Putnam County, Missouri: deer harvest and public hunting land
Putnam County covers 520 square miles around Unionville. Hunters checked 2,336 deer here in the 2025 season, 1,177 of them antlered bucks, by MDC's harvest summary. That is down 5% from 2024, and the fewest in the 5 years shown. 1.7% of Putnam County is public land open to the public, the largest share MDC conservation areas (5,573 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 areasPutnam CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 332,575 acres (520 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Deer checked, 2025 | 2,336 (1,177 antlered bucks, 113 button bucks, 1,046 does) |
| Firearms and archery, 2025 | 1,656 by firearms, 680 by archery |
| Public land | 1.7% (5,573 acres) |
| MDC lands | 5 (5,568 acres inside Putnam County) |
| MRAP land | None mapped this year |
| Towns in and near it | Unionville, Powersville, Livonia, Newtown, Pollock and Glenwood |
How many deer are harvested in Putnam County?
Hunters checked 2,336 deer in Putnam County in 2025: 1,177 antlered bucks, 113 button bucks and 1,046 does. By method: 1,656 by firearms (1,119 of them in the November portion) and 680 by archery; the rest came on managed hunts.
| Season | Deer checked | Antlered bucks | Button bucks | Does | Firearms | November portion | Archery |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2,336 | 1,177 | 113 | 1,046 | 1,656 | 1,119 | 680 |
| 2024 | 2,465 | 1,238 | 171 | 1,056 | 1,839 | 1,329 | 626 |
| 2023 | 2,418 | 1,333 | 127 | 958 | 1,818 | 1,280 | 600 |
| 2022 | 2,562 | 1,348 | 151 | 1,063 | 1,896 | 1,465 | 666 |
| 2021 | 2,603 | 1,443 | 113 | 1,047 | 1,887 | 715 |
Source: MDC deer harvest summaries (2021 to 2025 seasons), Putnam 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 Putnam County?
5,573 of Putnam County's 332,575 acres are public land open to the public (1.7%). The biggest share is MDC conservation areas: 5,573 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Putnam County |
|---|---|---|
| MDC conservation areas | 5,573 | 1.7% |
| All public land open to the public | 5,573 | 1.7% |
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 Putnam County
MDC lands in Putnam County, largest first, with the acres of each inside it:
- Rebel's Cove Conservation Area: 3,017 acres
- Mineral Hills Conservation Area: 2,184 acres
- Union Ridge Conservation Area: 210 acres
- Morris Prairie Conservation Area: 83 acres
- Lake Mahoney (Unionville): 74 acres
How do you get to Putnam County?
Highways through it: US 136 (about 37 miles inside), MO 149 (about 21 miles inside), MO 129 (about 20 miles inside), MO 139 (about 18 miles inside) and MO 5 (about 17 miles inside). Towns inside: Unionville, Powersville, Livonia, Lucerne and Worthington. Nearby: Newtown (on the line), Pollock (2 miles), Glenwood (5 miles) and Queen City (5 miles).
Which counties border Putnam County?
Putnam County touches 4 other counties. Their latest MDC harvest and public land, for comparison:
| County | Deer harvested | Year | Public land | MRAP land sites |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adair County | 2,639 | 2025 | 2.9% | |
| Mercer County | 2,036 | 2025 | 1% | |
| Schuyler County | 1,512 | 2025 | 0.6% | |
| Sullivan County | 2,577 | 2025 | 2.5% | 1 |
Questions hunters ask
How many deer were harvested in Putnam County in 2025?
Hunters checked 2,336 deer: 1,177 antlered bucks, 113 button bucks and 1,046 does (MDC). In 2024: 2,465.
Is there public hunting land in Putnam County?
Yes. 5,573 acres, 1.7% 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 (5,573 acres). MDC's map shows 5 conservation areas here.
Does Putnam 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 Adair County Mercer County Schuyler County Sullivan County