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Madison County, Missouri
Hunting land and deer rules around Cherokee Pass, MO
Hunting out of Cherokee Pass, Missouri: tracts by straight-line miles, county deer rules, MDC sunrise tables and the processors and taxidermists in range.
Photo: Taken on Mark Twain National Forest, beside Cherokee Pass; a nearby stand-in, not the town. David Nichols (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Cherokee Pass sits in Madison County, a short drive from public ground in the Bootheel lowlands, the St. Francois Mountains and Mingo Swamp. Its page exists because Mark Twain National Forest touches the town. Population for Cherokee Pass, a designated place, is not published in the 2024 series. Within 10 miles of the town point, MDC, Mark Twain, refuge, Corps and Riverways boundaries take in about 37,448 acres, with 4 listed areas in the ring. The county picture: 55,771 public acres in Madison County, made up of 2,740 acres of MDC land and 53,040 acres of Mark Twain National Forest. Ranked by miles, the list opens with Mark Twain National Forest, which reaches into town.
Town point and land area from the Census 2024 Gazetteer; public acreage and boundary miles within 10 miles are a GIS measure over MDC, USFS, USFWS, Corps and NPS boundaries (places.json). MDC region from the MDC Regions layer. Checked October 29, 2026.
Hunting tracts around Cherokee Pass
The deer column is MDC’s method rule for each conservation area (bow and gun, muzzleloader and bow, or archery only) and whether antlerless permits work there.
| Area | Distance | Type | Agency | Deer | Doe permits | Acres | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mark Twain National Forest anchor land | at town | National forest | USFS | Statewide rules | – | 1,510,740 | – |
| Thompson Ford Access | 5.6 mi NW | Public access | MDC | Archery only | Allowed | 84 | – |
| Amidon Memorial CA | 7.6 mi NE | Conservation area | MDC | Bow and gun | Allowed | 1,878 | – |
| Millstream Gardens CA | 9.9 mi NW | Conservation area | MDC | Bow and gun | Allowed | 916 | – |
| Marquand Access | 10 mi SE | Public access | MDC | Archery only | Allowed | 63 | – |
| Hawn Access | 12 mi E | Public access | MDC | Muzzleloader, bow | Archery only | 81 | – |
| Little Whitewater CA | 12 mi E | Conservation area | MDC | Muzzleloader, bow | Archery only | 80 | – |
| Knob Lick Towersite | 13 mi N | Towersite | MDC | Archery only | Allowed | 80 | – |
| Coldwater Access | 16 mi SW | Public access | MDC | Bow and gun | Archery only | 79 | – |
| Coldwater CA | 16 mi S | Conservation area | MDC | Bow and gun | Archery only | 10,804 | Managed hunts too |
By acreage, Amidon Memorial Conservation Area (1,878 acres) tops the 10-mile list. By kind, the ring holds 2 conservation and natural areas, 1 public access and 1 federal area. The closest area with an MDC deer listing, Thompson Ford Access, allows archery methods only; antlerless permits may be filled there. Mark Twain National Forest is hunted on MDC permits, though not within 150 yards of buildings, campsites or recreation sites.
From the MDC area pages
- Thompson Ford Access: The Thompson Ford Fishing Access, located on the Little St. Francis River, is an 84-acre tract of woodland and old fields.
- Amidon Memorial CA: Amidon Memorial Conservation Area is a 1,878-acre area located on the upper reaches of the Castor River in Bollinger and Madison counties.
- Millstream Gardens CA: Millstream Gardens Conservation Area is a 916-acre tract of land in Madison County, about halfway between Fredericktown and Arcadia, off of Highway 72.
- MDC directions to Thompson Ford Access: From Fredericktown, take Highway 72 west, then County Road 504 south, then County Road 503 south. The entrance is on the west side of the road just before the river crossing.
Lands from MDC area pages and GIS layers, USFS, USFWS, NPS, Corps and Missouri State Parks records (lands.json; each land page cites its own source). Boundary miles from places.json, other miles to each mapped point. Deer methods and antlerless permit status from the 2026 Fall Deer and Turkey booklet area table and the MDC area deer quick view. Checked October 29, 2026.
Antlerless limits and CWD near Cherokee Pass
Each row is one county’s 2026 rule set; the tag marks Madison County, and the other rows are counties where the land in the table above lies.
| County | Antlerless fill | Antlerless portions | CWD sampling | Feed ban | Fall turkey | Bear, elk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Madison County town county | 2 | Open | No | Yes | Open | Zone 2 |
| Oregon County | 4 | Open | Nov. 14-15 | Yes | Open | Zone 2, Zone 1 |
| Ripley County | 4 | Open | Nov. 14-15 | Yes | Open | Zone 2 |
| Iron County | 1 | Closed | Nov. 14-15 | No | Open | Zone 2 |
| Carter County | 1 | Closed | Nov. 14-15 | No | Open | Zone 2 + elk |
Madison County allows 2 antlerless deer on firearms antlerless permits. It is one of the 100 counties open for the early and late antlerless portions. Grain, salt and minerals for deer are banned year-round in Madison County, one of 85 feed-ban counties. Madison County deer must be tested to be donated to food pantries. Squirrel and rabbit dogs are off limits in Madison County in November portion daylight. Madison County belongs mostly to bear zone 2, where permits come by drawing. For ducks, the 2021-2025 zone layer puts Madison County in the Middle Zone (100%); the lines changed for 2026-2030, so check the digest map near a boundary. Madison County no longer sits in a CWD Management Zone: MDC removed it for 2026.
Closest CWD stations
| Station | Address | Town | County | Miles |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ZX Gas Station | 205 Hwy. 21 | Pilot Knob | Iron | 21 mi |
| Greenville City Park | 248 Maple St. | Greenville | Wayne | 26 mi |
| Johnson Shut-Ins Visitor Center | 148 Taum Sauk Trl. | Lesterville | Reynolds | 31 mi |
County rules from the 2026 Fall Deer and Turkey booklet county table; CWD sampling counties and stations from the MDC CWD pages; bear zones from the 2026 Black Bear Hunting Digest; elk from the 2026 Elk Hunting Digest; duck zones from the 2026-2027 waterfowl digest and the 2021-2025 MDC zone layer. Checked October 29, 2026.
Cherokee Pass season calendar
24 species and 37 dated windows apply in Madison County; the last column checks each against today.
| Species | Window | Reach | From | Through | Today? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White-tailed deer | Archery, first part | Statewide | Sep 15, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 | |
| White-tailed deer | Firearms, early antlerless | Antlerless county | Oct 9, 2026 | Oct 11, 2026 | |
| White-tailed deer | Firearms, early youth | Statewide | Oct 24, 2026 | Oct 25, 2026 | |
| White-tailed deer | Firearms, November | Statewide | Nov 14, 2026 | Nov 24, 2026 | |
| White-tailed deer | Archery, second part | Statewide | Nov 25, 2026 | Jan 15, 2027 | |
| White-tailed deer | Firearms, late youth | Statewide | Nov 27, 2026 | Nov 29, 2026 | |
| White-tailed deer | Firearms, late antlerless | Antlerless county | Dec 5, 2026 | Dec 13, 2026 | |
| White-tailed deer | Firearms, alternative methods | Statewide | Dec 26, 2026 | Jan 5, 2027 | |
| Black bear | Bear, zone 2 | Bear zone 2 | Oct 17, 2026 | Oct 30, 2026 | |
| Wild turkey | Fall archery | Statewide | Sep 15, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 | |
| Wild turkey | Fall firearms | Open county | Oct 1, 2026 | Oct 31, 2026 | |
| Wild turkey | Fall archery, part 2 | Statewide | Nov 25, 2026 | Jan 15, 2027 | |
| Bobwhite quail | Youth quail | Statewide | Oct 24, 2026 | Oct 25, 2026 | |
| Bobwhite quail | Quail | Statewide | Nov 1, 2026 | Jan 15, 2027 | |
| Pheasant | Youth pheasant | Statewide | Oct 24, 2026 | Oct 25, 2026 | |
| Pheasant | Pheasant | Statewide | Nov 1, 2026 | Jan 15, 2027 | |
| Rabbits | Rabbit hunting | Statewide | Oct 1, 2026 | Feb 15, 2027 | |
| Squirrels | Squirrel season | Statewide | May 23, 2026 | Feb 15, 2027 | |
| Woodcock | Woodcock season | Statewide | Oct 18, 2026 | Dec 1, 2026 | |
| Doves | Dove season | Statewide | Sep 1, 2026 | Nov 29, 2026 | |
| Teal | September teal | Statewide | Sep 12, 2026 | Sep 20, 2026 | |
| Youth waterfowl | Youth waterfowl days | Middle Zone | Oct 31, 2026 | Nov 1, 2026 | |
| Ducks and coots | Ducks, split 1 | Middle Zone | Nov 7, 2026 | Dec 13, 2026 | |
| Ducks and coots | Ducks, split 2 | Middle Zone | Dec 19, 2026 | Jan 10, 2027 | |
| Early Canada goose | Early Canada goose | Statewide | Oct 3, 2026 | Oct 11, 2026 | |
| Geese | Regular geese | Statewide | Nov 11, 2026 | Feb 6, 2027 | |
| Light geese | Conservation order | Statewide | Feb 7, 2027 | Apr 30, 2027 | |
| Coyote | Coyote hunting | Statewide | Jan 1, 2026 | Dec 31, 2026 | |
| Groundhog | Groundhog | Statewide | May 11, 2026 | Dec 15, 2026 | |
| Bullfrogs and green frogs | Frogging | Statewide | Jun 30, 2026 | Oct 31, 2026 | |
| Raccoon, opossum, skunk | Hunt and trap, early | Statewide | Aug 1, 2026 | Oct 15, 2026 | |
| Rails | Rail season | Statewide | Sep 1, 2026 | Nov 9, 2026 | |
| Snipe | Snipe season | Statewide | Sep 1, 2026 | Dec 16, 2026 | |
| Crow | Crow season | Statewide | Nov 1, 2026 | Mar 3, 2027 | |
| Badger and foxes | Hunting and trapping | Statewide | Nov 15, 2026 | Jan 31, 2027 | |
| Bobcat | Hunting and trapping | Statewide | Nov 15, 2026 | Feb 28, 2027 | |
| Raccoon, opossum, skunk | Hunt and trap, main | Statewide | Nov 15, 2026 | Feb 28, 2027 |
From the 2026 Fall Deer and Turkey Hunting Regulations, the 2026-2027 Migratory Bird and Waterfowl Digest and the 2026 hunting and trapping summary (Missouri Department of Conservation), checked October 29, 2026.
How many deer come out of Madison County
The bars are Madison County totals as MDC printed them in each year’s harvest summary. In 2025 the county gave up 2,892 deer, compared with 1,962 in 2015. Antlered bucks made up 1,213 of the 2025 total and does 1,390. That is 6.0 deer per square mile of county in 2025. Spring turkey in Madison County: 313 birds in 2026, against 318 in 2016. The fall firearms turkey harvest was 40 in 2025, with 14 more by archery. Sampling has covered 1,972 deer in Madison County; none tested positive.
| Season | Deer | Bucks | Buttons | Does |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 2,259 | 914 | 297 | 1,048 |
| 2023 | 2,702 | 1,034 | 318 | 1,350 |
| 2024 | 1,887 | 743 | 251 | 893 |
| 2025 | 2,892 | 1,213 | 289 | 1,390 |
| Portion | Deer, 2025 |
|---|---|
| Archery | 495 |
| Early youth | 129 |
| November | 1,623 |
| Late youth | 27 |
| Alt. methods | 90 |
| Managed hunts | 0 |
| Spring | Turkeys | Public land |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 218 | 56 |
| 2024 | 261 | 33 |
| 2025 | 335 | 60 |
| 2026 | 313 | 46 |
| Year | Samples | Positive |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 560 | 0 |
| 2024 | 50 | 0 |
| 2025 | 449 | 0 |
| 2026 | 40 | 0 |
Deer from the MDC 2025-2026 deer harvest summary and earlier summaries (harvest.json; 2017-2019 county totals exclude managed hunts); density from the MDC 2025 deer season report; turkey from the MDC turkey harvest summaries; CWD from the MDC CWD dashboard. Checked October 29, 2026.
Butchers and mounts, Cherokee Pass
Listings come from Madison County and its neighbouring counties, ranked by miles from Cherokee Pass; national chains are dropped. Pruett's Meat Processing, 5.6 mi away, accepts donated deer under Share the Harvest. Pruett's Meat Processing collects CWD samples under MDC’s partner program. Shoulder mounts and euro skulls start with Ozark Mountains Taxidermy, 1.8 mi out. Forgot the hunter orange? Cedar Falls Outdoors South in Fredericktown is 5.0 mi away. Twin Lakes Whitetails, 26 mi away, heads the preserve and guide list.
| Service | Within 15 mi | Within 35 mi | Nearest | Miles | Town |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Processors | 4 | 11 | Country Outback LLC (first) | 5.2 mi N | Fredericktown |
| Mounts | 2 | 13 | Ozark Mountains Taxidermy (first) | 1.8 mi W | Fredericktown |
| Gun and bow shops | 1 | 17 | Cedar Falls Outdoors South (first) | 5.0 mi N | Fredericktown |
| Hunting preserves | 0 | 1 | Twin Lakes Whitetails (first) | 26 mi NW | Bismarck |
Processors
Mounts
Gun and bow shops
Hunting preserves
Processors from the MDC Share the Harvest processor lookup, MDC CWD sampling partners, the MDC commercial permit listing and Yellow Pages; taxidermists, shops and preserves from MDC permits, chain store locators and Yellow Pages (services.json). Checked October 29, 2026; hours were not checked.
Cherokee Pass MDC offices
For Madison County, MDC’s closest public office is Piedmont Office (Piedmont), 28 miles from the county centre. Cape Girardeau hosts the MDC Southeast regional office. Staff are often in the field, so call ahead before visiting an office.
MDC Piedmont Office lies 31 mi southwest
MDC Missouri Department of Conservation – Gaylord Laboratory Field Office, a 33 mi drive south
Offices from the MDC offices open to the public, the MDC regional offices page and the MDC field office layer (services.json, counties.json). Checked October 29, 2026.
Cherokee Pass area dinners, classes and hunts
Straight-line radius of about 30 miles: 2 upcoming events, covering field-to-freezer deer program and intro deer hunting talk.
Booked dates
| Held on | Event | Miles off | Where held | Link | Checked at |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 4, 2026 | Deer Hunting: Intro to Deer Hunting · intro deer hunting talk | 25 | Mineral Area College — Park Hills | Register | Source |
| Dec 12, 2026 | Deer Hunting: Field to Freezer: Beginner Venison Summer Sausage Masterclass · field-to-freezer deer program | 5 | Fredericktown High School — Madison County | Register | Source |
Cherokee Pass: gun clubs and MDC lines nearby
Millstream Gardens Conservation Area Archery Range heads the Cherokee Pass list (11 miles), and two more follow.
Straight-line miles from the town centre; ranges checked October 29, 2026.
Cherokee Pass sunrise and sunset
MDC prints one sunrise and sunset table for Jefferson City and tells hunters to adjust it by 1 minute for every 13.5 miles east or west. For Cherokee Pass that means subtract 8 minutes.
| Day | Moment | First sun | Last sun | Deer hours | Bird hours |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 1, 2026 | Dove opener | 6:31 a.m. | 7:32 p.m. | 6:01 a.m.–8:02 p.m. | 6:01 a.m.–7:32 p.m. |
| Sep 15, 2026 | Archery opener | 6:43 a.m. | 7:10 p.m. | 6:13 a.m.–7:40 p.m. | 6:13 a.m.–7:10 p.m. |
| Oct 1, 2026 | Fall firearms turkey | 6:58 a.m. | 6:44 p.m. | 6:28 a.m.–7:14 p.m. | 6:28 a.m.–6:44 p.m. |
| Nov 7, 2026 | Middle Zone ducks | 6:35 a.m. | 4:55 p.m. | 6:05 a.m.–5:25 p.m. | 6:05 a.m.–4:55 p.m. |
| Nov 14, 2026 | November firearms opener | 6:43 a.m. | 4:49 p.m. | 6:13 a.m.–5:19 p.m. | 6:13 a.m.–4:49 p.m. |
| Dec 26, 2026 | Alternative methods | 7:18 a.m. | 4:47 p.m. | 6:48 a.m.–5:17 p.m. | 6:48 a.m.–4:47 p.m. |
| Jan 15, 2027 | Archery close | 7:18 a.m. | 5:05 p.m. | 6:48 a.m.–5:35 p.m. | 6:48 a.m.–5:05 p.m. |
Hours rule and the Jefferson City sunrise and sunset table from the MDC Migratory Bird and Waterfowl Digest (same table in the Fall Deer and Turkey booklet), adjusted 1 minute per 13.5 miles east or west as MDC directs; checked October 29, 2026. Legal hours for every county.
Cherokee Pass hunting FAQ
How large is the public land within a short drive of Cherokee Pass?
GIS puts it near 37,448 acres; the land table lists 4 tracts.
Which tract on MDC’s map lies nearest Cherokee Pass?
On the map it is Mark Twain National Forest, which reaches into town. After that: Thompson Ford Access, its closest boundary 5.6 miles out.
Can I hunt the October antlerless days near Cherokee Pass?
Yes; Madison County is on the open list.
How does MDC limit antlerless deer in Madison County?
With a county fill limit of 2 for firearms antlerless permits.
Is a drawn bear permit needed near Cherokee Pass?
Yes; residents apply in May for one zone. Zone 2 had 750 permits.
What CWD measures apply to deer from Madison County?
The statewide carcass rule plus the feed and mineral ban.
What is the check-in routine for a deer shot near Cherokee Pass?
Notch the permit, then Telecheck online, in the MO Hunting app or by phone before processing, before leaving the county or by 10 p.m., whichever comes first.
What are the November opener hours for Cherokee Pass?
6:12 a.m. to 5:18 p.m. at Cherokee Pass, by MDC’s table and longitude rule.
Which deer processor is the shortest drive from Cherokee Pass?
Country Outback LLC in Fredericktown, about 5.2 mi away, is the closest listed.
Which orange garments are mandatory in the firearms portions near Cherokee Pass?
An orange hat plus an orange shirt, vest or coat.
Which neighbouring towns does this site cover?
Cobalt, Fredericktown and Mine La Motte, then Knob Lick.
Can Cherokee Pass hunters buy permits at an MDC office?
Yes; MDC offices sell permits, and the closest to the county centre is Piedmont Office in Piedmont.
Answers from places.json, lands.json, counties.json, services.json and the 2026 Fall Deer and Turkey Hunting Regulations; Telecheck from the booklet, hunter orange from booklet p. 4. Checked October 29, 2026.
Before leaving Cherokee Pass
Distances on this page are straight lines from Cherokee Pass; each conservation area, access and federal tract has its own rules, so read the land page and the 2026-27 booklets before you go.
Other photos on this page: Shelby L. Bell (CC BY 2.0); Good Fire Photos (Public Domain Mark 1.0); J L (CC BY-SA 2.0); LeeAnne Adams (CC BY 2.0); Heath Cajandig (CC BY 2.0); USFWS Midwest Region (Public Domain Mark 1.0); Heath Cajandig (CC BY 2.0); Heath Cajandig (CC BY 2.0).