Pemiscot County, Missouri: deer harvest and public hunting land
Pemiscot County covers 514 square miles around Caruthersville. Hunters checked 169 deer here in the 2025 season, 113 of them antlered bucks, by MDC's harvest summary. That is down 26% from 2024. 2.9% of Pemiscot County is public land open to the public, the largest share MDC conservation areas (9,528 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 areasCounty, city and regional landLand trusts and other open landPemiscot CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 328,680 acres (514 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Deer checked, 2025 | 169 (113 antlered bucks, 11 button bucks, 45 does) |
| Firearms and archery, 2025 | 136 by firearms, 33 by archery |
| Public land | 2.9% (9,634 acres) |
| MDC lands | 7 (9,422 acres inside Pemiscot County) |
| MRAP land | None mapped this year |
| Towns in and near it | Caruthersville, Hayti, Steele, Portageville, Rives and Holcomb |
How many deer are harvested in Pemiscot County?
Hunters checked 169 deer in Pemiscot County in 2025: 113 antlered bucks, 11 button bucks and 45 does. By method: 136 by firearms (89 of them in the November portion) and 33 by archery; the rest came on managed hunts.
| Season | Deer checked | Antlered bucks | Button bucks | Does | Firearms | November portion | Archery |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 169 | 113 | 11 | 45 | 136 | 89 | 33 |
| 2024 | 227 | 140 | 15 | 72 | 185 | 124 | 42 |
| 2023 | 220 | 129 | 18 | 73 | 178 | 107 | 42 |
| 2022 | 199 | 121 | 10 | 68 | 150 | 128 | 49 |
| 2021 | 149 | 84 | 9 | 56 | 112 | 37 |
Source: MDC deer harvest summaries (2021 to 2025 seasons), Pemiscot 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 Pemiscot County?
9,634 of Pemiscot County's 328,680 acres are public land open to the public (2.9%). The biggest share is MDC conservation areas: 9,528 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Pemiscot County |
|---|---|---|
| MDC conservation areas | 9,528 | 2.9% |
| County, city and regional land | 79 | under 0.1% |
| Land trusts and other open land | 27 | under 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 9,634 | 2.9% |
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 Pemiscot County
MDC lands in Pemiscot County, largest first, with the acres of each inside it:
- Stephen C. Bradford Unit of Black Island Conservation Area: 6,373 acres
- Gayoso Bend Unit of Black Island Conservation Area: 925 acres
- DeSoto Unit of Black Island Conservation Area: 737 acres
- Little River Conservation Area: 606 acres
- John L. and Georgia Girvin Conservation Area: 358 acres
- Wolf Bayou Unit of Black Island Conservation Area: 349 acres
- Twin Borrow Pits Conservation Area: 74 acres
How do you get to Pemiscot County?
Highways through it: I-55 (about 64 miles inside), US 61 (about 58 miles inside), US 412 (about 47 miles inside), MO 84 (about 31 miles inside) and I-155 (about 21 miles inside). Towns inside: Caruthersville, Hayti, Steele, Hayti Heights, Cooter and Wardell. Nearby: Portageville (on the line), Rives (3 miles), Holcomb (4 miles) and Gideon (4 miles).
Which counties border Pemiscot County?
Pemiscot County touches 2 other counties. Their latest MDC harvest and public land, for comparison:
| County | Deer harvested | Year | Public land | MRAP land sites |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dunklin County | 496 | 2025 | 2% | |
| New Madrid County | 323 | 2025 | 1.5% |
Questions hunters ask
How many deer were harvested in Pemiscot County in 2025?
Hunters checked 169 deer: 113 antlered bucks, 11 button bucks and 45 does (MDC). In 2024: 227.
Is there public hunting land in Pemiscot County?
Yes. 9,634 acres, 2.9% 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 (9,528 acres). MDC's map shows 7 conservation areas here.
Does Pemiscot 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.