Osage County, Missouri: deer harvest and public hunting land
Osage County covers 613 square miles around Linn. Hunters checked 3,740 deer here in the 2025 season, 1,802 of them antlered bucks, by MDC's harvest summary. That is up 20% from 2024. 1.2% of Osage County is public land open to the public, the largest share MDC conservation areas (3,436 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 forestNational wildlife refugesState parks and historic sitesOther state landCounty, city and regional landOsage CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 392,592 acres (613 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Deer checked, 2025 | 3,740 (1,802 antlered bucks, 324 button bucks, 1,614 does) |
| Firearms and archery, 2025 | 3,104 by firearms, 636 by archery |
| Public land | 1.2% (4,593 acres) |
| MDC lands | 8 (3,397 acres inside Osage County) |
| MRAP land | None mapped this year |
| Towns in and near it | Linn, Freeburg, Argyle, Belle, Morrison and Bland |
How many deer are harvested in Osage County?
Hunters checked 3,740 deer in Osage County in 2025: 1,802 antlered bucks, 324 button bucks and 1,614 does. By method: 3,104 by firearms (1,830 of them in the November portion) and 636 by archery; the rest came on managed hunts.
| Season | Deer checked | Antlered bucks | Button bucks | Does | Firearms | November portion | Archery |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 3,740 | 1,802 | 324 | 1,614 | 3,104 | 1,830 | 636 |
| 2024 | 3,129 | 1,537 | 245 | 1,347 | 2,600 | 1,741 | 529 |
| 2023 | 3,966 | 1,582 | 383 | 2,001 | 3,397 | 2,308 | 569 |
| 2022 | 4,173 | 1,695 | 414 | 2,064 | 3,495 | 2,657 | 678 |
| 2021 | 4,361 | 1,770 | 433 | 2,158 | 3,632 | 726 |
Source: MDC deer harvest summaries (2021 to 2025 seasons), Osage 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 Osage County?
4,593 of Osage County's 392,592 acres are public land open to the public (1.2%). The biggest share is MDC conservation areas: 3,436 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Osage County |
|---|---|---|
| MDC conservation areas | 3,436 | 0.9% |
| National wildlife refuges | 1,157 | 0.3% |
| All public land open to the public | 4,593 | 1.2% |
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 Osage County
MDC lands in Osage County, largest first, with the acres of each inside it:
- Painted Rock Conservation Area: 1,488 acres
- Smoky Waters Conservation Area: 1,002 acres
- Ben Branch Lake Conservation Area: 574 acres
- Cooper Hill Conservation Area: 219 acres
- Dr. Bernard Bruns Access: 84 acres
- Rollins Ferry Access: 16 acres
- Pointers Creek Access: 9 acres
- Bonnots Mill Access: 5 acres
Other large public areas here, by PAD-US: Big Muddy National Fish And Wildlife Refuge (1,157 acres).
How do you get to Osage County?
Highways through it: MO 89 (about 40 miles inside), MO 100 (about 26 miles inside), US 50 (about 24 miles inside), US 63 (about 19 miles inside) and MO 133 (about 17 miles inside). Towns inside: Linn, Freeburg, Argyle, Westphalia, Chamois and Meta. Nearby: Belle (on the line), Morrison (on the line), Bland (on the line) and Mokane (on the line).
Which counties border Osage County?
Osage County touches 6 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 |
| Maries County | 2,204 | 2025 | 0.8% | |
| Miller County | 2,850 | 2025 | 3.6% | |
| Callaway County | 5,197 | 2025 | 4.4% | |
| Gasconade County | 4,073 | 2025 | 0.5% | |
| Montgomery County | 3,419 | 2025 | 1.4% |
Questions hunters ask
How many deer were harvested in Osage County in 2025?
Hunters checked 3,740 deer: 1,802 antlered bucks, 324 button bucks and 1,614 does (MDC). In 2024: 3,129.
Is there public hunting land in Osage County?
Yes. 4,593 acres, 1.2% of the county, are public land open to the public by USGS PAD-US 4.1 and MDC conservation area boundaries, the largest share MDC conservation areas (3,436 acres). MDC's map shows 8 conservation areas here.
Does Osage 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 Cole County Maries County Miller County Callaway County Gasconade County Montgomery County