Platte County, Missouri: deer harvest and public hunting land
Platte County covers 427 square miles around Parkville. Hunters checked 1,153 deer here in the 2025 season, 654 of them antlered bucks, by MDC's harvest summary. That is up 5% from 2024. 2.9% of Platte County is public land open to the public, the largest share MDC conservation areas (4,495 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 areasFederal land, mostly Corps of Engineers lakesState parks and historic sitesOther state landCounty, city and regional landLand trusts and other open landPlatte CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 273,060 acres (427 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Deer checked, 2025 | 1,153 (654 antlered bucks, 62 button bucks, 437 does) |
| Firearms and archery, 2025 | 713 by firearms, 440 by archery |
| Public land | 2.9% (7,916 acres) |
| MDC lands | 10 (4,487 acres inside Platte County) |
| MRAP land | None mapped this year |
| Towns in and near it | Parkville, Riverside, Platte City, Lewis and Clark Village, Oakwood Park and Oaks |
How many deer are harvested in Platte County?
Hunters checked 1,153 deer in Platte County in 2025: 654 antlered bucks, 62 button bucks and 437 does. By method: 713 by firearms (537 of them in the November portion) and 440 by archery; the rest came on managed hunts.
| Season | Deer checked | Antlered bucks | Button bucks | Does | Firearms | November portion | Archery |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1,153 | 654 | 62 | 437 | 713 | 537 | 440 |
| 2024 | 1,102 | 602 | 74 | 426 | 684 | 558 | 416 |
| 2023 | 1,209 | 649 | 77 | 483 | 798 | 640 | 410 |
| 2022 | 1,161 | 669 | 65 | 427 | 760 | 651 | 401 |
| 2021 | 1,073 | 606 | 61 | 406 | 712 | 360 |
Source: MDC deer harvest summaries (2021 to 2025 seasons), Platte 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 Platte County?
7,916 of Platte County's 273,060 acres are public land open to the public (2.9%). The biggest share is MDC conservation areas: 4,495 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Platte County |
|---|---|---|
| MDC conservation areas | 4,495 | 1.6% |
| County, city and regional land | 2,091 | 0.8% |
| State parks and historic sites | 1,120 | 0.4% |
| Other state land | 200 | 0.1% |
| Land trusts and other open land | 10 | under 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 7,916 | 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 Platte County
MDC lands in Platte County, largest first, with the acres of each inside it:
- Platte Falls Conservation Area: 2,623 acres
- Anthony and Beatrice Kendzora Conservation Area: 655 acres
- Little Bean Marsh Conservation Area: 440 acres
- Guy B. Park Conservation Area: 374 acres
- Dr. Frederick Marshall Conservation Area: 178 acres
- Parkville (Platte Landing Park): 108 acres
- White Alloe Creek Conservation Area: 70 acres
- Humphrey Access: 16 acres
- Schimmel City Access: 14 acres
- Sharps Station Access: 9 acres
How do you get to Platte County?
Highways through it: I-29 (about 56 miles inside), US 71 (about 56 miles inside), I-435 (about 40 miles inside), MO 45 (about 39 miles inside) and MO 92 (about 20 miles inside). Towns inside: Parkville, Riverside, Platte City, Weston, Ridgely and Farley. Nearby: Lewis and Clark Village (on the line), Oakwood Park (on the line), Oaks (2 miles) and Smithville (2 miles).
Which counties border Platte County?
Platte County touches 3 other counties. Their latest MDC harvest and public land, for comparison:
| County | Deer harvested | Year | Public land | MRAP land sites |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clay County | 1,139 | 2025 | 7.2% | 1 |
| Clinton County | 1,016 | 2025 | 3.4% | |
| Buchanan County | 867 | 2025 | 2.1% |
Questions hunters ask
How many deer were harvested in Platte County in 2025?
Hunters checked 1,153 deer: 654 antlered bucks, 62 button bucks and 437 does (MDC). In 2024: 1,102.
Is there public hunting land in Platte County?
Yes. 7,916 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 (4,495 acres). MDC's map shows 10 conservation areas here.
Does Platte 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.