Wright County, Missouri: deer harvest and public hunting land
Wright County covers 683 square miles around Mountain Grove. Hunters checked 3,625 deer here in the 2025 season, 1,753 of them antlered bucks, by MDC's harvest summary. That is up 18% from 2024. 2.2% of Wright County is public land open to the public, the largest share national forest (7,061 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 forestCounty, city and regional landWright CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 437,193 acres (683 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Deer checked, 2025 | 3,625 (1,753 antlered bucks, 331 button bucks, 1,541 does) |
| Firearms and archery, 2025 | 2,957 by firearms, 668 by archery |
| Public land | 2.2% (9,705 acres) |
| MDC lands | 7 (2,586 acres inside Wright County) |
| MRAP land | None mapped this year |
| Towns in and near it | Mountain Grove, Mansfield, Norwood, Plato, Seymour and Evergreen |
How many deer are harvested in Wright County?
Hunters checked 3,625 deer in Wright County in 2025: 1,753 antlered bucks, 331 button bucks and 1,541 does. By method: 2,957 by firearms (2,188 of them in the November portion) and 668 by archery; the rest came on managed hunts.
| Season | Deer checked | Antlered bucks | Button bucks | Does | Firearms | November portion | Archery |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 3,625 | 1,753 | 331 | 1,541 | 2,957 | 2,188 | 668 |
| 2024 | 3,079 | 1,449 | 286 | 1,344 | 2,544 | 1,994 | 535 |
| 2023 | 3,926 | 1,791 | 347 | 1,788 | 3,345 | 2,526 | 580 |
| 2022 | 3,242 | 1,497 | 324 | 1,421 | 2,739 | 2,295 | 503 |
| 2021 | 3,623 | 1,783 | 357 | 1,483 | 2,994 | 627 |
Source: MDC deer harvest summaries (2021 to 2025 seasons), Wright 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 Wright County?
9,705 of Wright County's 437,193 acres are public land open to the public (2.2%). The biggest share is national forest: 7,061 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Wright County |
|---|---|---|
| National forest | 7,061 | 1.6% |
| MDC conservation areas | 2,592 | 0.6% |
| County, city and regional land | 47 | under 0.1% |
| State parks and historic sites | 5 | under 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 9,705 | 2.2% |
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 Wright County
MDC lands in Wright County, largest first, with the acres of each inside it:
- John Alva Fuson, MD Conservation Area: 1,517 acres
- Cedar Gap Conservation Area: 436 acres
- Wilbur Allen Memorial Conservation Area: 383 acres
- Odin Access: 127 acres
- Buzzard Bluff Access: 90 acres
- Camp Branch Access: 22 acres
- Lamberson Memorial Conservation Area: 11 acres
Other large public areas here, by PAD-US: Mark Twain National Forest (7,061 acres).
How do you get to Wright County?
Highways through it: US 60 (about 49 miles inside), MO 5 (about 36 miles inside), MO 95 (about 33 miles inside) and MO 38 (about 28 miles inside). Towns inside: Mountain Grove, Mansfield, Norwood, Hartville and Grovespring. Nearby: Plato (3 miles), Seymour (5 miles), Evergreen (5 miles) and Phillipsburg (7 miles).
Which counties border Wright County?
Wright County touches 4 other counties. Their latest MDC harvest and public land, for comparison:
| County | Deer harvested | Year | Public land | MRAP land sites |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texas County | 4,974 | 2025 | 9.1% | |
| Douglas County | 3,695 | 2025 | 8.3% | |
| Laclede County | 3,328 | 2025 | 7.3% | |
| Webster County | 2,914 | 2025 | 0.5% |
Questions hunters ask
How many deer were harvested in Wright County in 2025?
Hunters checked 3,625 deer: 1,753 antlered bucks, 331 button bucks and 1,541 does (MDC). In 2024: 3,079.
Is there public hunting land in Wright County?
Yes. 9,705 acres, 2.2% 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 (7,061 acres). MDC's map shows 7 conservation areas here.
Does Wright 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 Texas County Douglas County Laclede County Webster County