Polk County, Missouri: deer harvest and public hunting land
Polk County covers 642 square miles around Bolivar. Hunters checked 3,152 deer here in the 2025 season, 1,557 of them antlered bucks, by MDC's harvest summary. That is up 7% from 2024. 3.1% of Polk County is public land open to the public, the largest share MDC conservation areas (9,080 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 lakesCounty, city and regional landPolk CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 411,150 acres (642 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Deer checked, 2025 | 3,152 (1,557 antlered bucks, 292 button bucks, 1,303 does) |
| Firearms and archery, 2025 | 2,554 by firearms, 598 by archery |
| Public land | 3.1% (12,594 acres) |
| MDC lands | 7 (9,066 acres inside Polk County) |
| MRAP land | None mapped this year |
| Towns in and near it | Bolivar, Halfway, Pleasant Hope, Walnut Grove, Louisburg and Fair Grove |
How many deer are harvested in Polk County?
Hunters checked 3,152 deer in Polk County in 2025: 1,557 antlered bucks, 292 button bucks and 1,303 does. By method: 2,554 by firearms (1,678 of them in the November portion) and 598 by archery; the rest came on managed hunts.
| Season | Deer checked | Antlered bucks | Button bucks | Does | Firearms | November portion | Archery |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 3,152 | 1,557 | 292 | 1,303 | 2,554 | 1,678 | 598 |
| 2024 | 2,959 | 1,413 | 234 | 1,312 | 2,370 | 1,705 | 588 |
| 2023 | 3,379 | 1,619 | 301 | 1,459 | 2,835 | 2,012 | 543 |
| 2022 | 3,216 | 1,598 | 244 | 1,374 | 2,642 | 2,244 | 574 |
| 2021 | 3,050 | 1,537 | 246 | 1,267 | 2,458 | 590 |
Source: MDC deer harvest summaries (2021 to 2025 seasons), Polk 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 Polk County?
12,594 of Polk County's 411,150 acres are public land open to the public (3.1%). The biggest share is MDC conservation areas: 9,080 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Polk County |
|---|---|---|
| MDC conservation areas | 9,080 | 2.2% |
| Federal land, mostly Corps of Engineers lakes | 3,420 | 0.8% |
| County, city and regional land | 94 | under 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 12,594 | 3.1% |
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 Polk County
MDC lands in Polk County, largest first, with the acres of each inside it:
- Stockton Lake Management Lands: 4,125 acres
- Pomme De Terre Lake Management Lands: 3,164 acres
- Pleasant Hope Conservation Area: 1,109 acres
- Twenty-Five Mile Prairie Conservation Area: 340 acres
- Sentinel Conservation Area: 160 acres
- Brush Creek Conservation Area: 149 acres
- Sunset Park Access: 19 acres
Other large public areas here, by PAD-US: Stockton Recreation Area (6,187 acres) and Pomme De Terre Recreation Area (4,421 acres).
How do you get to Polk County?
Highways through it: MO 13 (about 66 miles inside), MO 123 (about 31 miles inside), MO 215 (about 29 miles inside), MO 32 (about 25 miles inside) and MO 83 (about 19 miles inside). Towns inside: Bolivar, Halfway, Pleasant Hope, Humansville, Morrisville and Fair Play. Nearby: Walnut Grove (on the line), Louisburg (3 miles), Fair Grove (3 miles) and Dadeville (3 miles).
Which counties border Polk County?
Polk County touches 6 other counties. Their latest MDC harvest and public land, for comparison:
| County | Deer harvested | Year | Public land | MRAP land sites |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dade County | 1,702 | 2025 | 9.4% | |
| Cedar County | 2,334 | 2025 | 8.9% | |
| Dallas County | 2,951 | 2025 | 3.1% | |
| Greene County | 2,955 | 2025 | 2.3% | |
| Hickory County | 2,578 | 2025 | 9.2% | 1 |
| St. Clair County | 3,383 | 2025 | 11.8% |
Questions hunters ask
How many deer were harvested in Polk County in 2025?
Hunters checked 3,152 deer: 1,557 antlered bucks, 292 button bucks and 1,303 does (MDC). In 2024: 2,959.
Is there public hunting land in Polk County?
Yes. 12,594 acres, 3.1% 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 (9,080 acres). MDC's map shows 7 conservation areas here.
Does Polk 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 Dade County Cedar County Dallas County Greene County Hickory County St. Clair County