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Conservation area · Missouri 2026-27
Crooked River Conservation Area hunting
A 2026-27 hunter guide to this conservation area in Ray County, 1,420 acres.
Photo: Jena Fuller (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Getting to Crooked River Conservation Area
Crooked River Conservation Area profile
Expect about 1,420 acres of public ground at Crooked River Conservation Area, Ray County. By size it ranks 1st of the 3 conservation areas we list in Ray County. MDC manages it from the Pony Express district of the Northwest Region.
Besides hunting, the MDC area page lists camping (individual campsites), fishing (sunfish, catfish, crappie, black bass) and trapping (special use permit).
What the area page says about it: The Conservation Department purchased Crooked River Conservation Area property in 1983 with funds from the 1/8 of 1% Design for Conservation sales tax. The area includes forest/woodland, several small ponds, and three miles of frontage on Crooked River. The area's diverse habitats create an ideal home for many species of wildlife, including deer, turkey, quail, squirrels, and songbirds.
Listed game: Deer, Turkey, Rabbit, Squirrel, Dove, Quail.
- White-tailed Deer
- Wild Turkey
- Eastern Cottontail
- Gray Squirrel
- Fox Squirrel
- Mourning Dove
- Northern Bobwhite Quail
From the agency record (Missouri Department of Conservation); checked October 29, 2026.
Nearby
Places to hunt and shoot around Crooked River Conservation Area
Crooked River Conservation Area: methods MDC allows
The rules below are what MDC lists for Crooked River Conservation Area on top of statewide seasons.
| Game | Allowed methods | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| White-tailed Deer | Muzzleloader, archery | Allowed |
| Wild Turkey | Archery and firearms | – |
| Eastern Cottontail | Statewide methods | – |
| Gray Squirrel | Statewide methods | – |
| Northern Bobwhite Quail | Statewide methods | – |
| Mourning Dove | Statewide methods | – |
Deer hunters on Crooked River Conservation Area are limited to muzzleloader and archery methods; antlerless permits may be used. Crooked River Conservation Area is archery and firearms for turkey. Code A in the conservation-area table: antlerless permits allowed on Crooked River Conservation Area. On MDC land, deer hunting is legal only where the area is listed; Crooked River 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.
Crooked River Conservation Area county rules for 2026-27
| Item | Ray 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 | None |
| Duck zone | North / Middle |
County rules apply on Crooked River Conservation Area; Ray County has a firearms antlerless limit of 4 for 2026-27. In Ray County, the Oct. 9-11 and Dec. 5-13 antlerless portions apply. Feeding deer and placing minerals is banned year-round in Ray County. 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.
Crooked River Conservation Area: what is open when
Filtered for Crooked River Conservation Area by its game list: 6 species, 16 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 | |
| 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 | |
| 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 |
During firearms portions, Crooked River 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.
Doves on Crooked River Conservation Area
For 2026 the dove layer shows 2 fields and 19.9 acres on Crooked River Conservation Area, mostly sunflower. MDC marks the fields open to all hunters. MDC names Crooked River 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 Crooked River Conservation Area
Crow-flight distance from Crooked River Conservation Area to Frank E. Wagner Conservation Area is 8.2 mi (east); the table runs outward from there.
| Place | Type | Acres | County | Miles off | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frank E. Wagner CA | Conservation area | 130 | Ray | 8.2 mi | east |
| Cooley Lake CA | Conservation area | 1,345 | Clay | 15 mi | southwest |
| Hardin CA | Conservation area | 238 | Ray | 15 mi | southeast |
| Swaith's Place Tract (MRAP) | MRAP tract | 155 | Caldwell | 15 mi | north |
| Bonanza CA | Conservation area | 1,948 | Caldwell | 16 mi | north |
| McBath (MRAP) | MRAP tract | 242 | Caldwell | 18 mi | north |
| W. L. Schifferdecker Memorial CA | Conservation area | 241 | Carroll | 20 mi | east |
| Nebo Hill Tract (MRAP) | MRAP tract | 79 | Clay | 21 mi | southwest |
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.
Crooked River Conservation Area area harvest by year
Whole-county counts.
Hunters in Ray County checked 1,800 deer in 2025, against 1,588 the year before; there is no figure for Crooked River Conservation Area alone. The spring 2026 count for Ray County was 218 turkeys (12 on public land). Recent CWD results for Ray County: 1 positive, first detected in 2022-2023.
| Permit year | Antlered bucks | Button bucks | Does | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 994 | 143 | 663 | 1,800 |
| 2024 | 930 | 83 | 575 | 1,588 |
| 2023 | 1,031 | 130 | 585 | 1,746 |
| 2022 | 973 | 121 | 605 | 1,699 |
| 2021 | 894 | 98 | 575 | 1,567 |
| 2020 | 923 | 113 | 525 | 1,561 |
| Season | Spring | Public | Youth | Firearms (fall) | Archery (fall) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 218 | 12 | 20 | – | – |
| 2025 | 173 | 6 | 12 | 13 | 5 |
| 2024 | 181 | 14 | 11 | 2 | 8 |
| 2023 | 167 | 4 | 8 | 3 | 8 |
| 2022 | 168 | – | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| 2021 | 150 | – | 7 | 5 | 11 |
| Year | Samples | CWD found |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 42 | 0 |
| 2024 | 282 | 0 |
| 2023 | 486 | 0 |
| 2022 | 108 | 1 |
| 2021 | 88 | 0 |
| 2020 | 77 | 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 Crooked River Conservation Area
From Crooked River Conservation Area, Rayville is 3.8 mi away. Largest of the five: Richmond, 5,939 people. Directions on file: From Richmond, take Highway 13 north 5 miles, then Route FF west 3 miles, then Wildlife Road north 1 mile to area entrance. Lake City Shooting Range and Outdoor Education Center (Buckner) sits 25 mi from Crooked River Conservation Area, closer than any other MDC office.
| Town | County | People (2024) | Distance | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rayville | Ray | – | 3.8 mi | south |
| Richmond | Ray | 5,939 | 9.6 mi | southeast |
| Kingston | Caldwell | 295 | 17 mi | north |
| Sibley | Jackson | 320 | 18 mi | southwest |
| Lexington | Lafayette | 4,595 | 18 mi | southeast |
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.
Crooked River Conservation Area hunters: public range and clubs
Drive about 25 miles from Crooked River Conservation Area to reach Lake City 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 Crooked River 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 | 6:45 a.m. | 7:46 p.m. | 6:15 a.m. to 8:16 p.m. | 6:15 a.m. to 7:46 p.m. |
| Sep 15, 2026 | Archery opener | 6:57 a.m. | 7:24 p.m. | 6:27 a.m. to 7:54 p.m. | 6:27 a.m. to 7:24 p.m. |
| Oct 1, 2026 | Fall firearms turkey | 7:12 a.m. | 6:58 p.m. | 6:42 a.m. to 7:28 p.m. | 6:42 a.m. to 6:58 p.m. |
| Nov 7, 2026 | Middle Zone ducks | 6:49 a.m. | 5:09 p.m. | 6:19 a.m. to 5:39 p.m. | 6:19 a.m. to 5:09 p.m. |
| Nov 14, 2026 | November firearms opener | 6:57 a.m. | 5:03 p.m. | 6:27 a.m. to 5:33 p.m. | 6:27 a.m. to 5:03 p.m. |
| Dec 26, 2026 | Alternative methods | 7:32 a.m. | 5:01 p.m. | 7:02 a.m. to 5:31 p.m. | 7:02 a.m. to 5:01 p.m. |
| Jan 15, 2027 | Archery close | 7:32 a.m. | 5:19 p.m. | 7:02 a.m. to 5:49 p.m. | 7:02 a.m. to 5:19 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.
Events tied to Crooked River Conservation Area and its surroundings
Kinds close by: NWTF chapter dinner. Count: 1 upcoming event.
Booked dates
| Held on | Event | Miles off | Where held | Link | Checked at |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 30, 2027 | Ray County Shortspurs NWTF Banquet · NWTF chapter dinner | 10 | Richmond | Buy tickets | Source |
Scenery to match Crooked River Conservation Area
Crooked River Conservation Area questions with sourced answers
Is Crooked River Conservation Area open for hunting this season?
Yes, deer, turkey, rabbit, squirrel, dove and quail, following statewide seasons and any area limits.
Crooked River 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 Crooked River Conservation Area?
4 antlerless deer with firearms permits, under the Ray County rule.
Can I use a rifle for deer on Crooked River Conservation Area?
Muzzleloader and archery methods on this area. Antlerless permits are allowed.
Can I hunt turkey on Crooked River Conservation Area?
Use archery and firearms. Fall gun season: Oct. 1-31.
What are the CWD rules around Crooked River Conservation Area?
No mandatory station visit in this county. Do not feed deer or put out minerals.
What are deer hours at Crooked River Conservation Area on Nov. 14?
Nov. 14 at the Crooked River Conservation Area point: 6:28 a.m. to 5:34 p.m. for deer (sunrise 6:58 a.m.).
How much dove field is on Crooked River Conservation Area?
2 fields totalling 19.9 acres.
How far is the nearest town from Crooked River Conservation Area?
Rayville is the nearest town we cover, 3.8 mi off.
Crooked River Conservation Area crowded: where next?
Next in line: Frank E. Wagner Conservation Area (8.2 mi), Cooley Lake Conservation Area (15 mi) and Hardin Conservation Area (15 mi).
Can hunters camp on Crooked River Conservation Area?
Yes, camping is listed.
Crooked River Conservation Area: size and manager?
Missouri Department of Conservation handles it, and it spans 1,420 acres.
Other photos on this page: MoBikeFed (CC BY 2.0); Kansas City District U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Public domain); Jim, the Photographer (CC BY 2.0).