Lawrence County, Missouri: deer harvest and public hunting land
Lawrence County covers 613 square miles around Aurora. Hunters checked 2,088 deer here in the 2025 season, 1,073 of them antlered bucks, by MDC's harvest summary. That is down 3% from 2024. 1.4% of Lawrence County is public land open to the public, the largest share MDC conservation areas (4,953 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 refugesOther state landCounty, city and regional landLawrence CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 392,621 acres (613 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Deer checked, 2025 | 2,088 (1,073 antlered bucks, 171 button bucks, 844 does) |
| Firearms and archery, 2025 | 1,650 by firearms, 438 by archery |
| Public land | 1.4% (5,388 acres) |
| MDC lands | 5 (4,950 acres inside Lawrence County) |
| MRAP land | None mapped this year |
| Towns in and near it | Aurora, Mount Vernon, Marionville, La Russell, Monett and Wentworth |
How many deer are harvested in Lawrence County?
Hunters checked 2,088 deer in Lawrence County in 2025: 1,073 antlered bucks, 171 button bucks and 844 does. By method: 1,650 by firearms (1,213 of them in the November portion) and 438 by archery; the rest came on managed hunts.
| Season | Deer checked | Antlered bucks | Button bucks | Does | Firearms | November portion | Archery |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2,088 | 1,073 | 171 | 844 | 1,650 | 1,213 | 438 |
| 2024 | 2,161 | 1,111 | 156 | 894 | 1,708 | 1,393 | 453 |
| 2023 | 2,116 | 1,094 | 151 | 871 | 1,726 | 1,424 | 390 |
| 2022 | 2,371 | 1,210 | 194 | 967 | 1,936 | 1,650 | 424 |
| 2021 | 1,919 | 1,051 | 180 | 688 | 1,514 | 398 |
Source: MDC deer harvest summaries (2021 to 2025 seasons), Lawrence 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 Lawrence County?
5,388 of Lawrence County's 392,621 acres are public land open to the public (1.4%). The biggest share is MDC conservation areas: 4,953 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Lawrence County |
|---|---|---|
| MDC conservation areas | 4,953 | 1.3% |
| County, city and regional land | 274 | 0.1% |
| Other state land | 120 | under 0.1% |
| National wildlife refuges | 40 | under 0.1% |
| Land trusts and other open land | 1 | under 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 5,388 | 1.4% |
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 Lawrence County
MDC lands in Lawrence County, largest first, with the acres of each inside it:
- Robert E. Talbot Conservation Area: 4,353 acres
- Paris Springs Access: 210 acres
- Providence Prairie Conservation Area: 190 acres
- Kickapoo Prairie Conservation Area: 157 acres
- Mount Vernon Prairie: 40 acres
How do you get to Lawrence County?
Highways through it: I-44 (about 54 miles inside), MO 39 (about 30 miles inside), MO 97 (about 28 miles inside), MO 96 (about 23 miles inside) and MO 265 (about 20 miles inside). Towns inside: Aurora, Mount Vernon, Marionville, Pierce City, Verona and Miller. Nearby: La Russell (on the line), Monett (on the line), Wentworth (on the line) and Crane (3 miles).
Which counties border Lawrence County?
Lawrence County touches 7 other counties. Their latest MDC harvest and public land, for comparison:
| County | Deer harvested | Year | Public land | MRAP land sites |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dade County | 1,702 | 2025 | 9.4% | |
| Barry County | 2,538 | 2025 | 14.7% | |
| Stone County | 2,137 | 2025 | 16.5% | |
| Greene County | 2,955 | 2025 | 2.3% | |
| Jasper County | 2,607 | 2025 | 0.3% | |
| Newton County | 2,890 | 2025 | 1.4% | |
| Christian County | 2,458 | 2025 | 15.5% |
Questions hunters ask
How many deer were harvested in Lawrence County in 2025?
Hunters checked 2,088 deer: 1,073 antlered bucks, 171 button bucks and 844 does (MDC). In 2024: 2,161.
Is there public hunting land in Lawrence County?
Yes. 5,388 acres, 1.4% 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 (4,953 acres). MDC's map shows 5 conservation areas here.
Does Lawrence 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 Dade County Barry County Stone County Greene County Jasper County Newton County Christian County