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Conservation area · Missouri 2026-27
Bryson's Hope Conservation Area hunting
A 2026-27 hunter guide to this conservation area in Pettis County, 290 acres.
Photo: jbezdek (CC BY 2.0)
Getting to Bryson’s Hope Conservation Area
Parking, trailheads and gates near Bryson’s Hope Conservation Area
- Parking areaParking · 0.3 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 0.6 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 1.0 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 2.2 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 2.3 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 2.8 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.
Bryson's Hope Conservation Area profile
Expect about 290 acres of public ground at Bryson's Hope Conservation Area, Pettis County. By size it ranks 5th of the 11 conservation areas we list in Pettis County. MDC manages it from the Lone Buffalo district of the Kansas City Region.
Besides hunting, the MDC area page lists trapping (special use permit).
What the area page says about it: The initial 196-acre tract was purchased by the Department in 2006. An additional 90 acres was added in 2008. A small addition was added in 2010 to put this area at 290 acres. This area falls within the Green Ridge Focus Area as identified in the Greater Prairie Chicken Recovery Plan. When acquired, the habitat was intensively row-cropped with very little habitat for grassland wildlife. Since acqusition, the area has been converted to a variety of cool-season and warm-season grass mixtures. The purpose of this area is to provide optimum nesting and brood-rearing habitat not only for prairie chickens, but also other grassland species. High quality grasslands are important habitat for many species. Area managers use prescribed fire, grazing, and other management practices to maintain healthy grasslands, simulate disturbances, and limit the negative impacts of invasive species.
Listed game: Deer, Black bear, Turkey, Quail.
From the agency record (Missouri Department of Conservation); checked October 29, 2026.
Nearby
Places to hunt and shoot around Bryson’s Hope Conservation Area
Bryson's Hope Conservation Area: methods MDC allows
The rules below are what MDC lists for Bryson's Hope Conservation Area on top of statewide seasons.
| Game | Allowed methods | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| White-tailed Deer | Muzzleloader, archery | Archery only |
| Wild Turkey | Archery and firearms | – |
| Black Bear | Archery and firearms | Zone permit |
| Northern Bobwhite Quail | Statewide methods | – |
Deer hunters on Bryson's Hope Conservation Area are limited to muzzleloader and archery methods; only archery antlerless permits may be used. Bryson's Hope Conservation Area is archery and firearms for turkey. For drawn bear hunters, Bryson's Hope Conservation Area is archery and firearms. Booklet code B for Bryson's Hope Conservation Area means archery antlerless permits only. On MDC land, deer hunting is legal only where the area is listed; Bryson's Hope 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.
Bryson's Hope Conservation Area county rules for 2026-27
| Item | Pettis 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 |
County rules apply on Bryson's Hope Conservation Area; Pettis County has a firearms antlerless limit of 4 for 2026-27. In Pettis County, the Oct. 9-11 and Dec. 5-13 antlerless portions apply. Feeding deer and placing minerals is banned year-round in Pettis 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.
Bryson's Hope Conservation Area: what is open when
Filtered for Bryson's Hope Conservation Area by its game list: 4 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 | |
| Bobwhite quail | Youth quail | Statewide | Oct 24, 2026 | Oct 25, 2026 | |
| Bobwhite quail | Quail | Statewide | Nov 1, 2026 | Jan 15, 2027 |
During firearms portions, Bryson's Hope Conservation Area allows muzzleloaders, not modern guns. 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 Bryson's Hope Conservation Area
Crow-flight distance from Bryson's Hope Conservation Area to W. R. Kearn Memorial Conservation Area is 1.1 mi (north); the table runs outward from there.
| Place | Type | Acres | County | Miles off | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W. R. Kearn Memorial CA | Conservation area | 282 | Pettis | 1.1 mi | north |
| Bruns Tract | Conservation area | – | Pettis | 2.1 mi | north |
| Hartwell CA | Conservation area | 165 | Pettis | 2.7 mi | north |
| J. N. Turkey Kearn Memorial WA | Conservation area | 1,675 | Johnson, Pettis | 4.6 mi | north |
| Grandfather Prairie CA | Conservation area | 80 | Pettis | 9.4 mi | east |
| Friendly Prairie CA | Conservation area | 40 | Pettis | 10 mi | east |
| Drovers Prairie CA | Conservation area | 80 | Pettis | 11 mi | east |
| Ionia Ridge CA | Conservation area | 233 | Benton | 11 mi | southeast |
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.
Bryson's Hope Conservation Area area harvest by year
Whole-county counts.
Hunters in Pettis County checked 2,867 deer in 2025, against 3,007 the year before; there is no figure for Bryson's Hope Conservation Area alone. The spring 2026 count for Pettis County was 271 turkeys (7 on public land). Recent CWD results for Pettis County: 0 positives, none on record.
| Permit year | Antlered bucks | Button bucks | Does | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1,348 | 236 | 1,283 | 2,867 |
| 2024 | 1,358 | 236 | 1,413 | 3,007 |
| 2023 | 1,338 | 281 | 1,527 | 3,146 |
| 2022 | 1,444 | 268 | 1,369 | 3,081 |
| 2021 | 1,380 | 249 | 1,265 | 2,894 |
| 2020 | 1,356 | 273 | 1,230 | 2,859 |
| Season | Spring | Public | Youth | Firearms (fall) | Archery (fall) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 271 | 7 | 28 | – | – |
| 2025 | 238 | 4 | 26 | 4 | 7 |
| 2024 | 219 | 9 | 17 | 3 | 8 |
| 2023 | 275 | 7 | 20 | 7 | 13 |
| 2022 | 219 | – | 19 | 10 | 13 |
| 2021 | 250 | – | 13 | 6 | 16 |
| Year | Samples | CWD found |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 9 | 0 |
| 2025 | 62 | 0 |
| 2024 | 88 | 0 |
| 2023 | 53 | 0 |
| 2022 | 48 | 0 |
| 2021 | 90 | 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 Bryson's Hope Conservation Area
From Bryson's Hope Conservation Area, Green Ridge is 4.4 mi away. Largest of the five: Sedalia, 22,310 people. Directions on file: From Green Ridge, take Route B west 3 miles, then Hope Dale Road south 2 miles. JN Kearn Memorial Wildlife Area Field Office (Green Ridge) sits 5.2 mi from Bryson's Hope Conservation Area, closer than any other MDC office.
| Town | County | People (2024) | Distance | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Green Ridge | Pettis | 599 | 4.4 mi | northeast |
| Calhoun | Henry | 405 | 11 mi | southwest |
| Sedalia | Pettis | 22,310 | 15 mi | northeast |
| Warrensburg | Johnson | 19,998 | 18 mi | northwest |
| Clinton | Henry | 9,449 | 22 mi | southwest |
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.
Bryson's Hope Conservation Area hunters: public range and clubs
Drive about 22 miles from Bryson's Hope Conservation Area to reach Ralph and Martha Perry Memorial 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 Bryson's Hope 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 | 6:42 a.m. | 7:43 p.m. | 6:12 a.m. to 8:13 p.m. | 6:12 a.m. to 7:43 p.m. |
| Sep 15, 2026 | Archery opener | 6:54 a.m. | 7:21 p.m. | 6:24 a.m. to 7:51 p.m. | 6:24 a.m. to 7:21 p.m. |
| Oct 1, 2026 | Fall firearms turkey | 7:09 a.m. | 6:55 p.m. | 6:39 a.m. to 7:25 p.m. | 6:39 a.m. to 6:55 p.m. |
| Nov 7, 2026 | Middle Zone ducks | 6:46 a.m. | 5:06 p.m. | 6:16 a.m. to 5:36 p.m. | 6:16 a.m. to 5:06 p.m. |
| Nov 14, 2026 | November firearms opener | 6:54 a.m. | 5:00 p.m. | 6:24 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. | 6:24 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. |
| Dec 26, 2026 | Alternative methods | 7:29 a.m. | 4:58 p.m. | 6:59 a.m. to 5:28 p.m. | 6:59 a.m. to 4:58 p.m. |
| Jan 15, 2027 | Archery close | 7:29 a.m. | 5:16 p.m. | 6:59 a.m. to 5:46 p.m. | 6:59 a.m. to 5:16 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 Bryson's Hope Conservation Area
Bryson's Hope Conservation Area questions with sourced answers
Bryson's Hope Conservation Area crowded: where next?
Next in line: W. R. Kearn Memorial Conservation Area (1.1 mi), Bruns Tract (2.1 mi) and Hartwell Conservation Area (2.7 mi).
What are deer hours at Bryson's Hope Conservation Area on Nov. 14?
Nov. 14 at the Bryson's Hope Conservation Area point: 6:25 a.m. to 5:31 p.m. for deer (sunrise 6:55 a.m.).
Bryson's Hope Conservation Area: size and manager?
Missouri Department of Conservation handles it, and it spans 290 acres.
How far is the nearest town from Bryson's Hope Conservation Area?
Green Ridge is the nearest town we cover, 4.4 mi off.
Is Bryson's Hope Conservation Area open for hunting this season?
Yes, deer, black bear, turkey and quail, following statewide seasons and any area limits.
Bryson's Hope 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.
What is the firearms antlerless limit around Bryson's Hope Conservation Area?
4 antlerless deer with firearms permits, under the Pettis County rule.
Can I use a rifle for deer on Bryson's Hope Conservation Area?
Muzzleloader and archery methods on this area. Only archery antlerless permits may be used.
Can I hunt turkey on Bryson's Hope Conservation Area?
Use archery and firearms. Fall gun season: Oct. 1-31.
What are the CWD rules around Bryson's Hope Conservation Area?
No mandatory station visit in this county. Do not feed deer or put out minerals.
Bear hunting near Bryson's Hope Conservation Area?
Bear here means a Zone 3 permit (quota 8).
Last word on Bryson's Hope Conservation Area
Confirm methods, permits and the Pettis County deer rules for Bryson's Hope 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: jbezdek (CC BY 2.0); cuatrok77 (CC BY-SA 2.0); USFWS Headquarters (CC BY 2.0).