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State park hunt · 2026-27
Cuivre River State Park hunting guide
What the managing agency publishes about this state park with a managed deer hunt in Lincoln County, in one page.
Photo: Matt Zimmerman (CC BY 2.0)
Getting to Cuivre River State Park
Cuivre River State Park: acres, manager and game
The record gives Cuivre River State Park 6,364 acres in Lincoln County. Within Lincoln County it stands alone among state parks with managed deer hunts. Missouri Department of Natural Resources, Division of State Parks oversees it.
Game species: Deer.
From the agency record (Missouri Department of Natural Resources, Division of State Parks); checked October 29, 2026.
Nearby
Places to hunt and shoot around Cuivre River State Park
Neighbors of Cuivre River State Park on the map
Count on Kessler Memorial Wildlife Area as the first fallback, 2.2 mi northeast of Cuivre River State Park.
| Public land | Type | Acres | County | Distance | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kessler Memorial WA | Conservation area | 157 | Lincoln | 2.2 mi | northeast |
| William R. Logan CA | Conservation area | 1,798 | Lincoln | 9.6 mi | northwest |
| Vonaventure Memorial Forest and WA | Conservation area | 203 | Lincoln | 9.9 mi | northwest |
| William G. and Erma Parke White Memorial WA (810 acres) | Conservation area | 810 | Lincoln | 10 mi | north |
| Sandy Island CA | Conservation area | 308 | Lincoln | 12 mi | east |
| B. K. Leach Memorial CA | Conservation area | 4,308 | Lincoln | 13 mi | northeast |
| Cuivre Island CA | Conservation area | 1,461 | Lincoln, St. Charles | 16 mi | southeast |
| Prairie Slough CA | Conservation area | 584 | Lincoln, Pike | 16 mi | northeast |
Points: MoDNR Missouri State Parks Boundaries layer (polygon centroid of the largest part). Straight-line distances. Statewide public land map.
Calendar of hunts for Cuivre River State Park
Cuivre River State Park gets 8 dated rows once the Lincoln County calendar is trimmed to its game list.
| Game | Segment | Where | Starts | Ends | 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 |
Rabbits may be hunted sunrise to sunset; trapping seasons are on the species pages.
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.
Managed deer hunts on Cuivre River State Park
The 2026-27 managed deer hunt list gives Cuivre River State Park 1 hunt and 100 drawn spots. MDC groups them as firearms (1). MDC took applications through Jul 31, 2026; results go out from mid-August.
| Hunt | Kind | Dates | Hunters drawn | Limit | Meeting |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 91 | Firearms | Oct. 31–Nov. 1 | 100 | D | Oct. 30 |
MDC Managed Deer Hunts List 2026-2027; checked October 29, 2026.
Which county rules govern Cuivre River State Park
| Rule | Lincoln County |
|---|---|
| Firearms antlerless limit | 4 deer |
| Antlerless portions | Open |
| 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 rule |
| Elk county | No |
| Bear zone | None |
| Duck zone | North / Middle |
Missouri sets deer rules county by county, so Cuivre River State Park follows Lincoln County: up to 4 antlerless deer on firearms permits. Lincoln County opens for both antlerless portions this year. Opening-weekend deer from Lincoln County (Nov. 14-15) must be sampled for CWD. MDC retired the CWD portion, its management zone and the antler-point restriction for 2026.
- Lincoln County Fairgrounds, 1 Fairgrounds Rd. , Troy
2026 Fall Deer and Turkey booklet county rules, MDC CWD rules and 2026 bear digest; checked October 29, 2026.
Cuivre River State Park town and service list
Troy lies closest, about 5.0 mi as the crow flies. Need MDC staff? August A. Busch Shooting Range and Outdoor Education Center in Defiance is 25 mi out.
| Nearest towns | County | Population | Miles | Heading |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Troy | Lincoln | 14,963 | 5.0 mi | south |
| Silex | Lincoln | 265 | 9.1 mi | northwest |
| Elsberry | Lincoln | 2,084 | 12 mi | northeast |
| Old Monroe | Lincoln | 279 | 12 mi | southeast |
| Truesdale | Warren | 929 | 18 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.
Cuivre River State Park: deer, turkey and CWD by year
County figures, the smallest unit MDC publishes.
The county total for 2025 was 4,503 deer (1,890 antlered bucks), the closest MDC figure for Cuivre River State Park. 23 public-land birds out of 403 in spring 2026, Lincoln County. 0 positive deers in Lincoln County in the sample years shown.
| Permit year | Antlered bucks | Button bucks | Does | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1,890 | 414 | 2,199 | 4,503 |
| 2024 | 1,605 | 380 | 2,113 | 4,098 |
| 2023 | 1,802 | 460 | 2,253 | 4,515 |
| 2022 | 1,851 | 403 | 2,056 | 4,310 |
| 2021 | 1,686 | 416 | 1,782 | 3,884 |
| 2020 | 1,579 | 379 | 1,662 | 3,620 |
| Year | Spring harvest | Public land share | Youth weekend | Fall firearms | Fall archery |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 403 | 23 | 85 | – | – |
| 2025 | 395 | 23 | 76 | 14 | 7 |
| 2024 | 370 | 19 | 51 | 11 | 20 |
| 2023 | 370 | 24 | 37 | 26 | 29 |
| 2022 | 283 | – | 42 | 24 | 36 |
| 2021 | 277 | – | 27 | 16 | 29 |
| Season | Tested | Positives |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 9 | 0 |
| 2025 | 71 | 0 |
| 2024 | 51 | 0 |
| 2023 | 55 | 0 |
| 2022 | 52 | 0 |
| 2021 | 53 | 0 |
MDC 2025 deer harvest summary, MDC turkey harvest summaries and MDC CWD dashboard; earlier years from the yearly reports. Checked October 29, 2026.
Cuivre River State Park, the event calendar nearby
About 10 straight-line miles out from the area there is 1 upcoming event.
Coming up
| Held on | Event | Mi | Where held | Link | Checked at |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 20, 2027 | Lincoln Hills NWTF Banquet · NWTF chapter dinner | 9 | Silex | Buy tickets | Source |
First and last shooting light in Cuivre River State Park
The times below start from the MDC Jefferson City table and subtract 5 minutes for Cuivre River State Park, as the booklet directs.
| Date | Season point | Sunrise | Sunset | Deer, bear, elk | Ducks, doves, geese |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 1, 2026 | Dove opener | 6:33 a.m. | 7:34 p.m. | 6:03 a.m. to 8:04 p.m. | 6:03 a.m. to 7:34 p.m. |
| Sep 15, 2026 | Archery opener | 6:45 a.m. | 7:12 p.m. | 6:15 a.m. to 7:42 p.m. | 6:15 a.m. to 7:12 p.m. |
| Oct 1, 2026 | Fall firearms turkey | 7:00 a.m. | 6:46 p.m. | 6:30 a.m. to 7:16 p.m. | 6:30 a.m. to 6:46 p.m. |
| Nov 7, 2026 | Middle Zone ducks | 6:37 a.m. | 4:57 p.m. | 6:07 a.m. to 5:27 p.m. | 6:07 a.m. to 4:57 p.m. |
| Nov 14, 2026 | November firearms opener | 6:45 a.m. | 4:51 p.m. | 6:15 a.m. to 5:21 p.m. | 6:15 a.m. to 4:51 p.m. |
| Dec 26, 2026 | Alternative methods | 7:20 a.m. | 4:49 p.m. | 6:50 a.m. to 5:19 p.m. | 6:50 a.m. to 4:49 p.m. |
| Jan 15, 2027 | Archery close | 7:20 a.m. | 5:07 p.m. | 6:50 a.m. to 5:37 p.m. | 6:50 a.m. to 5:07 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.
Missouri scenes for Cuivre River State Park
Cuivre River State Park hunters: public range and clubs
William R. Logan CA range (public, free) is 9 miles from Cuivre River State Park. 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.
Cuivre River State Park questions with sourced answers
Is Cuivre River State Park open for hunting this season?
No general hunting. Cuivre River State Park takes part only in 1 managed deer hunt by drawing.
What is the antlerless limit for Cuivre River State Park?
Lincoln County sets a firearms antlerless fill limit of 4, and its antlerless portions are open.
Does the feed ban cover Cuivre River State Park?
For Lincoln County, sampling is required on Nov. 14-15 and the feed ban does not apply.
Does MDC hold a drawing for Cuivre River State Park?
MDC lists 1 managed hunts here; the July 1-31 application window decides who goes.
How long is the legal day at Cuivre River State Park in mid-November?
From 6:15 a.m. until 5:21 p.m. on Nov. 14, by the MDC table with the longitude correction.
Closest public alternatives to Cuivre River State Park?
The three nearest: Kessler Memorial Wildlife Area (2.2 mi), William R. Logan Conservation Area (9.6 mi) and Vonaventure Memorial Forest and Wildlife Area (9.9 mi).
Where do I buy gas near Cuivre River State Park?
About 5.0 mi to Troy.
How large an area is Cuivre River State Park?
Roughly 6,364 acres, looked after by Missouri Department of Natural Resources, Division of State Parks.
What paperwork covers a hunt at Cuivre River State Park?
Buy the matching Missouri permit (Missouri calls them permits); waterfowl also need the federal duck stamp.
Leaving for Cuivre River State Park?
Missouri sells permits, not licenses: buy the right one before you hunt Cuivre River State Park, and wear hunter orange in the firearms portions.
Sources: source · source · source · source; regulations from the 2026 Fall Deer and Turkey booklet. Checked October 29, 2026.
Other photos on this page: Andy Reago & Chrissy McClarren (CC BY 2.0); USFWS Midwest Region (Public Domain Mark 1.0); USFWS Mountain Prairie (Public domain).