks and 790 does (MDC). In 2024: 1,240.
Is there public hunting land in Iron County?
Yes. 111,914 acres, 31.7% 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 (98,606 acres). MDC's map shows 6 conservation areas here.
Does Iron 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 Dent County Wayne County Madison County Crawford County Reynolds County Washington County St. Francois County