Perry County, Missouri: deer harvest and public hunting land
Perry County covers 484 square miles around Perryville. Hunters checked 3,160 deer here in the 2025 season, 1,314 of them antlered bucks, by MDC's harvest summary. That is up 13% from 2024. 1.1% of Perry County is public land open to the public, the largest share MDC conservation areas (2,339 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 refugesCounty, city and regional landPerry CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 309,894 acres (484 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Deer checked, 2025 | 3,160 (1,314 antlered bucks, 270 button bucks, 1,576 does) |
| Firearms and archery, 2025 | 2,794 by firearms, 366 by archery |
| Public land | 1.1% (3,320 acres) |
| MDC lands | 5 (2,287 acres inside Perry County) |
| MRAP land | None mapped this year |
| Towns in and near it | Perryville, Altenburg, Frohna, Old Appleton, St. Mary and Pocahontas |
How many deer are harvested in Perry County?
Hunters checked 3,160 deer in Perry County in 2025: 1,314 antlered bucks, 270 button bucks and 1,576 does. By method: 2,794 by firearms (1,879 of them in the November portion) and 366 by archery; the rest came on managed hunts.
| Season | Deer checked | Antlered bucks | Button bucks | Does | Firearms | November portion | Archery |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 3,160 | 1,314 | 270 | 1,576 | 2,794 | 1,879 | 366 |
| 2024 | 2,791 | 1,165 | 282 | 1,344 | 2,440 | 1,793 | 351 |
| 2023 | 3,366 | 1,256 | 337 | 1,773 | 3,048 | 2,131 | 318 |
| 2022 | 3,066 | 1,250 | 317 | 1,499 | 2,695 | 2,306 | 370 |
| 2021 | 2,888 | 1,222 | 293 | 1,373 | 2,532 | 355 |
Source: MDC deer harvest summaries (2021 to 2025 seasons), Perry 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 Perry County?
3,320 of Perry County's 309,894 acres are public land open to the public (1.1%). The biggest share is MDC conservation areas: 2,339 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Perry County |
|---|---|---|
| MDC conservation areas | 2,339 | 0.8% |
| National wildlife refuges | 816 | 0.3% |
| County, city and regional land | 153 | under 0.1% |
| National forest | 12 | under 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 3,320 | 1.1% |
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 Perry County
MDC lands in Perry County, largest first, with the acres of each inside it:
- Seventy-Six Conservation Area: 870 acres
- Blue Spring Branch Conservation Area: 555 acres
- Red Rock Landing Conservation Area: 542 acres
- Perry County Community Lake: 311 acres
- Legion Lake 1 (Perry County): 9 acres
Other large public areas here, by PAD-US: Middle Mississippi River National Wildlife Refuge (816 acres).
How do you get to Perry County?
Highways through it: I-55 (about 41 miles inside), MO 51 (about 25 miles inside) and US 61 (about 24 miles inside). Towns inside: Perryville, Altenburg, Frohna, Longtown, Brewer and Shakertowne. Nearby: Old Appleton (on the line), St. Mary (on the line), Pocahontas (6 miles) and Sedgewickville (6 miles).
Which counties border Perry County?
Perry County touches 5 other counties. Their latest MDC harvest and public land, for comparison:
| County | Deer harvested | Year | Public land | MRAP land sites |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Madison County | 2,892 | 2025 | 17.8% | |
| Bollinger County | 3,992 | 2025 | 4.3% | |
| St. Francois County | 3,381 | 2025 | 4.4% | |
| Cape Girardeau County | 3,186 | 2025 | 2.3% | |
| Ste. Genevieve County | 3,306 | 2025 | 5.7% |
Questions hunters ask
How many deer were harvested in Perry County in 2025?
Hunters checked 3,160 deer: 1,314 antlered bucks, 270 button bucks and 1,576 does (MDC). In 2024: 2,791.
Is there public hunting land in Perry County?
Yes. 3,320 acres, 1.1% 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 (2,339 acres). MDC's map shows 5 conservation areas here.
Does Perry 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 Madison County Bollinger County St. Francois County Cape Girardeau County Ste. Genevieve County