Phelps County, Missouri: deer harvest and public hunting land
Phelps County covers 674 square miles around Rolla. Hunters checked 2,723 deer here in the 2025 season, 1,403 of them antlered bucks, by MDC's harvest summary. That is up 14% from 2024. 16% of Phelps County is public land open to the public, the largest share national forest (65,051 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 sitesOther state landCounty, city and regional landLand trusts and other open landPhelps CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 431,484 acres (674 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Deer checked, 2025 | 2,723 (1,403 antlered bucks, 220 button bucks, 1,100 does) |
| Firearms and archery, 2025 | 2,221 by firearms, 502 by archery |
| Public land | 16% (69,106 acres) |
| MDC lands | 7 (3,356 acres inside Phelps County) |
| MRAP land | None mapped this year |
| Towns in and near it | Rolla, St. James, Doolittle, Dixon, Cuba and Licking |
How many deer are harvested in Phelps County?
Hunters checked 2,723 deer in Phelps County in 2025: 1,403 antlered bucks, 220 button bucks and 1,100 does. By method: 2,221 by firearms (1,560 of them in the November portion) and 502 by archery; the rest came on managed hunts.
| Season | Deer checked | Antlered bucks | Button bucks | Does | Firearms | November portion | Archery |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2,723 | 1,403 | 220 | 1,100 | 2,221 | 1,560 | 502 |
| 2024 | 2,384 | 1,135 | 215 | 1,034 | 1,908 | 1,414 | 476 |
| 2023 | 2,994 | 1,322 | 310 | 1,362 | 2,485 | 1,939 | 509 |
| 2022 | 2,538 | 1,057 | 295 | 1,186 | 2,106 | 1,755 | 430 |
| 2021 | 2,939 | 1,253 | 330 | 1,356 | 2,394 | 544 |
Source: MDC deer harvest summaries (2021 to 2025 seasons), Phelps 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 Phelps County?
69,106 of Phelps County's 431,484 acres are public land open to the public (16%). The biggest share is national forest: 65,051 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Phelps County |
|---|---|---|
| National forest | 65,051 | 15.1% |
| MDC conservation areas | 3,475 | 0.8% |
| County, city and regional land | 298 | 0.1% |
| Land trusts and other open land | 257 | 0.1% |
| Other state land | 16 | under 0.1% |
| State parks and historic sites | 9 | under 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 69,106 | 16% |
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 Phelps County
MDC lands in Phelps County, largest first, with the acres of each inside it:
- Woodson K. Woods Memorial Conservation Area: 2,303 acres
- Bohigian Conservation Area: 427 acres
- Little Prairie Conservation Area: 340 acres
- Beaver Creek Conservation Area: 147 acres
- Marguerite Bray Conservation Area: 129 acres
- Schuman Park Lake (Rolla): 5 acres
- Scioto Lake (St. James): 5 acres
Other large public areas here, by PAD-US: Mark Twain National Forest (65,055 acres).
How do you get to Phelps County?
Highways through it: I-44 (about 64 miles inside), US 63 (about 35 miles inside), MO 68 (about 21 miles inside), MO 72 (about 13 miles inside) and MO 8 (about 6 miles inside). Towns inside: Rolla, St. James, Doolittle, Newburg and Edgar Springs. Nearby: Dixon (4 miles), Cuba (6 miles), Licking (7 miles) and St. Robert (7 miles).
Which counties border Phelps County?
Phelps County touches 6 other counties. Their latest MDC harvest and public land, for comparison:
| County | Deer harvested | Year | Public land | MRAP land sites |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dent County | 2,659 | 2025 | 19.9% | |
| Texas County | 4,974 | 2025 | 9.1% | |
| Maries County | 2,204 | 2025 | 0.8% | |
| Pulaski County | 2,501 | 2025 | 11.4% | |
| Crawford County | 3,667 | 2025 | 13.5% | |
| Gasconade County | 4,073 | 2025 | 0.5% |
Questions hunters ask
How many deer were harvested in Phelps County in 2025?
Hunters checked 2,723 deer: 1,403 antlered bucks, 220 button bucks and 1,100 does (MDC). In 2024: 2,384.
Is there public hunting land in Phelps County?
Yes. 69,106 acres, 16% 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 (65,051 acres). MDC's map shows 7 conservation areas here.
Does Phelps 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 Dent County Texas County Maries County Pulaski County Crawford County Gasconade County