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Conservation area · Missouri 2026-27
Coldwater Conservation Area hunting
A 2026-27 hunter guide to this conservation area in Wayne County, 10,804 acres.
Photo: USFWS Midwest Region (Public Domain Mark 1.0)
Getting to Coldwater Conservation Area
Coldwater Conservation Area profile
Expect about 10,804 acres of public ground at Coldwater Conservation Area, Wayne County. By size it ranks 1st of the 9 conservation areas we list in Wayne County. MDC manages it from the Clearwater South district of the Southeast Region.
Besides hunting, the MDC area page lists camping (open camping – walk-in/float-in/backpack, designated camping sites) and dog training.
What the area page says about it: This area is mainly forested with 120 acres of field management.This area has unimproved roads that are open to public vehicles. These roads may not be shown on area maps or posted with signs. Road conditions may vary.
Listed game: Deer, Black bear, Turkey, Rabbit, Squirrel, Dove.
From the agency record (Missouri Department of Conservation); checked October 29, 2026.
Nearby
Places to hunt and shoot around Coldwater Conservation Area
Coldwater Conservation Area: methods MDC allows
The rules below are what MDC lists for Coldwater Conservation Area on top of statewide seasons.
| Game | Allowed methods | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| White-tailed Deer | Managed hunts only | Drawing only |
| Wild Turkey | Archery and firearms | – |
| Black Bear | Archery and firearms | Zone permit |
| Eastern Cottontail | Statewide methods | – |
| Gray Squirrel | Statewide methods | – |
| Mourning Dove | Statewide methods | – |
Coldwater Conservation Area, portion by portion
| Portion | Deer rule | Code | Turkey rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inside Disabled Hunt Area | Managed | – | – |
| Outside Disabled Hunt Area | Firearms | B | Both |
Coldwater Conservation Area is archery and firearms for turkey. For drawn bear hunters, Coldwater Conservation Area is archery and firearms. Check which portion you hunt: Coldwater Conservation Area has 2 booklet rows, and the antlerless code (A, B or C) can differ between them. On MDC land, deer hunting is legal only where the area is listed; Coldwater 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.
Coldwater Conservation Area county rules for 2026-27
| Item | Wayne County |
|---|---|
| Firearms antlerless limit | 1 deer |
| Antlerless portions | Closed |
| CWD sampling Nov. 14-15 | Mandatory |
| Feed and mineral ban | No |
| Share the Harvest CWD test | No |
| Fall firearms turkey | Open |
| Dogs, November portion | No squirrel, rabbit dogs |
| Elk county | No |
| Bear zone | Zone 2 |
| Duck zone | Middle |
County rules apply on Coldwater Conservation Area; Wayne County has a firearms antlerless limit of 1 for 2026-27. The early (Oct. 9-11) and late (Dec. 5-13) antlerless portions are closed in Wayne County. Wayne County is one of the 28 mandatory sampling counties: present deer shot Nov. 14-15 for testing. The bear zone here is 2: 750 permits, quota 22, season Oct. 17-30. The November dog rule covers Wayne County. Removed for 2026: the CWD portion, the management zone and the antler-point restriction.
- Piedmont MDC Office, 410 Piedmont Ave. , Piedmont
- Greenville City Park, 248 Maple St., Greenville
- Redman Creek Recreation Area: Bill Emerson Visitor Center Shelter #3, 10276 Rte. T, Wapapello
2026 Fall Deer and Turkey booklet county rules, MDC CWD rules and 2026 bear digest; checked October 29, 2026.
Who hunts Coldwater Conservation Area by drawing
MDC drew 5 hunters for 1 managed hunt on Coldwater Conservation Area this season. By category the hunts break down as people with disabilities (1). Drawn hunters were picked from applications due Jul 31, 2026.
| Number | Category | Days | Drawn | Bag code | Orientation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| – | People with Disabilities – Firearms | Nov. 14–24 | 5 | F | – |
MDC Managed Deer Hunts List 2026-2027; checked October 29, 2026.
Coldwater Conservation Area: what is open when
Filtered for Coldwater Conservation Area by its game list: 5 species, 7 season rows.
| Species | Season | Applies | Opens | Closes | Today |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | |
| Rabbits | Rabbit hunting | Statewide | Oct 1, 2026 | Feb 15, 2027 | |
| Squirrels | Squirrel season | Statewide | May 23, 2026 | Feb 15, 2027 | |
| Doves | Dove season | Statewide | Sep 1, 2026 | Nov 29, 2026 |
General deer seasons are left out: deer on Coldwater Conservation Area are hunted only in its managed hunts. 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.
Doves on Coldwater Conservation Area
MDC names Coldwater Conservation Area a dove management area. Hunt doves from Sep 1, 2026 to Nov 29, 2026.
MDC 2026 dove field layer and Dove Management Areas; checked October 29, 2026.
Map around Coldwater Conservation Area
Crow-flight distance from Coldwater Conservation Area to Coldwater Access is 7.1 mi (northwest); the table runs outward from there.
| Place | Type | Acres | County | Miles off | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coldwater Access | Public access area | 79 | Wayne | 7.1 mi | northwest |
| Iron Bridge Access | Public access area | 70 | Wayne | 8.4 mi | southeast |
| Wappapello Lake Management Lands | Corps lake land | 1,880 | Wayne | 9.3 mi | west |
| Castor River CA | Conservation area | 9,990 | Bollinger | 10 mi | east |
| Graves Mountain CA | Conservation area | 3,027 | Iron, Wayne | 11 mi | west |
| Gipsy Towersite | Towersite | 40 | Bollinger | 13 mi | southeast |
| Marquand Access | Public access area | 63 | Madison | 14 mi | northeast |
| Sweetgum Access | Public access area | 161 | Bollinger | 14 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.
Coldwater Conservation Area area harvest by year
Whole-county counts.
Hunters in Wayne County checked 4,081 deer in 2025, against 2,680 the year before; there is no figure for Coldwater Conservation Area alone. The spring 2026 count for Wayne County was 339 turkeys (121 on public land). Recent CWD results for Wayne County: 0 positives, none on record.
| Permit year | Antlered bucks | Button bucks | Does | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1,898 | 402 | 1,781 | 4,081 |
| 2024 | 1,262 | 281 | 1,137 | 2,680 |
| 2023 | 1,888 | 421 | 1,705 | 4,014 |
| 2022 | 1,583 | 337 | 1,315 | 3,235 |
| 2021 | 1,606 | 315 | 1,132 | 3,053 |
| 2020 | 1,986 | 566 | 1,991 | 4,543 |
| Season | Spring | Public | Youth | Firearms (fall) | Archery (fall) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 339 | 121 | 42 | – | – |
| 2025 | 443 | 195 | 44 | 40 | 18 |
| 2024 | 372 | 146 | 29 | 23 | 11 |
| 2023 | 290 | 136 | 27 | 26 | 32 |
| 2022 | 204 | – | 17 | 20 | 12 |
| 2021 | 244 | – | 23 | 22 | 19 |
| Year | Samples | CWD found |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 1 | 0 |
| 2025 | 39 | 0 |
| 2024 | 126 | 0 |
| 2023 | 78 | 0 |
| 2022 | 46 | 0 |
| 2021 | 51 | 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 Coldwater Conservation Area
From Coldwater Conservation Area, Greenville is 10 mi away. Largest of the five: Piedmont, 1,869 people. Directions on file: From Greenville, take Highway 67 north approximately 13 miles to Trail 607 to enter the main tract's west side. Other tracts can be accessed via Highway 34 east of Silva, MO. Piedmont Office (Piedmont) sits 19 mi from Coldwater Conservation Area, closer than any other MDC office.
| Town | County | People (2024) | Distance | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Greenville | Wayne | 439 | 10 mi | southwest |
| Cherokee Pass | Madison | – | 16 mi | north |
| Zalma | Bollinger | – | 17 mi | southeast |
| Cobalt | Madison | 263 | 20 mi | north |
| Piedmont | Wayne | 1,869 | 20 mi | west |
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.
Coldwater Conservation Area hunters: public range and clubs
Drive about 12 miles from Coldwater Conservation Area to reach Castor River CA range, the nearest public lanes.
From MDC area pages and the MDC Shooting Ranges layer, the operators’ pages and directory listings, checked October 29, 2026.
Legal hours for Coldwater 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 | 6:31 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.
Scenery to match Coldwater Conservation Area
Coldwater Conservation Area questions with sourced answers
Is Coldwater Conservation Area open for hunting this season?
Drawn managed hunts only (1 hunt in 2026-27).
Coldwater 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 are the CWD rules around Coldwater Conservation Area?
Bring opening-weekend deer to a station. The feed ban does not apply.
What is the firearms antlerless limit around Coldwater Conservation Area?
1 antlerless deer with firearms permits, under the Wayne County rule.
Bear hunting near Coldwater Conservation Area?
Bear here means a Zone 2 permit (quota 22).
Can I hunt turkey on Coldwater Conservation Area?
Use archery and firearms. Fall gun season: Oct. 1-31.
What are deer hours at Coldwater Conservation Area on Nov. 14?
Nov. 14 at the Coldwater Conservation Area point: 6:13 a.m. to 5:19 p.m. for deer (sunrise 6:43 a.m.).
How do I get into a managed hunt at Coldwater Conservation Area?
Yes, 1 in 2026-27, 5 spots, applied for in July.
How far is the nearest town from Coldwater Conservation Area?
Greenville is the nearest town we cover, 10 mi off.
Coldwater Conservation Area crowded: where next?
Next in line: Coldwater Access (7.1 mi), Iron Bridge Access (8.4 mi) and Wappapello Lake Management Lands (9.3 mi).
Can hunters camp on Coldwater Conservation Area?
Yes, camping is listed, and the area is open 4 a.m. to 10 p.m..
Coldwater Conservation Area: size and manager?
Missouri Department of Conservation handles it, and it spans 10,804 acres.
Other photos on this page: USFWS Midwest Region (Public Domain Mark 1.0); USFWS Midwest Region (Public Domain Mark 1.0); ImagePerson (CC BY 4.0).