Mississippi County, Missouri: deer harvest and public hunting land
Mississippi County covers 429 square miles around Charleston. Hunters checked 282 deer here in the 2025 season, 196 of them antlered bucks, by MDC's harvest summary. That is down 17% from 2024. 2.6% of Mississippi County is public land open to the public, the largest share MDC conservation areas (6,263 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 sitesOther state landCounty, city and regional landMississippi CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 274,548 acres (429 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Deer checked, 2025 | 282 (196 antlered bucks, 10 button bucks, 76 does) |
| Firearms and archery, 2025 | 231 by firearms, 51 by archery |
| Public land | 2.6% (7,088 acres) |
| MDC lands | 5 (5,373 acres inside Mississippi County) |
| MRAP land | None mapped this year |
| Towns in and near it | Charleston, East Prairie, Wyatt, Diehlstadt, Miner and Sikeston |
How many deer are harvested in Mississippi County?
Hunters checked 282 deer in Mississippi County in 2025: 196 antlered bucks, 10 button bucks and 76 does. By method: 231 by firearms (187 of them in the November portion) and 51 by archery; the rest came on managed hunts.
| Season | Deer checked | Antlered bucks | Button bucks | Does | Firearms | November portion | Archery |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 282 | 196 | 10 | 76 | 231 | 187 | 51 |
| 2024 | 341 | 233 | 11 | 97 | 271 | 226 | 70 |
| 2023 | 299 | 201 | 19 | 79 | 245 | 200 | 54 |
| 2022 | 263 | 164 | 13 | 86 | 212 | 182 | 51 |
| 2021 | 214 | 140 | 10 | 64 | 183 | 31 |
Source: MDC deer harvest summaries (2021 to 2025 seasons), Mississippi 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 Mississippi County?
7,088 of Mississippi County's 274,548 acres are public land open to the public (2.6%). The biggest share is MDC conservation areas: 6,263 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Mississippi County |
|---|---|---|
| MDC conservation areas | 6,263 | 2.3% |
| Other state land | 567 | 0.2% |
| State parks and historic sites | 203 | 0.1% |
| County, city and regional land | 55 | under 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 7,088 | 2.6% |
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 Mississippi County
MDC lands in Mississippi County, largest first, with the acres of each inside it:
- Ten Mile Pond Conservation Area: 3,762 acres
- Seven Island Conservation Area: 1,423 acres
- Robert G. Delaney Lake Conservation Area: 165 acres
- Dorena Access: 15 acres
- Jos Hunter Moore Access: 8 acres
How do you get to Mississippi County?
Highways through it: I-57 (about 40 miles inside), MO 77 (about 39 miles inside), US 60 (about 33 miles inside), US 62 (about 22 miles inside) and MO 80 (about 19 miles inside). Towns inside: Charleston, East Prairie, Wyatt, Bertrand, Anniston and Pinhook. Nearby: Diehlstadt (on the line), Miner (2 miles), Sikeston (4 miles) and Blodgett (6 miles).
Which counties border Mississippi County?
Mississippi County touches 2 other counties. Their latest MDC harvest and public land, for comparison:
| County | Deer harvested | Year | Public land | MRAP land sites |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scott County | 900 | 2025 | 0.7% | |
| New Madrid County | 323 | 2025 | 1.5% |
Questions hunters ask
How many deer were harvested in Mississippi County in 2025?
Hunters checked 282 deer: 196 antlered bucks, 10 button bucks and 76 does (MDC). In 2024: 341.
Is there public hunting land in Mississippi County?
Yes. 7,088 acres, 2.6% of the county, are public land open to the public by USGS PAD-US 4.1 and MDC conservation area boundaries, the largest share MDC conservation areas (6,263 acres). MDC's map shows 5 conservation areas here.
Does Mississippi County have MRAP land?
Not on MDC's MRAP layer of tracts open to hunting.
Get a Missouri hunt plan when they open
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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.