Maries County, Missouri: deer harvest and public hunting land
Maries County covers 530 square miles around Belle. Hunters checked 2,204 deer here in the 2025 season, 1,118 of them antlered bucks, by MDC's harvest summary. That is up 15% from 2024. 0.8% of Maries County is public land open to the public, the largest share MDC conservation areas (2,581 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 areasCounty, city and regional landLand trusts and other open landMaries CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 339,183 acres (530 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Deer checked, 2025 | 2,204 (1,118 antlered bucks, 206 button bucks, 880 does) |
| Firearms and archery, 2025 | 1,816 by firearms, 388 by archery |
| Public land | 0.8% (2,585 acres) |
| MDC lands | 6 (2,569 acres inside Maries County) |
| MRAP land | None mapped this year |
| Towns in and near it | Belle, Vienna, Argyle, Bland and Dixon |
How many deer are harvested in Maries County?
Hunters checked 2,204 deer in Maries County in 2025: 1,118 antlered bucks, 206 button bucks and 880 does. By method: 1,816 by firearms (1,144 of them in the November portion) and 388 by archery; the rest came on managed hunts.
| Season | Deer checked | Antlered bucks | Button bucks | Does | Firearms | November portion | Archery |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2,204 | 1,118 | 206 | 880 | 1,816 | 1,144 | 388 |
| 2024 | 1,910 | 924 | 184 | 802 | 1,556 | 1,023 | 354 |
| 2023 | 2,391 | 1,066 | 246 | 1,079 | 2,026 | 1,481 | 364 |
| 2022 | 2,328 | 1,001 | 256 | 1,071 | 1,975 | 1,556 | 352 |
| 2021 | 2,509 | 1,124 | 306 | 1,079 | 2,063 | 442 |
Source: MDC deer harvest summaries (2021 to 2025 seasons), Maries 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 Maries County?
2,585 of Maries County's 339,183 acres are public land open to the public (0.8%). The biggest share is MDC conservation areas: 2,581 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Maries County |
|---|---|---|
| MDC conservation areas | 2,581 | 0.8% |
| State parks and historic sites | 4 | under 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 2,585 | 0.8% |
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 Maries County
MDC lands in Maries County, largest first, with the acres of each inside it:
- Spring Creek Gap Conservation Area: 1,785 acres
- Rinquelin Trail Lake Conservation Area: 282 acres
- Clifty Creek Conservation Area: 250 acres
- Clifty Creek Natural Area: 237 acres
- Bell Chute Access: 8 acres
- Paydown Access: 7 acres
How do you get to Maries County?
Highways through it: MO 28 (about 37 miles inside), MO 42 (about 30 miles inside), US 63 (about 25 miles inside), MO 133 (about 24 miles inside) and MO 68 (about 8 miles inside). Towns inside: Belle and Vienna. Nearby: Argyle (on the line), Bland (on the line), Dixon (on the line) and Meta (on the line).
Which counties border Maries County?
Maries County touches 5 other counties. Their latest MDC harvest and public land, for comparison:
| County | Deer harvested | Year | Public land | MRAP land sites |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Osage County | 3,740 | 2025 | 1.2% | |
| Miller County | 2,850 | 2025 | 3.6% | |
| Phelps County | 2,723 | 2025 | 16% | |
| Pulaski County | 2,501 | 2025 | 11.4% | |
| Gasconade County | 4,073 | 2025 | 0.5% |
Questions hunters ask
How many deer were harvested in Maries County in 2025?
Hunters checked 2,204 deer: 1,118 antlered bucks, 206 button bucks and 880 does (MDC). In 2024: 1,910.
Is there public hunting land in Maries County?
Yes. 2,585 acres, 0.8% of the county, are public land open to the public by USGS PAD-US 4.1 and MDC conservation area boundaries, the largest share MDC conservation areas (2,581 acres). MDC's map shows 6 conservation areas here.
Does Maries 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 Osage County Miller County Phelps County Pulaski County Gasconade County