Miller County, Missouri: deer harvest and public hunting land
Miller County covers 600 square miles around Lake Ozark. Hunters checked 2,850 deer here in the 2025 season, 1,381 of them antlered bucks, by MDC's harvest summary. That is up 24% from 2024. 3.6% of Miller County is public land open to the public, the largest share state parks and historic sites (8,358 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 areasState parks and historic sitesCounty, city and regional landMiller CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 384,054 acres (600 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Deer checked, 2025 | 2,850 (1,381 antlered bucks, 261 button bucks, 1,208 does) |
| Firearms and archery, 2025 | 2,382 by firearms, 468 by archery |
| Public land | 3.6% (13,901 acres) |
| MDC lands | 8 (5,387 acres inside Miller County) |
| MRAP land | None mapped this year |
| Towns in and near it | Lake Ozark, Eldon, St. Elizabeth, Meta, Barnett and Village of Four Seasons |
How many deer are harvested in Miller County?
Hunters checked 2,850 deer in Miller County in 2025: 1,381 antlered bucks, 261 button bucks and 1,208 does. By method: 2,382 by firearms (1,506 of them in the November portion) and 468 by archery; the rest came on managed hunts.
| Season | Deer checked | Antlered bucks | Button bucks | Does | Firearms | November portion | Archery |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2,850 | 1,381 | 261 | 1,208 | 2,382 | 1,506 | 468 |
| 2024 | 2,295 | 994 | 246 | 1,055 | 1,894 | 1,456 | 394 |
| 2023 | 3,043 | 1,254 | 344 | 1,445 | 2,611 | 1,925 | 432 |
| 2022 | 2,699 | 1,111 | 322 | 1,266 | 2,293 | 1,845 | 404 |
| 2021 | 3,277 | 1,362 | 403 | 1,512 | 2,716 | 559 |
Source: MDC deer harvest summaries (2021 to 2025 seasons), Miller 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 Miller County?
13,901 of Miller County's 384,054 acres are public land open to the public (3.6%). The biggest share is state parks and historic sites: 8,358 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Miller County |
|---|---|---|
| State parks and historic sites | 8,358 | 2.2% |
| MDC conservation areas | 5,494 | 1.4% |
| County, city and regional land | 49 | under 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 13,901 | 3.6% |
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 Miller County
MDC lands in Miller County, largest first, with the acres of each inside it:
- Saline Valley Conservation Area: 4,944 acres
- Madden Ford Access: 158 acres
- Wilson Camp Access: 155 acres
- Boeckman Bridge Access: 57 acres
- Brays Access: 29 acres
- Osage-Tavern Access: 27 acres
- Bagnell Dam Access: 10 acres
- Kings Bluff Access: 7 acres
How do you get to Miller County?
Highways through it: US 54 (about 47 miles inside), MO 52 (about 35 miles inside), MO 42 (about 30 miles inside), MO 17 (about 29 miles inside) and MO 87 (about 7 miles inside). Towns inside: Lake Ozark, Eldon, St. Elizabeth, Iberia, Brumley and Bagnell. Nearby: Meta (2 miles), Barnett (2 miles), Village of Four Seasons (2 miles) and St. Thomas (2 miles).
Which counties border Miller County?
Miller County touches 7 other counties. Their latest MDC harvest and public land, for comparison:
| County | Deer harvested | Year | Public land | MRAP land sites |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cole County | 2,029 | 2025 | 2.6% | 1 |
| Osage County | 3,740 | 2025 | 1.2% | |
| Camden County | 3,714 | 2025 | 4.4% | |
| Maries County | 2,204 | 2025 | 0.8% | |
| Morgan County | 3,962 | 2025 | 1% | |
| Pulaski County | 2,501 | 2025 | 11.4% | |
| Moniteau County | 1,822 | 2025 | 1.8% | 3 |
Questions hunters ask
How many deer were harvested in Miller County in 2025?
Hunters checked 2,850 deer: 1,381 antlered bucks, 261 button bucks and 1,208 does (MDC). In 2024: 2,295.
Is there public hunting land in Miller County?
Yes. 13,901 acres, 3.6% of the county, are public land open to the public by USGS PAD-US 4.1 and MDC conservation area boundaries, the largest share state parks and historic sites (8,358 acres). MDC's map shows 8 conservation areas here.
Does Miller County have MRAP land?
Not on MDC's MRAP layer of tracts open to hunting.
Get a Missouri hunt plan when they open
Hunt plans for Missouri are coming. Join the list and you'll hear first. The first 50 hunters in each new state get their plan free.
Until then, the free FilledTag app for iPhone has a map that works in every state, Missouri included.
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 Cole County Osage County Camden County Maries County Morgan County Pulaski County Moniteau County