Vernon County, Missouri: deer harvest and public hunting land
Vernon County covers 837 square miles around Nevada. Hunters checked 3,131 deer here in the 2025 season, 1,709 of them antlered bucks, by MDC's harvest summary. That is down 2% from 2024. 5% of Vernon County is public land open to the public, the largest share MDC conservation areas (26,028 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 wildlife refugesState parks and historic sitesCounty, city and regional landLand trusts and other open landMRAP landVernon CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 535,565 acres (837 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Deer checked, 2025 | 3,131 (1,709 antlered bucks, 212 button bucks, 1,210 does) |
| Firearms and archery, 2025 | 2,417 by firearms, 714 by archery |
| Public land | 5% (26,996 acres) |
| MDC lands | 15 (25,995 acres inside Vernon County) |
| MRAP land | 2 sites, 548 acres |
| Towns in and near it | Nevada, Schell City, Sheldon, Rockville, Hume and El Dorado Springs |
How many deer are harvested in Vernon County?
Hunters checked 3,131 deer in Vernon County in 2025: 1,709 antlered bucks, 212 button bucks and 1,210 does. By method: 2,417 by firearms (1,694 of them in the November portion) and 714 by archery; the rest came on managed hunts.
| Season | Deer checked | Antlered bucks | Button bucks | Does | Firearms | November portion | Archery |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 3,131 | 1,709 | 212 | 1,210 | 2,417 | 1,694 | 714 |
| 2024 | 3,183 | 1,811 | 174 | 1,198 | 2,462 | 1,868 | 721 |
| 2023 | 3,197 | 1,569 | 236 | 1,392 | 2,619 | 1,779 | 578 |
| 2022 | 3,427 | 1,678 | 298 | 1,451 | 2,728 | 2,275 | 697 |
| 2021 | 2,978 | 1,580 | 228 | 1,170 | 2,260 | 668 |
Source: MDC deer harvest summaries (2021 to 2025 seasons), Vernon 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 Vernon County?
26,996 of Vernon County's 535,565 acres are public land open to the public (5%). The biggest share is MDC conservation areas: 26,028 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Vernon County |
|---|---|---|
| MDC conservation areas | 26,028 | 4.9% |
| Land trusts and other open land | 565 | 0.1% |
| County, city and regional land | 294 | 0.1% |
| State parks and historic sites | 109 | under 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 26,996 | 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 Vernon County
MDC lands in Vernon County, largest first, with the acres of each inside it:
- August A. Busch Jr. Memorial Wetlands at Four Rivers Conservation Area: 12,943 acres
- Schell-Osage Conservation Area: 4,753 acres
- Bushwhacker Lake Conservation Area: 4,749 acres
- Osage Prairie Conservation Area: 1,562 acres
- Clear Creek Conservation Area: 573 acres
- Douglas Branch Conservation Area: 522 acres
- Balltown Access: 180 acres
- Flight Lake Conservation Area: 160 acres
- Bristow Conservation Area: 157 acres
- Gay Feather Prairie Conservation Area: 111 acres
- Cephas Ford Access: 101 acres
- Little Osage Prairie: 80 acres
- Gama Grass Prairie Conservation Area: 78 acres
- Big Drywood Creek Conservation Area: 15 acres
- Izaac Walton Lake (Nevada): 11 acres
MRAP land in Vernon County
MDC's MRAP layer shows 2 tracts in Vernon County open to some hunting, 548 acres of private land enrolled for public access. Each tract's map says what it allows. MDC: MRAP.
How do you get to Vernon County?
Highways through it: I-49 (about 60 miles inside), US 71 (about 60 miles inside), US 54 (about 34 miles inside) and MO 43 (about 14 miles inside). Towns inside: Nevada, Schell City, Sheldon, Walker, Bronaugh and Richards. Nearby: Rockville (2 miles), Hume (2 miles), El Dorado Springs (3 miles) and Rich Hill (3 miles).
Which counties border Vernon County?
Vernon County touches 4 other counties. Their latest MDC harvest and public land, for comparison:
| County | Deer harvested | Year | Public land | MRAP land sites |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bates County | 2,316 | 2025 | 1.2% | |
| Cedar County | 2,334 | 2025 | 8.9% | |
| Barton County | 1,844 | 2025 | 2.9% | 1 |
| St. Clair County | 3,383 | 2025 | 11.8% |
Questions hunters ask
How many deer were harvested in Vernon County in 2025?
Hunters checked 3,131 deer: 1,709 antlered bucks, 212 button bucks and 1,210 does (MDC). In 2024: 3,183.
Is there public hunting land in Vernon County?
Yes. 26,996 acres, 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 (26,028 acres). MDC's map shows 15 conservation areas here.
Does Vernon County have MRAP land?
Yes. 2 tracts open to some hunting, 548 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 Bates County Cedar County Barton County St. Clair County