Monroe County, Missouri: deer harvest and public hunting land
Monroe County covers 670 square miles around Monroe City. Hunters checked 3,749 deer here in the 2025 season, 1,696 of them antlered bucks, by MDC's harvest summary. That is up 6% from 2024. 0.7% of Monroe County is public land open to the public, the largest share state parks and historic sites (2,621 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 sitesMRAP landMonroe CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 428,843 acres (670 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Deer checked, 2025 | 3,749 (1,696 antlered bucks, 341 button bucks, 1,712 does) |
| Firearms and archery, 2025 | 2,996 by firearms, 697 by archery |
| Public land | 0.7% (2,886 acres) |
| MDC lands | 6 (263 acres inside Monroe County) |
| MRAP land | None mapped this year |
| Towns in and near it | Monroe City, Paris, Stoutsville, Hunnewell, Shelbina and Perry |
How many deer are harvested in Monroe County?
Hunters checked 3,749 deer in Monroe County in 2025: 1,696 antlered bucks, 341 button bucks and 1,712 does. By method: 2,996 by firearms (1,990 of them in the November portion) and 697 by archery; the rest came on managed hunts.
| Season | Deer checked | Antlered bucks | Button bucks | Does | Firearms | November portion | Archery |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 3,749 | 1,696 | 341 | 1,712 | 2,996 | 1,990 | 697 |
| 2024 | 3,527 | 1,594 | 333 | 1,600 | 2,796 | 1,913 | 703 |
| 2023 | 3,894 | 1,575 | 385 | 1,934 | 3,324 | 2,358 | 554 |
| 2022 | 3,872 | 1,676 | 411 | 1,785 | 3,136 | 2,541 | 670 |
| 2021 | 3,539 | 1,524 | 399 | 1,616 | 2,841 | 676 |
Source: MDC deer harvest summaries (2021 to 2025 seasons), Monroe 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 Monroe County?
2,886 of Monroe County's 428,843 acres are public land open to the public (0.7%). The biggest share is state parks and historic sites: 2,621 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Monroe County |
|---|---|---|
| State parks and historic sites | 2,621 | 0.6% |
| MDC conservation areas | 265 | 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 2,886 | 0.7% |
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 Monroe County
MDC lands in Monroe County, largest first, with the acres of each inside it:
- Robert M. White II Conservation Area: 74 acres
- Ruby Clark Willingham Memorial Wildlife Area: 70 acres
- Woodlawn Access: 61 acres
- Cedar Bluff Access: 40 acres
- Paris Access: 10 acres
- Santa Fe Access: 8 acres
How do you get to Monroe County?
Highways through it: US 24 (about 37 miles inside), MO 15 (about 25 miles inside), MO 151 (about 22 miles inside), MO 154 (about 18 miles inside) and MO 107 (about 9 miles inside). Towns inside: Monroe City, Paris, Stoutsville, Madison, Holliday and Florida. Nearby: Hunnewell (on the line), Shelbina (2 miles), Perry (3 miles) and Renick (5 miles).
Which counties border Monroe County?
Monroe County touches 6 other counties. Their latest MDC harvest and public land, for comparison:
| County | Deer harvested | Year | Public land | MRAP land sites |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Macon County | 4,525 | 2025 | 3.4% | 6 |
| Ralls County | 2,742 | 2025 | 0.4% | |
| Marion County | 2,339 | 2025 | 1.6% | |
| Shelby County | 2,559 | 2025 | 0.8% | |
| Audrain County | 2,305 | 2025 | 0.6% | |
| Randolph County | 2,476 | 2025 | 2.3% |
Questions hunters ask
How many deer were harvested in Monroe County in 2025?
Hunters checked 3,749 deer: 1,696 antlered bucks, 341 button bucks and 1,712 does (MDC). In 2024: 3,527.
Is there public hunting land in Monroe County?
Yes. 2,886 acres, 0.7% 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 (2,621 acres). MDC's map shows 6 conservation areas here.
Does Monroe 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 Macon County Ralls County Marion County Shelby County Audrain County Randolph County