Sullivan County, Missouri: deer harvest and public hunting land
Sullivan County covers 651 square miles around Milan. Hunters checked 2,577 deer here in the 2025 season, 1,353 of them antlered bucks, by MDC's harvest summary. That is down 6% from 2024. 2.5% of Sullivan County is public land open to the public, the largest share MDC conservation areas (10,556 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 areasMRAP landSullivan CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 416,946 acres (651 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Deer checked, 2025 | 2,577 (1,353 antlered bucks, 143 button bucks, 1,081 does) |
| Firearms and archery, 2025 | 1,947 by firearms, 630 by archery |
| Public land | 2.5% (10,556 acres) |
| MDC lands | 7 (10,553 acres inside Sullivan County) |
| MRAP land | 1 site, 197 acres |
| Towns in and near it | Milan, Green City, Green Castle, Browning, Galt and Laredo |
How many deer are harvested in Sullivan County?
Hunters checked 2,577 deer in Sullivan County in 2025: 1,353 antlered bucks, 143 button bucks and 1,081 does. By method: 1,947 by firearms (1,338 of them in the November portion) and 630 by archery; the rest came on managed hunts.
| Season | Deer checked | Antlered bucks | Button bucks | Does | Firearms | November portion | Archery |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2,577 | 1,353 | 143 | 1,081 | 1,947 | 1,338 | 630 |
| 2024 | 2,737 | 1,405 | 205 | 1,127 | 2,118 | 1,537 | 619 |
| 2023 | 2,754 | 1,504 | 157 | 1,093 | 2,153 | 1,546 | 600 |
| 2022 | 2,503 | 1,365 | 126 | 1,012 | 1,948 | 1,576 | 555 |
| 2021 | 2,486 | 1,414 | 134 | 938 | 1,923 | 562 |
Source: MDC deer harvest summaries (2021 to 2025 seasons), Sullivan 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 Sullivan County?
10,556 of Sullivan County's 416,946 acres are public land open to the public (2.5%). The biggest share is MDC conservation areas: 10,556 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Sullivan County |
|---|---|---|
| MDC conservation areas | 10,556 | 2.5% |
| All public land open to the public | 10,556 | 2.5% |
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 Sullivan County
MDC lands in Sullivan County, largest first, with the acres of each inside it:
- Union Ridge Conservation Area: 5,765 acres
- Locust Creek Conservation Area: 3,742 acres
- Morris Prairie Conservation Area: 438 acres
- Dark Hollow Natural Area: 315 acres
- Elmwood Lake (Milan): 199 acres
- Sears Community Lake: 87 acres
- Rocky Ford Access: 7 acres
MRAP land in Sullivan County
MDC's MRAP layer shows 1 tract in Sullivan County open to some hunting, 197 acres of private land enrolled for public access. Each tract's map says what it allows. MDC: MRAP.
How do you get to Sullivan County?
Highways through it: MO 6 (about 33 miles inside), MO 129 (about 28 miles inside), MO 139 (about 27 miles inside) and MO 5 (about 27 miles inside). Towns inside: Milan, Green City, Green Castle, Newtown, Humphreys and Osgood. Nearby: Browning (on the line), Galt (on the line), Laredo (4 miles) and Lucerne (6 miles).
Which counties border Sullivan County?
Sullivan County touches 5 other counties. Their latest MDC harvest and public land, for comparison:
| County | Deer harvested | Year | Public land | MRAP land sites |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Linn County | 2,590 | 2025 | 3.1% | 3 |
| Adair County | 2,639 | 2025 | 2.9% | |
| Grundy County | 1,812 | 2025 | 0.8% | 1 |
| Mercer County | 2,036 | 2025 | 1% | |
| Putnam County | 2,336 | 2025 | 1.7% |
Questions hunters ask
How many deer were harvested in Sullivan County in 2025?
Hunters checked 2,577 deer: 1,353 antlered bucks, 143 button bucks and 1,081 does (MDC). In 2024: 2,737.
Is there public hunting land in Sullivan County?
Yes. 10,556 acres, 2.5% of the county, are public land open to the public by USGS PAD-US 4.1 and MDC conservation area boundaries, the largest share MDC conservation areas (10,556 acres). MDC's map shows 7 conservation areas here.
Does Sullivan County have MRAP land?
Yes. 1 tract open to some hunting, 197 acres, on MDC's MRAP layer.
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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 Linn County Adair County Grundy County Mercer County Putnam County