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Laclede County · Conservation area
Bear Creek Conservation Area, a hunter guide
Seasons, methods and access for this conservation area in Laclede County.
Photo: Richard Ricciardi (CC BY 2.0)
Getting to Bear Creek Conservation Area
Parking, trailheads and gates near Bear Creek Conservation Area
- Parking areaParking · 2.1 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 2.7 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 2.7 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 2.8 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.
Bear Creek Conservation Area profile
Laclede County is home to the 728 acres of Bear Creek Conservation Area. In acreage it places 2nd among 5 conservation areas in Laclede County. Management sits with MDC: North Slope district, Southwest Region.
When hunting is slow, Bear Creek Conservation Area offers trapping (special use permit), per MDC.
In the agency's words: Bear Creek Conservation Area is located in Laclede County, northeast of Lebanon. The area was purchased from the University of Missouri in 1965. Bear Creek Conservation Area contains a total of 720 acres divided among four separate tracts. These tracts are: Harrill Ford Tract (40 acres), Squatter Tract (120 acres), Bear CreekTract (320 acres), and the Hermit Tract (240 acres). These tracts are mostly mixed oak forest with small openings and old fields. Various phases of multiple use management are often conducted on the area. Forest improvement practices (which could include selective harvests), regeneration of forest stands, watershed protection, and wildlife habitat improvement are among the cultural practices utilized by area managers.
Species on the record: 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 Bear Creek Conservation Area
Bear Creek Conservation Area methods and area rules
Methods for Bear Creek Conservation Area come from the MDC area page and the deer quick view.
| Quarry | Methods | Permits |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | – |
Plan on archery and firearms for deer at Bear Creek Conservation Area; antlerless permits may be used. For turkey, MDC allows archery and firearms on Bear Creek Conservation Area. A bear permit holder may hunt Bear Creek Conservation Area with archery and firearms. Antlerless code A applies to Bear Creek Conservation Area, so antlerless permits allowed. MDC limits deer hunting on its areas to the listed ones, and Bear Creek Conservation Area is listed.
Sources: area page, area regulations, deer quick view; booklet table: 2026 Fall Deer and Turkey booklet, pp. 42-55. Checked October 29, 2026.
Laclede County rules on Bear Creek Conservation Area
| County rule | Laclede 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 |
For deer, Laclede County sets the rules on Bear Creek Conservation Area: firearms antlerless limit 4. Antlerless portions: open in October and December for Laclede County. Leave the feeders home: Laclede County bans feed and minerals all year. Bear hunters drawn for Zone 3 may hunt Laclede County (250 permits, 8 bears). No CWD portion, no CWD Management Zone and no antler-point restriction this season.
2026 Fall Deer and Turkey booklet county rules, MDC CWD rules and 2026 bear digest; checked October 29, 2026.
Open dates on Bear Creek Conservation Area
Open-now status is in the last column; 14 rows apply to Bear Creek Conservation Area.
| Quarry | Season | Where | Opening | Closing | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
Archery deer is closed during the November firearms portion, Nov. 14-24.
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.
Laclede County deer and turkey harvest near Bear Creek Conservation Area
County-level data from MDC.
MDC reports deer harvest by county, not by area: Laclede County checked 3,328 deer in the 2025 permit year, 5% more than in 2024. Public land gave up 48 of the 673 spring 2026 turkeys in Laclede County. CWD samples from Laclede County turned up 0 positives in recent years.
| Season | Antlered bucks | Button bucks | Does | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1,680 | 282 | 1,366 | 3,328 |
| 2024 | 1,482 | 294 | 1,392 | 3,168 |
| 2023 | 1,854 | 329 | 1,818 | 4,001 |
| 2022 | 1,556 | 276 | 1,353 | 3,185 |
| 2021 | 1,807 | 346 | 1,348 | 3,501 |
| 2020 | 1,725 | 331 | 1,633 | 3,689 |
| Year | Spring | Public land | Youth | Fall firearms | Fall archery |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 673 | 48 | 88 | – | – |
| 2025 | 729 | 75 | 70 | 37 | 8 |
| 2024 | 683 | 59 | 61 | 35 | 20 |
| 2023 | 696 | 86 | 50 | 51 | 40 |
| 2022 | 535 | – | 51 | 50 | 26 |
| 2021 | 574 | – | 64 | 38 | 44 |
| Year | Deer tested | Positive |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 7 | 0 |
| 2025 | 55 | 0 |
| 2024 | 110 | 0 |
| 2023 | 190 | 0 |
| 2022 | 831 | 0 |
| 2021 | 895 | 0 |
MDC 2025 deer harvest summary, MDC turkey harvest summaries and MDC CWD dashboard; earlier years from the yearly reports. Checked October 29, 2026.
Bear Creek Conservation Area and nearby public land, mapped
Drynob Access (9.0 mi, southeast) tops the neighbor list for Bear Creek Conservation Area, measured as the crow flies.
| Neighbor | Category | Acreage | County | Distance | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drynob Access | Public access area | 17 | Laclede | 9.0 mi | southeast |
| Osage Fork CA | Conservation area | 280 | Laclede | 13 mi | southwest |
| Coffin Cave CA | Conservation area | 68 | Laclede | 17 mi | west |
| Bennett Spring Access | Public access area | 178 | Dallas | 17 mi | west |
| Mary Lawson CA | Conservation area | 52 | Laclede | 17 mi | northwest |
| Barclay CA | Conservation area | 426 | Dallas | 18 mi | west |
| Toronto Springs CA | Conservation area | 890 | Camden | 18 mi | north |
| John Alva Fuson, MD CA (1,534 acres) | Conservation area | 1,534 | Wright | 20 mi | south |
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.
Getting supplies near Bear Creek Conservation Area
Nearest town with its own page: Lebanon, 7.5 mi. Getting there, per MDC: From Lebanon, take I-44 east 5.50 miles, take exit 135 to the South Outer Road and go east 0.10 mile, then Rustic Drive south 1.50 miles. The closest MDC office on file is Lebanon Office, about 8.2 mi from Bear Creek Conservation Area.
| Place | County | Population | Distance | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lebanon | Laclede | 15,538 | 7.5 mi | southwest |
| Richland | Pulaski | 1,729 | 12 mi | northeast |
| Bennett Springs | Laclede | – | 17 mi | west |
| Waynesville | Pulaski | 5,493 | 19 mi | east |
| Camdenton | Camden | 4,035 | 22 mi | northwest |
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.
Bear Creek Conservation Area hunting hours on key dates
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 Bear Creek Conservation Area that means add 2 minutes.
| Date | Opener or close | Sunrise | Sunset | Deer | Migratory |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 1, 2026 | Dove opener | 6:40 a.m. | 7:41 p.m. | 6:10 a.m. to 8:11 p.m. | 6:10 a.m. to 7:41 p.m. |
| Sep 15, 2026 | Archery opener | 6:52 a.m. | 7:19 p.m. | 6:22 a.m. to 7:49 p.m. | 6:22 a.m. to 7:19 p.m. |
| Oct 1, 2026 | Fall firearms turkey | 7:07 a.m. | 6:53 p.m. | 6:37 a.m. to 7:23 p.m. | 6:37 a.m. to 6:53 p.m. |
| Nov 7, 2026 | Middle Zone ducks | 6:44 a.m. | 5:04 p.m. | 6:14 a.m. to 5:34 p.m. | 6:14 a.m. to 5:04 p.m. |
| Nov 14, 2026 | November firearms opener | 6:52 a.m. | 4:58 p.m. | 6:22 a.m. to 5:28 p.m. | 6:22 a.m. to 4:58 p.m. |
| Dec 26, 2026 | Alternative methods | 7:27 a.m. | 4:56 p.m. | 6:57 a.m. to 5:26 p.m. | 6:57 a.m. to 4:56 p.m. |
| Jan 15, 2027 | Archery close | 7:27 a.m. | 5:14 p.m. | 6:57 a.m. to 5:44 p.m. | 6:57 a.m. to 5:14 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.
Bear Creek Conservation Area hunters: public range and clubs
Laclede County has the public range nearest Bear Creek Conservation Area: Osage Fork Conservation Area Archery Range (13 miles). Two club ranges follow.
From MDC area pages and the MDC Shooting Ranges layer, the operators’ pages and directory listings, checked October 29, 2026.
Photo strip for Bear Creek Conservation Area
Bear Creek Conservation Area hunter FAQ
Which antlerless rule covers Bear Creek Conservation Area?
Missouri sets it by county; Laclede County allows 4 on firearms permits. Antlerless portions are open.
Is deer feeding banned near Bear Creek Conservation Area?
CWD rules in Laclede County: sampling not mandatory, feed ban yes.
Is Bear Creek Conservation Area good for fall turkey?
Turkey is archery and firearms; fall firearms is open.
What bear rules apply at Bear Creek Conservation Area?
Zone 3 covers the county (250 permits); bear is on the area list.
Bear Creek Conservation Area shooting hours for the November opener?
Roughly 6:22 a.m. until 5:28 p.m., worked out for this spot.
Bear Creek Conservation Area crowded: where next?
In order of distance: Drynob Access (9.0 mi), Osage Fork Conservation Area (13 mi) and Coffin Cave Conservation Area (17 mi).
Nearest town with services to Bear Creek Conservation Area?
Lebanon (Laclede County), about 7.5 mi away.
Bear Creek Conservation Area: size and manager?
The record lists 728 acres; Missouri Department of Conservation is in charge.
Is there an area permit for Bear Creek Conservation Area?
Missouri permits for the game you hunt; deer need an Archer's or Firearms permit, migratory birds a Migratory Bird permit.
May the public hunt at Bear Creek Conservation Area?
Open for deer, black bear, turkey, rabbit and squirrel, with the methods shown in the rules section.
What deer methods are allowed on Bear Creek Conservation Area?
The deer rule is archery and firearms. Antlerless permits are allowed.
Bear Creek Conservation Area final checklist
Signs on the ground outrank any web page; look for posted refuge and closed zones on Bear Creek Conservation Area.
Sources: source · source · source · source; regulations from the 2026 Fall Deer and Turkey booklet. Checked October 29, 2026.
Other photos on this page: Richard Ricciardi (CC BY 2.0); Jason Chung (CC BY 2.0); David Williss (CC BY 2.0).