Mercer County, Missouri: deer harvest and public hunting land
Mercer County covers 455 square miles around Princeton. Hunters checked 2,036 deer here in the 2025 season, 1,062 of them antlered bucks, by MDC's harvest summary. That is about the same as 2024. 1% of Mercer County is public land open to the public, the largest share MDC conservation areas (3,056 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 areasMercer CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 291,280 acres (455 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Deer checked, 2025 | 2,036 (1,062 antlered bucks, 115 button bucks, 859 does) |
| Firearms and archery, 2025 | 1,598 by firearms, 438 by archery |
| Public land | 1% (3,058 acres) |
| MDC lands | 5 (3,055 acres inside Mercer County) |
| MRAP land | None mapped this year |
| Towns in and near it | Princeton, Mercer, South Lineville, Cainsville, Harris and Spickard |
How many deer are harvested in Mercer County?
Hunters checked 2,036 deer in Mercer County in 2025: 1,062 antlered bucks, 115 button bucks and 859 does. By method: 1,598 by firearms (1,044 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 | 2,036 | 1,062 | 115 | 859 | 1,598 | 1,044 | 438 |
| 2024 | 2,044 | 1,071 | 109 | 864 | 1,588 | 1,120 | 456 |
| 2023 | 2,109 | 1,119 | 105 | 885 | 1,696 | 1,171 | 413 |
| 2022 | 1,989 | 1,068 | 103 | 818 | 1,490 | 1,181 | 499 |
| 2021 | 2,093 | 1,167 | 102 | 824 | 1,572 | 521 |
Source: MDC deer harvest summaries (2021 to 2025 seasons), Mercer 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 Mercer County?
3,058 of Mercer County's 291,280 acres are public land open to the public (1%). The biggest share is MDC conservation areas: 3,056 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Mercer County |
|---|---|---|
| MDC conservation areas | 3,056 | 1% |
| State parks and historic sites | 2 | under 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 3,058 | 1% |
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 Mercer County
MDC lands in Mercer County, largest first, with the acres of each inside it:
- Lake Paho Conservation Area: 2,361 acres
- Russell B., Hazel S. and Arnold L. VanDyke Conservation Area: 320 acres
- McClure Conservation Area: 240 acres
- Chloe Lowry Marsh Natural Area: 113 acres
- Peter and John Bagley Woods Conservation Area: 21 acres
How do you get to Mercer County?
Highways through it: US 136 (about 25 miles inside), US 65 (about 24 miles inside), MO 3 (about 4 miles inside) and MO 145 (about 3 miles inside). Towns inside: Princeton, Mercer, South Lineville and Ravanna. Nearby: Cainsville (on the line), Harris (on the line), Spickard (2 miles) and Mount Moriah (2 miles).
Which counties border Mercer County?
Mercer County touches 4 other counties. Their latest MDC harvest and public land, for comparison:
| County | Deer harvested | Year | Public land | MRAP land sites |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grundy County | 1,812 | 2025 | 0.8% | 1 |
| Putnam County | 2,336 | 2025 | 1.7% | |
| Harrison County | 3,220 | 2025 | 2% | |
| Sullivan County | 2,577 | 2025 | 2.5% | 1 |
Questions hunters ask
How many deer were harvested in Mercer County in 2025?
Hunters checked 2,036 deer: 1,062 antlered bucks, 115 button bucks and 859 does (MDC). In 2024: 2,044.
Is there public hunting land in Mercer County?
Yes. 3,058 acres, 1% 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 (3,056 acres). MDC's map shows 5 conservation areas here.
Does Mercer 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 Grundy County Putnam County Harrison County Sullivan County