Washington County, Missouri: deer harvest and public hunting land
Washington County covers 762 square miles around Potosi. Hunters checked 3,425 deer here in the 2025 season, 1,569 of them antlered bucks, by MDC's harvest summary. That is up 38% from 2024. 20% of Washington County is public land open to the public, the largest share national forest (83,154 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 forestState parks and historic sitesCounty, city and regional landWashington CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 487,958 acres (762 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Deer checked, 2025 | 3,425 (1,569 antlered bucks, 380 button bucks, 1,476 does) |
| Firearms and archery, 2025 | 2,774 by firearms, 651 by archery |
| Public land | 20% (97,829 acres) |
| MDC lands | 7 (11,187 acres inside Washington County) |
| MRAP land | None mapped this year |
| Towns in and near it | Potosi, Irondale, Mineral Point, Bismarck, Viburnum and Miramiguoa Park |
How many deer are harvested in Washington County?
Hunters checked 3,425 deer in Washington County in 2025: 1,569 antlered bucks, 380 button bucks and 1,476 does. By method: 2,774 by firearms (1,975 of them in the November portion) and 651 by archery; the rest came on managed hunts.
| Season | Deer checked | Antlered bucks | Button bucks | Does | Firearms | November portion | Archery |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 3,425 | 1,569 | 380 | 1,476 | 2,774 | 1,975 | 651 |
| 2024 | 2,485 | 1,123 | 271 | 1,091 | 1,973 | 1,423 | 512 |
| 2023 | 4,106 | 1,564 | 493 | 2,049 | 3,471 | 2,380 | 634 |
| 2022 | 2,991 | 1,308 | 367 | 1,316 | 2,422 | 2,144 | 566 |
| 2021 | 3,569 | 1,626 | 457 | 1,486 | 2,906 | 662 |
Source: MDC deer harvest summaries (2021 to 2025 seasons), Washington 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 Washington County?
97,829 of Washington County's 487,958 acres are public land open to the public (20%). The biggest share is national forest: 83,154 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Washington County |
|---|---|---|
| National forest | 83,154 | 17% |
| MDC conservation areas | 11,348 | 2.3% |
| State parks and historic sites | 3,323 | 0.7% |
| County, city and regional land | 4 | under 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 97,829 | 20% |
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 Washington County
MDC lands in Washington County, largest first, with the acres of each inside it:
- Pea Ridge Conservation Area: 8,757 acres
- Little Indian Creek Conservation Area: 1,455 acres
- Hughes Mountain Natural Area: 460 acres
- Bootleg Access: 289 acres
- Buford Mountain Conservation Area: 130 acres
- Kingston Access: 56 acres
- Bismarck Conservation Area: 40 acres
Other large public areas here, by PAD-US: Mark Twain National Forest (83,154 acres).
How do you get to Washington County?
Highways through it: MO 21 (about 30 miles inside), MO 8 (about 28 miles inside), MO 185 (about 28 miles inside), MO 47 (about 25 miles inside) and MO 32 (about 10 miles inside). Towns inside: Potosi, Irondale, Mineral Point and Caledonia. Nearby: Bismarck (on the line), Viburnum (2 miles), Miramiguoa Park (2 miles) and Leadwood (3 miles).
Which counties border Washington County?
Washington County touches 5 other counties. Their latest MDC harvest and public land, for comparison:
| County | Deer harvested | Year | Public land | MRAP land sites |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Iron County | 1,903 | 2025 | 31.7% | |
| Crawford County | 3,667 | 2025 | 13.5% | |
| Franklin County | 6,751 | 2025 | 3.1% | |
| Jefferson County | 5,173 | 2025 | 1.9% | |
| St. Francois County | 3,381 | 2025 | 4.4% |
Questions hunters ask
How many deer were harvested in Washington County in 2025?
Hunters checked 3,425 deer: 1,569 antlered bucks, 380 button bucks and 1,476 does (MDC). In 2024: 2,485.
Is there public hunting land in Washington County?
Yes. 97,829 acres, 20% of the county, are public land open to the public by USGS PAD-US 4.1 and MDC conservation area boundaries, the largest share national forest (83,154 acres). MDC's map shows 7 conservation areas here.
Does Washington 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 Iron County Crawford County Franklin County Jefferson County St. Francois County