Madison County, Missouri: deer harvest and public hunting land
Madison County covers 498 square miles around Fredericktown. Hunters checked 2,892 deer here in the 2025 season, 1,213 of them antlered bucks, by MDC's harvest summary. That is up 53% from 2024, and the most in the 5 years shown. 17.8% of Madison County is public land open to the public, the largest share national forest (53,713 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 forestCounty, city and regional landMadison CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 318,489 acres (498 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Deer checked, 2025 | 2,892 (1,213 antlered bucks, 289 button bucks, 1,390 does) |
| Firearms and archery, 2025 | 2,397 by firearms, 495 by archery |
| Public land | 17.8% (56,532 acres) |
| MDC lands | 6 (2,773 acres inside Madison County) |
| MRAP land | None mapped this year |
| Towns in and near it | Fredericktown, Junction City, Marquand, Arcadia, Ironton and Des Arc |
How many deer are harvested in Madison County?
Hunters checked 2,892 deer in Madison County in 2025: 1,213 antlered bucks, 289 button bucks and 1,390 does. By method: 2,397 by firearms (1,623 of them in the November portion) and 495 by archery; the rest came on managed hunts.
| Season | Deer checked | Antlered bucks | Button bucks | Does | Firearms | November portion | Archery |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2,892 | 1,213 | 289 | 1,390 | 2,397 | 1,623 | 495 |
| 2024 | 1,887 | 743 | 251 | 893 | 1,532 | 1,111 | 355 |
| 2023 | 2,702 | 1,034 | 318 | 1,350 | 2,352 | 1,677 | 350 |
| 2022 | 2,259 | 914 | 297 | 1,048 | 1,887 | 1,649 | 371 |
| 2021 | 2,681 | 1,238 | 324 | 1,119 | 2,247 | 434 |
Source: MDC deer harvest summaries (2021 to 2025 seasons), Madison 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 Madison County?
56,532 of Madison County's 318,489 acres are public land open to the public (17.8%). The biggest share is national forest: 53,713 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Madison County |
|---|---|---|
| National forest | 53,713 | 16.9% |
| MDC conservation areas | 2,776 | 0.9% |
| County, city and regional land | 39 | under 0.1% |
| State parks and historic sites | 4 | under 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 56,532 | 17.8% |
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 Madison County
MDC lands in Madison County, largest first, with the acres of each inside it:
- Amidon Memorial Conservation Area: 1,570 acres
- Millstream Gardens Conservation Area: 1,004 acres
- Thompson Ford Access: 90 acres
- Marquand Access: 72 acres
- Roselle Access: 24 acres
- Fredericktown City Lake: 13 acres
Other large public areas here, by PAD-US: Mark Twain National Forest (53,723 acres).
How do you get to Madison County?
Highways through it: US 67 (about 51 miles inside) and MO 72 (about 24 miles inside). Towns inside: Fredericktown, Junction City, Marquand, Cobalt, Mine La Motte and Cherokee Pass. Nearby: Arcadia (4 miles), Ironton (4 miles), Des Arc (5 miles) and Pilot Knob (6 miles).
Which counties border Madison County?
Madison County touches 5 other counties. Their latest MDC harvest and public land, for comparison:
| County | Deer harvested | Year | Public land | MRAP land sites |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Iron County | 1,903 | 2025 | 31.7% | |
| Perry County | 3,160 | 2025 | 1.1% | |
| Wayne County | 4,081 | 2025 | 26.6% | |
| Bollinger County | 3,992 | 2025 | 4.3% | |
| St. Francois County | 3,381 | 2025 | 4.4% |
Questions hunters ask
How many deer were harvested in Madison County in 2025?
Hunters checked 2,892 deer: 1,213 antlered bucks, 289 button bucks and 1,390 does (MDC). In 2024: 1,887.
Is there public hunting land in Madison County?
Yes. 56,532 acres, 17.8% 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 (53,713 acres). MDC's map shows 6 conservation areas here.
Does Madison 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 Iron County Perry County Wayne County Bollinger County St. Francois County