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Southeast Region county guide
St. Francois County Hunting
St. Francois County sits in the MDC Southeast Region. This page lists its 2026 deer rules, every dated season, harvest and CWD results by year, its public areas with acres and the offices that serve it.
Photo: Andy Reago & Chrissy McClarren (CC BY 2.0)
What MDC set for St. Francois County this season
Farmington anchors St. Francois County, a county of 452 square miles in the MDC Southeast Region. Census Vintage 2024 counts 67,503 residents, 0.9% more than the April 2020 base. The firearms antlerless fill limit for St. Francois County is 4 deer for 2026-27; archery antlerless permits are not capped by county. The county is open during the early antlerless portion (Oct. 9-11) and the late antlerless portion (Dec. 5-13). St. Francois County is inside the 85-county feed and mineral ban, which applies all year. Hunters donating venison from St. Francois County through Share the Harvest need a CWD test result. Rules tied to the old CWD Management Zone no longer apply in St. Francois County; MDC dropped the zone for 2026.
| Rule | St. Francois County | Applies to |
|---|---|---|
| Firearms antlerless fill limit | 4 deer | All firearms portions |
| Antlerless portions | Open | Oct. 9-11, Dec. 5-13 |
| Mandatory CWD sampling | Not this year | Day of harvest |
| Feed and mineral ban | Yes | Year-round |
| Share the Harvest test | Required | Before donating |
| November dog rule | No | November portion, daylight |
| Fall firearms turkey | Open | Oct. 1-31 |
| Elk hunting county | No | Carter, Reynolds, Shannon |
| Black Bear Management Zone | 2 | Oct. 17-30, by permit |
| Waterfowl zone (map layer) | Middle | 2021-2025 layer |
| SE flood closure zone | None | Gauge-based |
| CWD portion | Removed | Gone for 2026 |
| Antler-point restriction | Removed | Gone for 2026 |
County rules from the 2026 Fall Deer and Turkey booklet county table, the Wildlife Code 3 CSR 10-7 (antlerless limits and portions), CWD rules and stations, fall turkey counties, dog rule, bear digest, waterfowl digest. Checked October 29, 2026.
St. Francois County deer totals by permit year
St. Francois County closed out 2025 with 3,381 deer on the Telecheck books, 1,431 of them antlered bucks and 1,628 does. A year earlier the county logged 2,509, a 35% smaller number. Totals ranged from 2,263 (2018) to 3,381 (2025). Its 2025 total put St. Francois County 25th statewide out of 114 counties. By portion, 1,736 came in the November firearms days and 653 in archery season.
| Season | Antlered | Buttons | Does | All deer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1,431 | 322 | 1,628 | 3,381 |
| 2024 | 1,077 | 289 | 1,143 | 2,509 |
| 2023 | 1,291 | 391 | 1,588 | 3,270 |
| 2022 | 1,129 | 277 | 1,055 | 2,461 |
| 2021 | 1,254 | 329 | 1,245 | 2,828 |
| 2020 | 1,285 | 358 | 1,316 | 2,959 |
| 2019 | 1,160 | 326 | 1,098 | 2,584 |
| 2018 | 1,052 | 280 | 931 | 2,263 |
| 2017 | 1,023 | 346 | 1,227 | 2,596 |
| 2016 | 1,046 | 281 | 942 | 2,269 |
| 2015 | 1,034 | 294 | 962 | 2,290 |
St. Francois County portion table
| Portion | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Archery | 562 | 653 |
| Early youth | 125 | 152 |
| Early antlerless | 68 | 160 |
| Opening weekend* | 590 | 740 |
| November portion | 1,348 | 1,736 |
| CWD portion | 156 | 262 |
| Late youth | 8 | 26 |
| Late antlerless | 108 | 221 |
| Alternative methods | 83 | 140 |
| Managed hunts | 51 | 31 |
At 8.4 deer taken per square mile, St. Francois County ran above its region (4.0) in 2025.
Telechecked harvest from the MDC 2025 deer harvest summary and earlier deer harvest summaries (2015-2025); density from the 2025 Missouri Deer Season Summary and Population Status Report. Checked October 29, 2026.
St. Francois County draw hunts, bear, elk and ducks
St. Francois County bear hunting by permit
St. Francois County is bear country under the 2026 digest: Zone 2, Oct. 17-30, permit by drawing.
| Zone | Share of county | Permits 2026 | Quota 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zone 2 | 100% | 750 | 22 |
| Year | Statewide bears |
|---|---|
| 2021 | 12 |
| 2022 | 8 |
| 2023 | 12 |
| 2024 | 15 |
| 2025 | 9 |
Which duck zone St. Francois County is in
St. Francois County is Middle Zone country by the GIS layer, but the new 2026-2030 boundary text governs near the line.
| Season | Zone | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Ducks, split 1 | Middle | Nov 7–Dec 13 |
| Ducks, split 2 | Middle | Dec 19–Jan 10 |
St. Francois County drew no managed hunt this year, so the closest options sit in Wayne, Cape Girardeau and Franklin counties.
Managed hunts from the 2026 managed deer hunt tables; bear from the 2026 Black Bear Hunting Digest and MDC bear reports; elk from the 2026 Elk Hunting Digest; waterfowl and wetlands from the 2026-2027 Migratory Bird and Waterfowl Digest. Checked October 29, 2026.
St. Francois County open and close dates
Each row below is a dated MDC season that applies in St. Francois County; the status column compares it with today.
| Animal | Season | Area rule | Start | Finish | Right now |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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.
What St. Francois County turkey and CWD data show
In spring 2026 the county recorded 381 turkeys in the regular season. Looking back to 2016, 2025 had the most spring birds (426). Fall 2025 added 32 firearms and 26 archery turkeys. Spring rows for 2026 are a season already past; spring 2027 dates are still to come from MDC.
| Year | Youth | Spring | Fall firearms | Fall archery |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 38 | 381 | — | — |
| 2025 | 28 | 426 | 32 | 26 |
| 2024 | 26 | 365 | 28 | 9 |
| 2023 | 19 | 328 | 39 | 35 |
| 2022 | 16 | 287 | 23 | 28 |
| 2021 | 18 | 308 | 27 | 28 |
| 2020 | 16 | 359 | 52 | 43 |
| 2019 | 12 | 308 | 47 | 49 |
| 2018 | 8 | 269 | 23 | 17 |
| 2017 | 41 | 346 | 37 | 29 |
| 2016 | 23 | 410 | 40 | 19 |
St. Francois County CWD samples by year
Across the sample years shown, St. Francois County hunters and staff submitted 4,272 samples; positives number 1. Detections began in 2022-2023.
| Season | Tests | Positives |
|---|---|---|
| 2026-27 | 24 | 0 |
| 2025-26 | 77 | 0 |
| 2024-25 | 429 | 0 |
| 2023-24 | 691 | 0 |
| 2022-23 | 543 | 1 |
| 2021-22 | 571 | 0 |
| 2020-21 | 174 | 0 |
| 2019-20 | 604 | 0 |
| 2018-19 | 609 | 0 |
| 2017-18 | 520 | 0 |
| 2016-17 | 30 | 0 |
Turkey harvest from the MDC 2026 turkey harvest summary and earlier turkey harvest summaries; CWD from the MDC CWD sampling results layers and the MDC CWD page. Checked October 29, 2026.
Where to hunt in St. Francois County
The table below covers all 2 public hunting areas we list in St. Francois County. Roughly 12,230 acres, 4.2% of St. Francois County, are public by GIS measure. Some 676 acres are Mark Twain National Forest. 6 additional sites bar hunting and are not listed.
| Area | Acres | Deer | Antlerless | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bismarck CA · Conservation area | 1,188 | Archery and firearms | antlerless OK | — |
| Knob Lick Towersite · Towersite | 80 | Archery only | antlerless OK | — |
Mark Twain National Forest · Potosi / Fredericktown Ranger District (Mark Twain National Forest)
Next-door areas for St. Francois County hunters
- Horton Farm CA12 miles · 640 ac · Ste. Genevieve County
- Hughes Mountain Natural Area13 miles · 462 ac · Washington County
- Buford Mountain CA14 miles · 3,949 ac · Iron County and Washington County
- Bootleg Access16 miles · 303 ac · Washington County
- Millstream Gardens CA17 miles · 916 ac · Madison County
- Thompson Ford Access19 miles · 84 ac · Madison County
Areas from our Missouri land list (MDC area pages and the MDC area deer quick regs, USFS, USFWS, Corps and NPS records); acres by kind from MDC, USFS, USFWS, PAD-US and NPS GIS layers (GIS measures, not official acreages); MRAP from the MDC MRAP program. Checked October 29, 2026.
MDC offices, towns and services for St. Francois County
The MDC Southeast Region office is in Cape Girardeau, phone (573) 290-5730. MDC offices sell permits; the nearest one to St. Francois County is in Piedmont, about 46 miles off.
Towns near St. Francois County land
- Farmingtonpop. 19,165 · seat
- Iron Mountain Lakepop. 640
- Knob LickCDP
St. Francois County processors, mounts and gear shops
Share the Harvest and CWD partner tags come from MDC lists; other shops come from business directories.
St. Francois County adjoining counties
- Iron CountySoutheast
- Jefferson CountySt. Louis
- Madison CountySoutheast
- Perry CountySoutheast
- Ste. Genevieve CountySoutheast
- Washington CountySt. Louis
Offices from MDC offices open to the public; services from MDC lists and directories as tagged; towns from Census 2024. Checked October 29, 2026.
St. Francois County dinners, hunts and classes
Kinds on file here: intro deer hunting talk. Count: 1 upcoming event.
Still to come
| Held on | Event | Where held | Link | Checked at |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 4, 2026 | Deer Hunting: Intro to Deer Hunting · intro deer hunting talk | Mineral Area College — Park Hills | Register | Source |
St. Francois County: ranges, lanes and trap fields
St. Francois County has 5 listed ranges, all clubs, shops or private ranges.
Millstream Gardens Conservation Area Archery Range in Madison County is the nearest public range, roughly 16 miles. Open it
Upcoming here
| When, name | Type | Link |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 22-24, 2027 | Gun show | Source page |
Ranges from MDC area pages and its Shooting Ranges layer, the operators’ own sites and directory listings, checked October 29, 2026.
First and last shooting light in St. Francois County
Use these St. Francois County times for the key opening and closing days; rabbits are sunrise to sunset.
| Date | Opener or close | Sunrise | Sunset | Deer | Migratory |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 1, 2026 | Dove opener | 6:31 a.m. | 7:32 p.m. | 6:01 a.m. to 8:02 p.m. | 6:01 a.m. to 7:32 p.m. |
| Sep 15, 2026 | Archery opener | 6:43 a.m. | 7:10 p.m. | 6:13 a.m. to 7:40 p.m. | 6:13 a.m. to 7:10 p.m. |
| Oct 1, 2026 | Fall firearms turkey | 6:58 a.m. | 6:44 p.m. | 6:28 a.m. to 7:14 p.m. | 6:28 a.m. to 6:44 p.m. |
| Nov 7, 2026 | Middle Zone ducks | 6:35 a.m. | 4:55 p.m. | 6:05 a.m. to 5:25 p.m. | 6:05 a.m. to 4:55 p.m. |
| Nov 14, 2026 | November firearms opener | 6:43 a.m. | 4:49 p.m. | 6:13 a.m. to 5:19 p.m. | 6:13 a.m. to 4:49 p.m. |
| Dec 26, 2026 | Alternative methods | 7:18 a.m. | 4:47 p.m. | 6:48 a.m. to 5:17 p.m. | 6:48 a.m. to 4:47 p.m. |
| Jan 15, 2027 | Archery close | 7:18 a.m. | 5:05 p.m. | 6:48 a.m. to 5:35 p.m. | 6:48 a.m. to 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.
St. Francois County questions and short answers
What is the firearms antlerless fill limit in St. Francois County?
4 deer for 2026-27.
Can I use a crossbow in St. Francois County during archery season?
Yes. Crossbows are legal archery methods.
How many does came out of St. Francois County in the 2025 season?
1,628 does, by the MDC county table.
Is there a confirmed CWD case on record for St. Francois County?
Yes. MDC records the first positive deer from this county in the 2022-2023 sample year.
Does the 2026 Missouri bear season reach St. Francois County?
Yes. Residents drawn for a Zone 2 permit can hunt Oct. 17-30, 2026.
How many fall turkeys were taken in St. Francois County in 2025?
32 with firearms and 26 with archery.
Which of the eight MDC regions takes in St. Francois County?
The Southeast Region, with its office in Cape Girardeau.
Are there MRAP walk-in tracts in St. Francois County?
None in this county.
Which processors on this page sit closest to St. Francois County?
Harris Meat Processing LLC, Farmington Meat & Processing and Walker's Meat Processing, nearest first; phone before dropping off a deer.
Answers from the 2026 Fall Deer and Turkey Hunting Regulations, the county rules table, the hunter orange rule, Telecheck rules, MDC harvest summaries and the sources above. Checked October 29, 2026.
Before you hunt St. Francois County this fall
Where this page and MDC differ, MDC is right.
Sources: 2026 Fall Deer and Turkey Hunting Regulations, MDC hunting, Census and the sources in each section. Checked October 29, 2026.
Other photos on this page: USFWS Midwest Region (Public Domain Mark 1.0).