Stone County, Missouri: deer harvest and public hunting land
Stone County covers 511 square miles around Branson West. Hunters checked 2,137 deer here in the 2025 season, 1,130 of them antlered bucks, by MDC's harvest summary. That is up 14% from 2024. 16.5% of Stone County is public land open to the public, the largest share federal land, mostly Corps of Engineers lakes (40,641 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 forestFederal land, mostly Corps of Engineers lakesState parks and historic sitesCounty, city and regional landStone CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 326,906 acres (511 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Deer checked, 2025 | 2,137 (1,130 antlered bucks, 170 button bucks, 837 does) |
| Firearms and archery, 2025 | 1,615 by firearms, 522 by archery |
| Public land | 16.5% (54,005 acres) |
| MDC lands | 10 (2,894 acres inside Stone County) |
| MRAP land | None mapped this year |
| Towns in and near it | Branson West, Kimberling City, Indian Point, Branson, Marionville and Arrow Point |
How many deer are harvested in Stone County?
Hunters checked 2,137 deer in Stone County in 2025: 1,130 antlered bucks, 170 button bucks and 837 does. By method: 1,615 by firearms (1,031 of them in the November portion) and 522 by archery; the rest came on managed hunts.
| Season | Deer checked | Antlered bucks | Button bucks | Does | Firearms | November portion | Archery |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2,137 | 1,130 | 170 | 837 | 1,615 | 1,031 | 522 |
| 2024 | 1,878 | 894 | 151 | 833 | 1,440 | 1,082 | 437 |
| 2023 | 2,387 | 1,187 | 166 | 1,034 | 1,943 | 1,345 | 444 |
| 2022 | 1,884 | 997 | 146 | 741 | 1,532 | 1,317 | 351 |
| 2021 | 1,808 | 936 | 128 | 744 | 1,399 | 407 |
Source: MDC deer harvest summaries (2021 to 2025 seasons), Stone 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 Stone County?
54,005 of Stone County's 326,906 acres are public land open to the public (16.5%). The biggest share is federal land, mostly Corps of Engineers lakes: 40,641 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Stone County |
|---|---|---|
| Federal land, mostly Corps of Engineers lakes | 40,641 | 12.4% |
| National forest | 10,457 | 3.2% |
| MDC conservation areas | 2,904 | 0.9% |
| State parks and historic sites | 3 | under 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 54,005 | 16.5% |
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 Stone County
MDC lands in Stone County, largest first, with the acres of each inside it:
- Pilot Knob Conservation Area: 1,370 acres
- Wire Road Conservation Area: 1,013 acres
- Holland State Forest: 158 acres
- Jessie Hollow Conservation Area: 117 acres
- Hayes Spring Conservation Area: 97 acres
- H. L. Kerr Access: 50 acres
- Ruth and Paul Henning Conservation Area: 42 acres
- Ashe Juniper Natural Area: 31 acres
- Ralph Cox Memorial Access: 11 acres
- Hooten Town Access: 5 acres
Other large public areas here, by PAD-US: Table Rock Recreation Area (40,844 acres) and Mark Twain National Forest (10,457 acres).
How do you get to Stone County?
Highways through it: MO 265 (about 36 miles inside), MO 13 (about 29 miles inside), MO 413 (about 26 miles inside), MO 248 (about 24 miles inside) and MO 76 (about 23 miles inside). Towns inside: Branson West, Kimberling City, Indian Point, Crane, Reeds Spring and Blue Eye. Nearby: Branson (on the line), Marionville (on the line), Arrow Point (2 miles) and Clever (3 miles).
Which counties border Stone County?
Stone County touches 4 other counties. Their latest MDC harvest and public land, for comparison:
| County | Deer harvested | Year | Public land | MRAP land sites |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barry County | 2,538 | 2025 | 14.7% | |
| Taney County | 2,452 | 2025 | 24.7% | |
| Lawrence County | 2,088 | 2025 | 1.4% | |
| Christian County | 2,458 | 2025 | 15.5% |
Questions hunters ask
How many deer were harvested in Stone County in 2025?
Hunters checked 2,137 deer: 1,130 antlered bucks, 170 button bucks and 837 does (MDC). In 2024: 1,878.
Is there public hunting land in Stone County?
Yes. 54,005 acres, 16.5% of the county, are public land open to the public by USGS PAD-US 4.1 and MDC conservation area boundaries, the largest share federal land, mostly Corps of Engineers lakes (40,641 acres). MDC's map shows 10 conservation areas here.
Does Stone 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 Barry County Taney County Lawrence County Christian County