Moniteau County, Missouri: deer harvest and public hunting land
Moniteau County covers 419 square miles around California. Hunters checked 1,822 deer here in the 2025 season, 831 of them antlered bucks, by MDC's harvest summary. That is up 8% from 2024. 1.8% of Moniteau County is public land open to the public, the largest share MDC conservation areas (4,436 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 wildlife refugesState parks and historic sitesCounty, city and regional landLand trusts and other open landMRAP landMoniteau CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 268,088 acres (419 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Deer checked, 2025 | 1,822 (831 antlered bucks, 202 button bucks, 789 does) |
| Firearms and archery, 2025 | 1,538 by firearms, 284 by archery |
| Public land | 1.8% (4,770 acres) |
| MDC lands | 7 (4,433 acres inside Moniteau County) |
| MRAP land | 3 sites, 329 acres |
| Towns in and near it | California, Tipton, Jamestown, Huntsdale, Wooldridge and McBaine |
How many deer are harvested in Moniteau County?
Hunters checked 1,822 deer in Moniteau County in 2025: 831 antlered bucks, 202 button bucks and 789 does. By method: 1,538 by firearms (915 of them in the November portion) and 284 by archery; the rest came on managed hunts.
| Season | Deer checked | Antlered bucks | Button bucks | Does | Firearms | November portion | Archery |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1,822 | 831 | 202 | 789 | 1,538 | 915 | 284 |
| 2024 | 1,693 | 720 | 140 | 833 | 1,455 | 1,091 | 238 |
| 2023 | 1,948 | 755 | 211 | 982 | 1,728 | 1,194 | 220 |
| 2022 | 1,984 | 809 | 230 | 945 | 1,710 | 1,361 | 274 |
| 2021 | 1,807 | 770 | 194 | 843 | 1,553 | 253 |
Source: MDC deer harvest summaries (2021 to 2025 seasons), Moniteau 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 Moniteau County?
4,770 of Moniteau County's 268,088 acres are public land open to the public (1.8%). The biggest share is MDC conservation areas: 4,436 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Moniteau County |
|---|---|---|
| MDC conservation areas | 4,436 | 1.7% |
| National wildlife refuges | 261 | 0.1% |
| County, city and regional land | 73 | under 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 4,770 | 1.8% |
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 Moniteau County
MDC lands in Moniteau County, largest first, with the acres of each inside it:
- Plowboy Bend Conservation Area: 2,678 acres
- Manito Lake Conservation Area: 828 acres
- Prairie Home Conservation Area: 436 acres
- Roger V. and Viola Wachal Smith Conservation Area: 430 acres
- Marion Bottoms Conservation Area: 47 acres
- Proctor Park Lake (California): 9 acres
- Tipton Park Lake: 5 acres
Other large public areas here, by PAD-US: Big Muddy National Fish And Wildlife Refuge (261 acres).
MRAP land in Moniteau County
MDC's MRAP layer shows 3 tracts in Moniteau County open to some hunting, 329 acres of private land enrolled for public access. Each tract's map says what it allows. MDC: MRAP.
How do you get to Moniteau County?
Highways through it: MO 87 (about 33 miles inside), US 50 (about 32 miles inside), MO 179 (about 15 miles inside) and MO 5 (about 10 miles inside). Towns inside: California, Tipton, Jamestown, Clarksburg, Lupus and Latham. Nearby: Huntsdale (on the line), Wooldridge (on the line), McBaine (on the line) and Olean (on the line).
Which counties border Moniteau County?
Moniteau County touches 5 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 |
| Boone County | 3,439 | 2025 | 4.4% | |
| Cooper County | 2,320 | 2025 | 2% | |
| Miller County | 2,850 | 2025 | 3.6% | |
| Morgan County | 3,962 | 2025 | 1% |
Questions hunters ask
How many deer were harvested in Moniteau County in 2025?
Hunters checked 1,822 deer: 831 antlered bucks, 202 button bucks and 789 does (MDC). In 2024: 1,693.
Is there public hunting land in Moniteau County?
Yes. 4,770 acres, 1.8% 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 (4,436 acres). MDC's map shows 7 conservation areas here.
Does Moniteau County have MRAP land?
Yes. 3 tracts open to some hunting, 329 acres, on MDC's MRAP layer.
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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 Cole County Boone County Cooper County Miller County Morgan County