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Dupont Reservation Conservation Area hunting
Seasons, methods and access for this conservation area in Pike County.
Photo: USFWS Midwest Region (Public Domain Mark 1.0)
Getting to Dupont Reservation Conservation Area
Dupont Reservation Conservation Area profile
Pike County is home to the 1,320 acres of Dupont Reservation Conservation Area. In acreage it places 4th among 6 conservation areas in Pike County. Management sits with MDC: Mark Twain district, Northeast Region.
When hunting is slow, Dupont Reservation Conservation Area offers camping (open camping-walk/float/backpack(no deer/turkey), designated camping sites, individual campsites), dog training and fishing (white bass, walleye/sauger, suckers, catfish), per MDC.
In the agency's words: From 1892 through 1932 a dynamite factory on this site provided explosives for lead, zinc and coal mines in the tri-state area and nitroglycerin for use in Oklahoma oil fields. Separate facilities were built in different valleys in this rough terrain to lessen the chance of a chain reaction explosion, should any one of the buildings explode. E.I. DuPont de Nemours and Company donated 1,122.8 acres to the Conservation Commission in 1938. Subsequent land purchases have increased the size of this area to its present 1,320 acres. The area consists of 975 acres of upland timber, 310 acres of bottomland timber and 35 acres of old fields and grassland. It also contains plantations of walnut, cottonwood, tulip poplar, pine, and bald cypress trees. A concrete boat ramp and primitive campground are located along a portion of 1.5 miles of Mississippi River frontage. DuPont Forest Natural Area is found east of Highway 79. This 80-acre tract is a mixed upland hardwood forest and small limestone glade, lying within the Lincoln Hills Section of the Glaciated Plains Natural Division.
Species on the record: Deer, Turkey, Squirrel.
From the agency record (Missouri Department of Conservation); checked October 29, 2026.
Nearby
Places to hunt and shoot around Dupont Reservation Conservation Area
Dupont Reservation Conservation Area methods and area rules
Methods for Dupont Reservation Conservation Area come from the MDC area page and the deer quick view.
| Quarry | Methods | Permits |
|---|---|---|
| White-tailed Deer | Archery and firearms | Allowed |
| Wild Turkey | Archery and firearms | – |
| Gray Squirrel | Statewide methods | – |
Plan on archery and firearms for deer at Dupont Reservation Conservation Area; antlerless permits may be used. For turkey, MDC allows archery and firearms on Dupont Reservation Conservation Area. Antlerless code A applies to Dupont Reservation Conservation Area, so antlerless permits allowed. MDC limits deer hunting on its areas to the listed ones, and Dupont Reservation Conservation Area is listed.
Sources: area page, area regulations, deer quick view; booklet table: 2026 Fall Deer and Turkey booklet, pp. 42-55. Checked October 29, 2026.
Pike County rules on Dupont Reservation Conservation Area
| County rule | Pike 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 |
For deer, Pike County sets the rules on Dupont Reservation Conservation Area: firearms antlerless limit 4. Antlerless portions: open in October and December for Pike County. Mandatory CWD sampling applies in Pike County on opening weekend of the November portion (1 station in the county). No CWD portion, no CWD Management Zone and no antler-point restriction this season.
- Pike County Fairgrounds, 15894 Hwy. 54 , Bowling Green
2026 Fall Deer and Turkey booklet county rules, MDC CWD rules and 2026 bear digest; checked October 29, 2026.
Open dates on Dupont Reservation Conservation Area
Open-now status is in the last column; 12 rows apply to Dupont Reservation Conservation Area.
| Quarry | Season | Where | Opening | Closing | 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 | |
| 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 | |
| Squirrels | Squirrel season | Statewide | May 23, 2026 | Feb 15, 2027 |
Archery deer is closed during the November firearms portion, Nov. 14-24.
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.
Pike County deer and turkey harvest near Dupont Reservation Conservation Area
County-level data from MDC.
MDC reports deer harvest by county, not by area: Pike County checked 4,848 deer in the 2025 permit year, 10% more than in 2024. Public land gave up 16 of the 419 spring 2026 turkeys in Pike County. CWD samples from Pike County turned up 0 positives in recent years.
| Season | Antlered bucks | Button bucks | Does | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1,818 | 488 | 2,542 | 4,848 |
| 2024 | 1,570 | 477 | 2,378 | 4,425 |
| 2023 | 1,876 | 480 | 2,499 | 4,855 |
| 2022 | 1,912 | 420 | 2,235 | 4,567 |
| 2021 | 1,548 | 467 | 2,011 | 4,026 |
| 2020 | 1,815 | 429 | 2,069 | 4,313 |
| Year | Spring | Public land | Youth | Fall firearms | Fall archery |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 419 | 16 | 57 | – | – |
| 2025 | 356 | 19 | 48 | 12 | 5 |
| 2024 | 336 | 26 | 37 | 18 | 11 |
| 2023 | 339 | 19 | 18 | 8 | 20 |
| 2022 | 255 | – | 23 | 13 | 18 |
| 2021 | 297 | – | 13 | 6 | 24 |
| Year | Deer tested | Positive |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 12 | 0 |
| 2025 | 57 | 0 |
| 2024 | 62 | 0 |
| 2023 | 70 | 0 |
| 2022 | 63 | 0 |
| 2021 | 54 | 0 |
MDC 2025 deer harvest summary, MDC turkey harvest summaries and MDC CWD dashboard; earlier years from the yearly reports. Checked October 29, 2026.
Dupont Reservation Conservation Area and nearby public land, mapped
Edward Anderson Conservation Area (3.4 mi, northwest) tops the neighbor list for Dupont Reservation Conservation Area, measured as the crow flies.
| Neighbor | Category | Acreage | County | Distance | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Edward Anderson CA | Conservation area | 1,046 | Pike, Ralls | 3.4 mi | northwest |
| Ted Shanks CA | Conservation area | 4,026 | Pike | 4.8 mi | southeast |
| Ranacker CA | Conservation area | 1,831 | Pike | 10 mi | southwest |
| Julian Steyermark Woods CA | Conservation area | 72 | Marion | 17 mi | northwest |
| J. Thad Ray Memorial WA | Conservation area | 148 | Marion | 17 mi | northwest |
| Upper Mississippi CA | Conservation area | 14,912 | Lewis, Lincoln | 24 mi | southeast |
| Fabius Chute Access | Public access area | 38 | Marion | 25 mi | northwest |
| Soulard Access | Public access area | 270 | Marion | 28 mi | northwest |
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.
Getting supplies near Dupont Reservation Conservation Area
Nearest town with its own page: Saverton, 7.4 mi. For a hardware store or a motel, Bowling Green (4,380 people) is 15 mi away. Getting there, per MDC: From Hannibal, take Highway 79 south 17 miles, then Route TT east, then north onto gravel road at Ted Shanks Conservation Area entrance, 1.70 miles to ramp. The closest MDC office on file is Ted Shanks Conservation Area Field Office, about 1.6 mi from Dupont Reservation Conservation Area.
| Place | County | Population | Distance | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saverton | Ralls | – | 7.4 mi | northwest |
| Frankford | Pike | 346 | 8.5 mi | southwest |
| Louisiana | Pike | 3,244 | 10 mi | southeast |
| New London | Ralls | 977 | 11 mi | west |
| Bowling Green | Pike | 4,380 | 15 mi | south |
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.
Dupont Reservation Conservation Area hunting hours on key dates
MDC prints one sunrise and sunset table for Jefferson City and tells hunters to adjust it by 1 minute for every 13.5 miles east or west. For Dupont Reservation Conservation Area that means subtract 4 minutes.
| Date | Opener or close | Sunrise | Sunset | Deer | Migratory |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 1, 2026 | Dove opener | 6:34 a.m. | 7:35 p.m. | 6:04 a.m. to 8:05 p.m. | 6:04 a.m. to 7:35 p.m. |
| Sep 15, 2026 | Archery opener | 6:46 a.m. | 7:13 p.m. | 6:16 a.m. to 7:43 p.m. | 6:16 a.m. to 7:13 p.m. |
| Oct 1, 2026 | Fall firearms turkey | 7:01 a.m. | 6:47 p.m. | 6:31 a.m. to 7:17 p.m. | 6:31 a.m. to 6:47 p.m. |
| Nov 7, 2026 | Middle Zone ducks | 6:38 a.m. | 4:58 p.m. | 6:08 a.m. to 5:28 p.m. | 6:08 a.m. to 4:58 p.m. |
| Nov 14, 2026 | November firearms opener | 6:46 a.m. | 4:52 p.m. | 6:16 a.m. to 5:22 p.m. | 6:16 a.m. to 4:52 p.m. |
| Dec 26, 2026 | Alternative methods | 7:21 a.m. | 4:50 p.m. | 6:51 a.m. to 5:20 p.m. | 6:51 a.m. to 4:50 p.m. |
| Jan 15, 2027 | Archery close | 7:21 a.m. | 5:08 p.m. | 6:51 a.m. to 5:38 p.m. | 6:51 a.m. to 5:08 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.
Dupont Reservation Conservation Area hunters: public range and clubs
Pike County has the public range nearest Dupont Reservation Conservation Area: Ranacker CA range (9 miles). Two club ranges follow.
From MDC area pages and the MDC Shooting Ranges layer, the operators’ pages and directory listings, checked October 29, 2026.
Photo strip for Dupont Reservation Conservation Area
Dupont Reservation Conservation Area hunter FAQ
May the public hunt at Dupont Reservation Conservation Area?
Open for deer, turkey and squirrel, with the methods shown in the rules section.
What deer methods are allowed on Dupont Reservation Conservation Area?
The deer rule is archery and firearms. Antlerless permits are allowed.
Which antlerless rule covers Dupont Reservation Conservation Area?
Missouri sets it by county; Pike County allows 4 on firearms permits. Antlerless portions are open.
Is deer feeding banned near Dupont Reservation Conservation Area?
CWD rules in Pike County: sampling mandatory Nov. 14-15, feed ban no.
Is Dupont Reservation Conservation Area good for fall turkey?
Turkey is archery and firearms; fall firearms is open.
Dupont Reservation Conservation Area shooting hours for the November opener?
Roughly 6:16 a.m. until 5:22 p.m., worked out for this spot.
Dupont Reservation Conservation Area crowded: where next?
In order of distance: Edward Anderson Conservation Area (3.4 mi), Ted Shanks Conservation Area (4.8 mi) and Ranacker Conservation Area (10 mi).
Nearest town with services to Dupont Reservation Conservation Area?
Saverton (Ralls County), about 7.4 mi away.
Dupont Reservation Conservation Area: size and manager?
The record lists 1,320 acres; Missouri Department of Conservation is in charge.
Can hunters camp on Dupont Reservation Conservation Area?
Hours are 4 a.m. to 10 p.m.; campsites are listed.
Is there an area permit for Dupont Reservation Conservation Area?
Missouri permits for the game you hunt; deer need an Archer's or Firearms permit, migratory birds a Migratory Bird permit.
Dupont Reservation Conservation Area final checklist
Signs on the ground outrank any web page; look for posted refuge and closed zones on Dupont Reservation Conservation Area.
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); Jacob Norlund (CC BY 2.0); grendelkhan (CC BY-SA 2.0).