Knox County, Missouri: deer harvest and public hunting land
Knox County covers 507 square miles around Edina. Hunters checked 2,646 deer here in the 2025 season, 1,186 of them antlered bucks, by MDC's harvest summary. That is down 2% from 2024. 0.4% of Knox County is public land open to the public, the largest share MDC conservation areas (1,362 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 wildlife refugesKnox CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 324,342 acres (507 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Deer checked, 2025 | 2,646 (1,186 antlered bucks, 239 button bucks, 1,221 does) |
| Firearms and archery, 2025 | 2,087 by firearms, 559 by archery |
| Public land | 0.4% (1,364 acres) |
| MDC lands | 2 (1,361 acres inside Knox County) |
| MRAP land | None mapped this year |
| Towns in and near it | Edina, Hurdland, Newark, Rutledge, Brashear and La Belle |
How many deer are harvested in Knox County?
Hunters checked 2,646 deer in Knox County in 2025: 1,186 antlered bucks, 239 button bucks and 1,221 does. By method: 2,087 by firearms (1,303 of them in the November portion) and 559 by archery; the rest came on managed hunts.
| Season | Deer checked | Antlered bucks | Button bucks | Does | Firearms | November portion | Archery |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2,646 | 1,186 | 239 | 1,221 | 2,087 | 1,303 | 559 |
| 2024 | 2,700 | 1,200 | 268 | 1,232 | 2,211 | 1,566 | 488 |
| 2023 | 2,593 | 1,183 | 241 | 1,169 | 2,146 | 1,431 | 447 |
| 2022 | 2,445 | 1,194 | 232 | 1,019 | 1,971 | 1,562 | 474 |
| 2021 | 2,164 | 1,083 | 186 | 895 | 1,700 | 463 |
Source: MDC deer harvest summaries (2021 to 2025 seasons), Knox 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 Knox County?
1,364 of Knox County's 324,342 acres are public land open to the public (0.4%). The biggest share is MDC conservation areas: 1,362 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Knox County |
|---|---|---|
| MDC conservation areas | 1,362 | 0.4% |
| State parks and historic sites | 2 | under 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 1,364 | 0.4% |
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 Knox County
MDC lands in Knox County, largest first, with the acres of each inside it:
- Henry Sever Lake Conservation Area: 1,209 acres
- White Oak Bend Access: 152 acres
How do you get to Knox County?
Highways through it: MO 15 (about 31 miles inside), MO 6 (about 23 miles inside), MO 156 (about 22 miles inside), MO 11 (about 8 miles inside) and MO 151 (about 4 miles inside). Towns inside: Edina, Hurdland, Newark, Novelty, Knox City and Baring. Nearby: Rutledge (on the line), Brashear (2 miles), La Belle (2 miles) and Gibbs (4 miles).
Which counties border Knox County?
Knox County touches 6 other counties. Their latest MDC harvest and public land, for comparison:
| County | Deer harvested | Year | Public land | MRAP land sites |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adair County | 2,639 | 2025 | 2.9% | |
| Clark County | 2,750 | 2025 | 2.8% | |
| Lewis County | 2,407 | 2025 | 3.1% | |
| Macon County | 4,525 | 2025 | 3.4% | 6 |
| Shelby County | 2,559 | 2025 | 0.8% | |
| Scotland County | 2,640 | 2025 | 1.5% |
Questions hunters ask
How many deer were harvested in Knox County in 2025?
Hunters checked 2,646 deer: 1,186 antlered bucks, 239 button bucks and 1,221 does (MDC). In 2024: 2,700.
Is there public hunting land in Knox County?
Yes. 1,364 acres, 0.4% 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 (1,362 acres). MDC's map shows 2 conservation areas here.
Does Knox 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 Adair County Clark County Lewis County Macon County Shelby County Scotland County