Cuivre Island Conservation Area, a hunter guide

Cuivre Island Conservation Area basics

At 1,461 acres, Cuivre Island Conservation Area is part of the public ground of Lincoln and St. Charles counties. Among the 9 conservation areas of Lincoln County, it sits 4th for acres. The Great Rivers district (MDC St. Louis Region) handles habitat work on Cuivre Island Conservation Area.

The atlas entry for Cuivre Island Conservation Area also shows fishing (white bass, sunfish, catfish, crappie) and trapping (special use permit).

MDC describes the area this way: Cuivre Island Conservation Area is in Lincoln and St. Charles counties, near Old Monroe. Access to the area is by Dalbow Road, off Highway 79. The majority of the area is an island within Mississippi River navigation pool 26, between river miles 235 and 238. The area was purchased through a cooperative effort among the Conservation Department, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and The Nature Conservancy. Most of the 1,461-acre area was acquired to provide wildlife habitat as mitigation lands for the construction of Melvin Price Lock and Dam (26). Cuivre Island Conservation Area consists of three separate tracts of land (mainland tract, Cuivre Island tract, and Turkey Island tract). The mainland tract is 100 acres of mostly forested land. The mainland tract does provide a parking lot and a boat launch to access Cuivre Slough. Cuivre Island, at 1,240 acres, is mostly timbered, with 80 acres of old field, 40 acres of reforestation and 60 acres of sloughs. The island can be reached by boat from the mainland tract during normal river conditions.

Hunted here: Deer, Turkey, Rabbit, Squirrel, Waterfowl.

• White-tailed Deer
• Wild Turkey
• Eastern Cottontail
• Gray Squirrel
• Fox Squirrel
• Ducks
• Canada Goose
• Teal

From the agency record (Missouri Department of Conservation); checked October 29, 2026.

Cuivre Island Conservation Area by season

These 16 rows are the 2026-27 seasons that fit Cuivre Island Conservation Area and its game list.

Gun portions are dropped: deer on Cuivre Island Conservation Area are archery only. Youth portions are for hunters 6 to 15 years old.

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.

Shooting hours in Cuivre Island Conservation Area

Sunrise in the Bootheel and in the Kansas City area can be 20 minutes apart, so use the adjusted times for Cuivre Island Conservation Area.

Lights are allowed only for treed furbearers and coyotes in set periods.

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.

Close relatives of Cuivre Island Conservation Area on the map

Cuivre Island Conservation Area: confirm these first

Area rules, closures and managed hunt notices on Cuivre Island Conservation Area can change; posted signs and the agency page have the final word.

Sources: source · source · source · source; regulations from the 2026 Fall Deer and Turkey booklet. Checked October 29, 2026.