St. Clair County, Missouri: deer harvest and public hunting land
St. Clair County covers 702 square miles around Roscoe. Hunters checked 3,383 deer here in the 2025 season, 1,631 of them antlered bucks, by MDC's harvest summary. That is up 2% from 2024. 11.8% of St. Clair County is public land open to the public, the largest share MDC conservation areas (28,283 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 lakesNational wildlife refugesCounty, city and regional landLand trusts and other open landSt. Clair CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 449,309 acres (702 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Deer checked, 2025 | 3,383 (1,631 antlered bucks, 297 button bucks, 1,455 does) |
| Firearms and archery, 2025 | 2,650 by firearms, 732 by archery |
| Public land | 11.8% (53,053 acres) |
| MDC lands | 15 (28,280 acres inside St. Clair County) |
| MRAP land | None mapped this year |
| Towns in and near it | Roscoe, Appleton City, Osceola, Rockville, Weaubleau and El Dorado Springs |
How many deer are harvested in St. Clair County?
Hunters checked 3,383 deer in St. Clair County in 2025: 1,631 antlered bucks, 297 button bucks and 1,455 does. By method: 2,650 by firearms (1,750 of them in the November portion) and 732 by archery; the rest came on managed hunts.
| Season | Deer checked | Antlered bucks | Button bucks | Does | Firearms | November portion | Archery |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 3,383 | 1,631 | 297 | 1,455 | 2,650 | 1,750 | 732 |
| 2024 | 3,309 | 1,658 | 275 | 1,376 | 2,592 | 1,887 | 717 |
| 2023 | 3,990 | 1,806 | 371 | 1,813 | 3,284 | 2,252 | 705 |
| 2022 | 3,762 | 1,722 | 362 | 1,678 | 3,016 | 2,540 | 743 |
| 2021 | 3,757 | 1,797 | 363 | 1,597 | 3,010 | 744 |
Source: MDC deer harvest summaries (2021 to 2025 seasons), St. Clair 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 St. Clair County?
53,053 of St. Clair County's 449,309 acres are public land open to the public (11.8%). The biggest share is MDC conservation areas: 28,283 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of St. Clair County |
|---|---|---|
| MDC conservation areas | 28,283 | 6.3% |
| Federal land, mostly Corps of Engineers lakes | 24,162 | 5.4% |
| National wildlife refuges | 584 | 0.1% |
| Land trusts and other open land | 23 | under 0.1% |
| State parks and historic sites | 1 | under 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 53,053 | 11.8% |
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 St. Clair County
MDC lands in St. Clair County, largest first, with the acres of each inside it:
- Truman Reservoir Management Lands (Sac-Osage): 6,267 acres
- Schell-Osage Conservation Area: 3,900 acres
- Truman Reservoir Management Lands (Salt Creek): 3,708 acres
- Truman Reservoir Management Lands (Weaubleau Creek): 3,138 acres
- Linscomb Wildlife Area: 2,422 acres
- Wah'Kon-Tah Prairie: 2,407 acres
- Truman Reservoir Management Lands (Gallinipper Creek): 1,892 acres
- Truman Reservoir Management Lands (Valhalla): 1,766 acres
- Taberville Prairie Conservation Area: 1,693 acres
- Birdsong Conservation Area: 422 acres
- Kings Prairie Access: 285 acres
- Blackjack Access: 209 acres
- Dave Rock Conservation Area: 130 acres
- Lichen Glade Conservation Area: 34 acres
- Taberville Access: 7 acres
Other large public areas here, by PAD-US: Harry Truman Recreation Area (40,906 acres).
How do you get to St. Clair County?
Highways through it: MO 13 (about 56 miles inside), MO 82 (about 34 miles inside), US 54 (about 14 miles inside) and MO 52 (about 5 miles inside). Towns inside: Roscoe, Appleton City, Osceola, Lowry City, Collins and Vista. Nearby: Rockville (on the line), Weaubleau (2 miles), El Dorado Springs (2 miles) and Humansville (2 miles).
Which counties border St. Clair County?
St. Clair County touches 7 other counties. Their latest MDC harvest and public land, for comparison:
| County | Deer harvested | Year | Public land | MRAP land sites |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Polk County | 3,152 | 2025 | 3.1% | |
| Bates County | 2,316 | 2025 | 1.2% | |
| Cedar County | 2,334 | 2025 | 8.9% | |
| Henry County | 3,300 | 2025 | 14.2% | |
| Benton County | 4,228 | 2025 | 12.9% | |
| Vernon County | 3,131 | 2025 | 5% | 2 |
| Hickory County | 2,578 | 2025 | 9.2% | 1 |
Questions hunters ask
How many deer were harvested in St. Clair County in 2025?
Hunters checked 3,383 deer: 1,631 antlered bucks, 297 button bucks and 1,455 does (MDC). In 2024: 3,309.
Is there public hunting land in St. Clair County?
Yes. 53,053 acres, 11.8% 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 (28,283 acres). MDC's map shows 15 conservation areas here.
Does St. Clair 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 Polk County Bates County Cedar County Henry County Benton County Vernon County Hickory County