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Conservation area · Missouri 2026-27
Alfred Newton Gossett Conservation Area hunting
A 2026-27 hunter guide to this conservation area in Dallas County, 671 acres.
Photo: Chris M Morris (CC BY 2.0)
Getting to Alfred Newton Gossett Conservation Area
Parking, trailheads and gates near Alfred Newton Gossett Conservation Area
- Parking areaParking · 2.0 mi from the centreDirections
- Moon Valley AccessBoat ramp · 2.0 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 2.5 mi from the centreDirections
- Williams Ford AccessBoat ramp · 2.5 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 3.6 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 3.6 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 3.7 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 3.7 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 3.7 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 3.7 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 3.7 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 3.7 mi from the centreDirections
Parking, trailhead and gate locations come from OpenStreetMap contributors. Roads into public land can be gated or seasonal; check with the managing agency before you go.
Alfred Newton Gossett Conservation Area profile
Expect about 671 acres of public ground at Alfred Newton Gossett Conservation Area, Dallas County. By size it ranks 3rd of the 4 conservation areas we list in Dallas County. MDC manages it from the North Slope district of the Southwest Region.
Besides hunting, the MDC area page lists fishing (rock bass, sunfish, suckers, black bass).
What the area page says about it: Alfred Newton Gossett CA was purchased by MDC to provide upland wildlife habitat for public use and watershed protection. This area is a large forested area located south of Windyville in Dallas County. It can be accessed from near the bridge over the Niangua River on Highway K or from Pelican Drive on Highway P. There are old fields with cedars and native grasses, oak woodlands and steep forested river breaks leading down into the Niangua River. Deer, turkey and squirrels are abundant on the area and there are good walk-in access trails on the ridge tops to get into the heart of the area.
Listed game: Deer, Black bear, Turkey, Rabbit, Squirrel.
From the agency record (Missouri Department of Conservation); checked October 29, 2026.
Nearby
Places to hunt and shoot around Alfred Newton Gossett Conservation Area
Alfred Newton Gossett Conservation Area: methods MDC allows
The rules below are what MDC lists for Alfred Newton Gossett Conservation Area on top of statewide seasons.
| Game | Allowed methods | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| White-tailed Deer | Archery and firearms | Allowed |
| Wild Turkey | Archery and firearms | – |
| Black Bear | Archery and firearms | Zone permit |
| Eastern Cottontail | Statewide methods | – |
| Gray Squirrel | Statewide methods | – |
Deer on Alfred Newton Gossett Conservation Area: archery and firearms, and antlerless permits may be used. Alfred Newton Gossett Conservation Area is archery and firearms for turkey. For drawn bear hunters, Alfred Newton Gossett Conservation Area is archery and firearms. Code A in the conservation-area table: antlerless permits allowed on Alfred Newton Gossett Conservation Area. On MDC land, deer hunting is legal only where the area is listed; Alfred Newton Gossett Conservation Area qualifies.
Sources: area page, area regulations, deer quick view; booklet table: 2026 Fall Deer and Turkey booklet, pp. 42-55. Checked October 29, 2026.
Alfred Newton Gossett Conservation Area county rules for 2026-27
| Item | Dallas County |
|---|---|
| Firearms antlerless limit | 4 deer |
| Antlerless portions | Open |
| CWD sampling Nov. 14-15 | No |
| Feed and mineral ban | Yes |
| Share the Harvest CWD test | Required |
| Fall firearms turkey | Open |
| Dogs, November portion | No rule |
| Elk county | No |
| Bear zone | Zone 3 |
| Duck zone | Middle / South |
County rules apply on Alfred Newton Gossett Conservation Area; Dallas County has a firearms antlerless limit of 4 for 2026-27. In Dallas County, the Oct. 9-11 and Dec. 5-13 antlerless portions apply. Feeding deer and placing minerals is banned year-round in Dallas County. The bear zone here is 3: 250 permits, quota 8, season Oct. 17-30. Removed for 2026: the CWD portion, the management zone and the antler-point restriction.
2026 Fall Deer and Turkey booklet county rules, MDC CWD rules and 2026 bear digest; checked October 29, 2026.
Alfred Newton Gossett Conservation Area: what is open when
Filtered for Alfred Newton Gossett Conservation Area by its game list: 5 species, 14 season rows.
| Species | Season | Applies | Opens | Closes | 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 3 | Bear zone 3 | 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 | |
| Rabbits | Rabbit hunting | Statewide | Oct 1, 2026 | Feb 15, 2027 | |
| Squirrels | Squirrel season | Statewide | May 23, 2026 | Feb 15, 2027 |
Spring 2027 turkey dates were not published when these pages were checked.
From the 2026 Fall Deer and Turkey booklet, the 2026-2027 waterfowl digest and the 2026 hunting and trapping summary (Missouri Department of Conservation); checked October 29, 2026. All Missouri seasons.
Map around Alfred Newton Gossett Conservation Area
Crow-flight distance from Alfred Newton Gossett Conservation Area to Williams Ford Access is 2.4 mi (west); the table runs outward from there.
| Place | Type | Acres | County | Miles off | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Williams Ford Access | Public access area | 40 | Dallas | 2.4 mi | west |
| Bennett Spring Access | Public access area | 178 | Dallas | 4.7 mi | northeast |
| Coffin Cave CA | Conservation area | 68 | Laclede | 7.4 mi | northeast |
| Barclay CA | Conservation area | 426 | Dallas | 7.7 mi | north |
| Goose Creek CA | Conservation area | 880 | Dallas, Laclede | 9.9 mi | south |
| Lead Mine CA | Conservation area | 7,761 | Dallas | 11 mi | north |
| Charity Access | Public access area | 163 | Dallas | 12 mi | south |
| Mary Lawson CA | Conservation area | 52 | Laclede | 13 mi | north |
Points: MDC Conservation Area Centroids layer (https://gisblue.mdc.mo.gov/arcgis/rest/services/Discover_Nature/MDC_Administrative_Areas/FeatureServer/4). Straight-line distances. Statewide public land map.
Alfred Newton Gossett Conservation Area area harvest by year
Whole-county counts.
Hunters in Dallas County checked 2,951 deer in 2025, against 2,707 the year before; there is no figure for Alfred Newton Gossett Conservation Area alone. The spring 2026 count for Dallas County was 428 turkeys (15 on public land). Recent CWD results for Dallas County: 6 positives, first detected in 2022-2023.
| Permit year | Antlered bucks | Button bucks | Does | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1,475 | 280 | 1,196 | 2,951 |
| 2024 | 1,294 | 233 | 1,180 | 2,707 |
| 2023 | 1,555 | 363 | 1,524 | 3,442 |
| 2022 | 1,437 | 275 | 1,428 | 3,140 |
| 2021 | 1,809 | 342 | 1,481 | 3,632 |
| 2020 | 1,780 | 360 | 1,836 | 3,976 |
| Season | Spring | Public | Youth | Firearms (fall) | Archery (fall) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 428 | 15 | 41 | – | – |
| 2025 | 470 | 33 | 51 | 21 | 17 |
| 2024 | 459 | 47 | 35 | 34 | 13 |
| 2023 | 492 | 45 | 14 | 26 | 25 |
| 2022 | 322 | – | 32 | 20 | 23 |
| 2021 | 346 | – | 23 | 18 | 11 |
| Year | Samples | CWD found |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 12 | 0 |
| 2025 | 76 | 0 |
| 2024 | 554 | 1 |
| 2023 | 786 | 4 |
| 2022 | 99 | 1 |
| 2021 | 132 | 0 |
MDC 2025 deer harvest summary, MDC turkey harvest summaries and MDC CWD dashboard; earlier years from the yearly reports. Checked October 29, 2026.
Towns, MDC offices and shops by Alfred Newton Gossett Conservation Area
From Alfred Newton Gossett Conservation Area, Bennett Springs is 4.5 mi away. Largest of the five: Lebanon, 15,538 people. Directions on file: From Buffalo take highway 32 east 11 miles to Long Lane. Turn North on Highway P for approximately 4 miles to Pelican Drive on the right. Lebanon Office (Lebanon) sits 14 mi from Alfred Newton Gossett Conservation Area, closer than any other MDC office.
| Town | County | People (2024) | Distance | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bennett Springs | Laclede | – | 4.5 mi | northeast |
| Buffalo | Dallas | 3,512 | 11 mi | west |
| Lebanon | Laclede | 15,538 | 14 mi | east |
| Urbana | Dallas | 408 | 18 mi | northwest |
| Marshfield | Webster | 7,935 | 24 mi | south |
Towns from places.json (Census 2024); offices and businesses from services.json (MDC offices and business listings, chain stores and permit vendors left out); straight-line miles. Checked October 29, 2026.
Alfred Newton Gossett Conservation Area hunters: public range and clubs
Drive about 11 miles from Alfred Newton Gossett Conservation Area to reach Lead Mine CA range, the nearest public lanes. Nearby gun clubs fill the other cards.
From MDC area pages and the MDC Shooting Ranges layer, the operators’ pages and directory listings, checked October 29, 2026.
Legal hours for Alfred Newton Gossett Conservation Area
Rabbits are sunrise to sunset, migratory birds half an hour before sunrise to sunset, and big game gets the extra half hour after sunset.
| Day | Moment | First sun | Last sun | Deer hours | Bird hours |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 1, 2026 | Dove opener | 6:41 a.m. | 7:42 p.m. | 6:11 a.m. to 8:12 p.m. | 6:11 a.m. to 7:42 p.m. |
| Sep 15, 2026 | Archery opener | 6:53 a.m. | 7:20 p.m. | 6:23 a.m. to 7:50 p.m. | 6:23 a.m. to 7:20 p.m. |
| Oct 1, 2026 | Fall firearms turkey | 7:08 a.m. | 6:54 p.m. | 6:38 a.m. to 7:24 p.m. | 6:38 a.m. to 6:54 p.m. |
| Nov 7, 2026 | Middle Zone ducks | 6:45 a.m. | 5:05 p.m. | 6:15 a.m. to 5:35 p.m. | 6:15 a.m. to 5:05 p.m. |
| Nov 14, 2026 | November firearms opener | 6:53 a.m. | 4:59 p.m. | 6:23 a.m. to 5:29 p.m. | 6:23 a.m. to 4:59 p.m. |
| Dec 26, 2026 | Alternative methods | 7:28 a.m. | 4:57 p.m. | 6:58 a.m. to 5:27 p.m. | 6:58 a.m. to 4:57 p.m. |
| Jan 15, 2027 | Archery close | 7:28 a.m. | 5:15 p.m. | 6:58 a.m. to 5:45 p.m. | 6:58 a.m. to 5:15 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.
Scenery to match Alfred Newton Gossett Conservation Area
Alfred Newton Gossett Conservation Area questions with sourced answers
How far is the nearest town from Alfred Newton Gossett Conservation Area?
Bennett Springs is the nearest town we cover, 4.5 mi off.
Alfred Newton Gossett Conservation Area crowded: where next?
Next in line: Williams Ford Access (2.4 mi), Bennett Spring Access (4.7 mi) and Coffin Cave Conservation Area (7.4 mi).
Alfred Newton Gossett Conservation Area: which permits apply?
The right MDC permit: Archer's or Firearms for deer, Small Game for small game, Migratory Bird for doves and ducks.
Alfred Newton Gossett Conservation Area: size and manager?
Missouri Department of Conservation handles it, and it spans 671 acres.
Can I use a rifle for deer on Alfred Newton Gossett Conservation Area?
Archery and firearms on this area. Antlerless permits are allowed.
Is Alfred Newton Gossett Conservation Area open for hunting this season?
Yes, deer, black bear, turkey, rabbit and squirrel, following statewide seasons and any area limits.
What are the CWD rules around Alfred Newton Gossett Conservation Area?
No mandatory station visit in this county. Do not feed deer or put out minerals.
What is the firearms antlerless limit around Alfred Newton Gossett Conservation Area?
4 antlerless deer with firearms permits, under the Dallas County rule.
Bear hunting near Alfred Newton Gossett Conservation Area?
Bear here means a Zone 3 permit (quota 8).
Can I hunt turkey on Alfred Newton Gossett Conservation Area?
Use archery and firearms. Fall gun season: Oct. 1-31.
What are deer hours at Alfred Newton Gossett Conservation Area on Nov. 14?
Nov. 14 at the Alfred Newton Gossett Conservation Area point: 6:23 a.m. to 5:29 p.m. for deer (sunrise 6:53 a.m.).
Last word on Alfred Newton Gossett Conservation Area
Confirm methods, permits and the Dallas County deer rules for Alfred Newton Gossett Conservation Area before the drive.
Sources: source · source · source · source; regulations from the 2026 Fall Deer and Turkey booklet. Checked October 29, 2026.
Other photos on this page: mbarrison (CC BY-SA 2.0); Charles Patrick Ewing (CC BY 2.0); Alabama Extension (CC0 1.0).