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Macon County, Missouri: deer harvest and public hunting land

Macon County covers 813 square miles around Macon. Hunters checked 4,525 deer here in the 2025 season, 2,135 of them antlered bucks, by MDC's harvest summary. That is up 1% from 2024. 3.4% of Macon County is public land open to the public, the largest share MDC conservation areas (12,696 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 Macon County: public land by manager, MRAP land, the counties around it, highways US 36, US 63 and MO 3; towns: Macon, La Plata, Bevier, Jacksonville and Bucklin

MDC conservation areasFederal land, mostly Corps of Engineers lakesNational wildlife refugesCounty, city and regional landMRAP landMacon CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway

Macon County at a glance
Size520,054 acres (813 square miles)
Deer checked, 20254,525 (2,135 antlered bucks, 364 button bucks, 2,026 does)
Firearms and archery, 20253,500 by firearms, 980 by archery
Public land3.4% (17,900 acres)
MDC lands13 (12,693 acres inside Macon County)
MRAP land6 sites, 1,755 acres
Towns in and near itMacon, La Plata, Bevier, Jacksonville, Bucklin and Clarence

How many deer are harvested in Macon County?

Hunters checked 4,525 deer in Macon County in 2025: 2,135 antlered bucks, 364 button bucks and 2,026 does. By method: 3,500 by firearms (2,131 of them in the November portion) and 980 by archery; the rest came on managed hunts.

SeasonDeer checkedAntlered bucksButton bucksDoesFirearmsNovember portionArchery
20254,5252,1353642,0263,5002,131980
20244,4892,1363482,0053,6222,472840
20234,7462,2823932,0713,8852,530829
20224,6312,3214051,9053,7192,952912
20214,0982,1413111,6463,285812

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

17,900 of Macon County's 520,054 acres are public land open to the public (3.4%). The biggest share is MDC conservation areas: 12,696 acres.

ManagerAcresShare of Macon County
MDC conservation areas12,6962.4%
Federal land, mostly Corps of Engineers lakes5,1021%
County, city and regional land70under 0.1%
State parks and historic sites32under 0.1%
All public land open to the public17,9003.4%

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 Macon County

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

Other large public areas here, by PAD-US: Long Branch Recreation Area (7,606 acres).

MRAP land in Macon County

MDC's MRAP layer shows 6 tracts in Macon County open to some hunting, 1,755 acres of private land enrolled for public access. Each tract's map says what it allows. MDC: MRAP.

How do you get to Macon County?

Highways through it: US 36 (about 61 miles inside), US 63 (about 54 miles inside), MO 3 (about 33 miles inside), MO 149 (about 23 miles inside) and MO 156 (about 23 miles inside). Towns inside: Macon, La Plata, Bevier, New Cambria, Callao and Atlanta. Nearby: Jacksonville (on the line), Bucklin (2 miles), Clarence (2 miles) and Gibbs (4 miles).

Which counties border Macon County?

Macon County touches 7 other counties. Their latest MDC harvest and public land, for comparison:

CountyDeer harvestedYearPublic landMRAP land sites
Knox County2,64620250.4%
Linn County2,59020253.1%3
Adair County2,63920252.9%
Monroe County3,74920250.7%
Shelby County2,55920250.8%
Chariton County2,33120252.6%3
Randolph County2,47620252.3%

Questions hunters ask

How many deer were harvested in Macon County in 2025?

Hunters checked 4,525 deer: 2,135 antlered bucks, 364 button bucks and 2,026 does (MDC). In 2024: 4,489.

Is there public hunting land in Macon County?

Yes. 17,900 acres, 3.4% 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 (12,696 acres). MDC's map shows 13 conservation areas here.

Does Macon County have MRAP land?

Yes. 6 tracts open to some hunting, 1,755 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 Knox County Linn County Adair County Monroe County Shelby County Chariton County Randolph County