Oregon County, Missouri: deer harvest and public hunting land
Oregon County covers 792 square miles around Thayer. Hunters checked 4,176 deer here in the 2025 season, 1,740 of them antlered bucks, by MDC's harvest summary. That is up 24% from 2024. 21.2% of Oregon County is public land open to the public, the largest share national forest (106,369 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 forestState parks and historic sitesLand trusts and other open landOregon CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 506,682 acres (792 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Deer checked, 2025 | 4,176 (1,740 antlered bucks, 374 button bucks, 2,062 does) |
| Firearms and archery, 2025 | 3,446 by firearms, 730 by archery |
| Public land | 21.2% (107,171 acres) |
| MDC lands | 4 (500 acres inside Oregon County) |
| MRAP land | None mapped this year |
| Towns in and near it | Thayer, Alton, Koshkonong, Brandsville, Birch Tree and Mountain View |
How many deer are harvested in Oregon County?
Hunters checked 4,176 deer in Oregon County in 2025: 1,740 antlered bucks, 374 button bucks and 2,062 does. By method: 3,446 by firearms (2,341 of them in the November portion) and 730 by archery; the rest came on managed hunts.
| Season | Deer checked | Antlered bucks | Button bucks | Does | Firearms | November portion | Archery |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 4,176 | 1,740 | 374 | 2,062 | 3,446 | 2,341 | 730 |
| 2024 | 3,376 | 1,408 | 357 | 1,611 | 2,777 | 2,063 | 599 |
| 2023 | 4,621 | 1,769 | 464 | 2,388 | 3,969 | 2,647 | 651 |
| 2022 | 3,643 | 1,372 | 426 | 1,845 | 3,048 | 2,565 | 595 |
| 2021 | 3,905 | 1,722 | 373 | 1,810 | 3,211 | 687 |
Source: MDC deer harvest summaries (2021 to 2025 seasons), Oregon 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 Oregon County?
107,171 of Oregon County's 506,682 acres are public land open to the public (21.2%). The biggest share is national forest: 106,369 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Oregon County |
|---|---|---|
| National forest | 106,369 | 21% |
| MDC conservation areas | 511 | 0.1% |
| State parks and historic sites | 263 | 0.1% |
| Land trusts and other open land | 18 | under 0.1% |
| County, city and regional land | 10 | under 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 107,171 | 21.2% |
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 Oregon County
MDC lands in Oregon County, largest first, with the acres of each inside it:
- Dan and Maureen Cover Memorial Wildlife Area: 294 acres
- Warm Fork Conservation Area: 162 acres
- Myrtle Access: 35 acres
- George and Vida Martin Access: 9 acres
Other large public areas here, by PAD-US: Mark Twain National Forest (105,458 acres) and Mark Twain Purchase Unit (910 acres).
How do you get to Oregon County?
Highways through it: US 160 (about 40 miles inside), MO 142 (about 37 miles inside), MO 19 (about 35 miles inside), US 63 (about 16 miles inside) and MO 99 (about 9 miles inside). Towns inside: Thayer, Alton, Koshkonong and Thomasville. Nearby: Brandsville (on the line), Birch Tree (8 miles), Mountain View (8 miles) and Winona (8 miles).
Which counties border Oregon County?
Oregon County touches 4 other counties. Their latest MDC harvest and public land, for comparison:
| County | Deer harvested | Year | Public land | MRAP land sites |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carter County | 2,210 | 2025 | 41.7% | |
| Howell County | 5,474 | 2025 | 10% | |
| Ripley County | 3,088 | 2025 | 27.2% | |
| Shannon County | 3,030 | 2025 | 41.7% |
Questions hunters ask
How many deer were harvested in Oregon County in 2025?
Hunters checked 4,176 deer: 1,740 antlered bucks, 374 button bucks and 2,062 does (MDC). In 2024: 3,376.
Is there public hunting land in Oregon County?
Yes. 107,171 acres, 21.2% of the county, are public land open to the public by USGS PAD-US 4.1 and MDC conservation area boundaries, the largest share national forest (106,369 acres). MDC's map shows 4 conservation areas here.
Does Oregon 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 Carter County Howell County Ripley County Shannon County