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Missouri conservation area
Howell Island Conservation Area, a hunter guide
2,548 acres of conservation area in St. Charles County and 1 neighboring county: area rules, season dates and nearby land.
Photo: Mona Maynard (CC BY 2.0)
Getting to Howell Island Conservation Area
Howell Island Conservation Area basics
Howell Island Conservation Area measures 2,548 acres on the map and sits in St. Charles and St. Louis counties. St. Charles County has 6 conservation areas on our list; this one is the 4th largest. MDC lists Howell Island Conservation Area in its Great Rivers district, St. Louis Region.
Non-hunting activities on the area page: trails (biking, hiking), fishing (catfish, crappie) and trapping (special use permit).
The area page says: Howell Island Conservation Area is located in St. Charles County, across the Missouri River from the Weldon Spring Conservation Area. Access to the island is by boat only. This 2,548-acre island was purchased by the Conservation Department in 1978. It is mostly forested with bottomland trees such as cottonwood and sycamore, but shrub/grass fields also provide important habitat for wildlife.
Species named: Deer, Turkey, Squirrel.
From the agency record (Missouri Department of Conservation); checked October 29, 2026.
Nearby
Places to hunt and shoot around Howell Island Conservation Area
How Howell Island Conservation Area may be hunted
Area methods and permits for Howell Island Conservation Area, condensed from MDC.
| Game | How | Extra rule |
|---|---|---|
| White-tailed Deer | Archery only | Allowed |
| Wild Turkey | Archery and firearms | – |
| Gray Squirrel | Statewide methods | – |
Howell Island Conservation Area area regulations
- Unless otherwise posted, bicycles, including electric bicycles as defined in the Missouri Wildlife Code ( Chapter 20- Definitions) , are allowed on roads open to vehicular traffic and service roads (designated in the online conservation atlas). Bicycles must stay on roads open to vehicular traffic or service roads, or on multi-use trails posted as open to bicycles. Bicycle use is not allowed on service roads passing through designated natural areas (designated in the online conservation atlas). Groups of 10 or more people using bicycles on a department area must obtain a special use permit.
The deer rule for Howell Island Conservation Area is archery methods only, and antlerless permits may be used here. Turkey on Howell Island Conservation Area: archery and firearms under the area listing. Booklet code A for Howell Island Conservation Area means antlerless permits allowed. Only areas on the MDC deer list allow deer hunting; Howell Island Conservation Area made the list.
Sources: area page, area regulations, deer quick view; booklet table: 2026 Fall Deer and Turkey booklet, pp. 42-55. Checked October 29, 2026.
Howell Island Conservation Area: the St. Charles County rules
| Rule | St. Charles County | St. Louis County |
|---|---|---|
| Firearms antlerless limit | 4 deer | 4 deer |
| Antlerless portions | Open | Open |
| CWD sampling Nov. 14-15 | Mandatory | No |
| Feed and mineral ban | Yes | Yes |
| Share the Harvest CWD test | Required | Required |
| Fall firearms turkey | Open | Open |
| Dogs, November portion | No rule | No rule |
| Elk county | No | No |
| Bear zone | Zone 2 | Zone 2 |
| Duck zone | Middle | Middle |
The county is the deer unit here. St. Charles County allows 4 firearms antlerless deer this year. St. Charles County is one of the 100 counties open during the antlerless portions. St. Charles County hunters must have opening-weekend deer sampled, at one of 2 stations in the county. The year-round feed and mineral ban covers St. Charles County. St. Charles County lies in Black Bear Management Zone 2, where 750 permits were issued against a quota of 22. Three older rules are gone for 2026: the CWD portion, the CWD Management Zone and the antler-point rule. Howell Island Conservation Area reaches more than one county, so check which county you stand in before filling an antlerless permit.
- Parking lot north of Emerald View Turf Farm, Hwy. 79 , O'Fallon
- Weldon Spring Conservation Area Shop, 6990 Hwy. 94 S., Weldon Spring
2026 Fall Deer and Turkey booklet county rules, MDC CWD rules and 2026 bear digest; checked October 29, 2026.
Dates that apply at Howell Island Conservation Area
6 rows for Howell Island Conservation Area (3 species), cut down to its game list.
| Game | Season | Area | From | To | Open now? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White-tailed deer | Archery, first part | Statewide | Sep 15, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 | |
| White-tailed deer | Archery, second part | Statewide | Nov 25, 2026 | Jan 15, 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 is the only deer method on Howell Island Conservation Area, so firearms rows are gone. Hunter orange (hat plus vest, coat or shirt) is required during the firearms deer portions.
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.
Public places ringing Howell Island Conservation Area
Head west about 1.9 mi and you reach Weldon Spring Conservation Area, the nearest listed neighbor of Howell Island Conservation Area.
| Name | Type | Size (ac) | County | Away | Bearing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weldon Spring CA | Conservation area | 8,398 | St. Charles | 1.9 mi | west |
| Dr. Edmund A. Babler Memorial State Park | State park hunt | 2,348 | St. Louis | 2.9 mi | south |
| August A. Busch Memorial CA | Conservation area | 6,951 | St. Charles | 4.9 mi | northwest |
| August A. Busch Range and Education Center | Nature center or range | – | St. Charles | 4.9 mi | northwest |
| Rockwoods Reservation | Conservation area | 1,881 | St. Louis | 7.1 mi | south |
| Roger Klamberg Woods CA | Conservation area | 67 | St. Louis | 8.8 mi | southeast |
| Rockwoods Range | Conservation area | 1,453 | St. Louis | 9.6 mi | south |
| August G. Beckemeier CA | Conservation area | 54 | St. Louis | 9.7 mi | east |
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.
What hunters took around Howell Island Conservation Area
MDC reports by county.
Deer checked in St. Charles County: 2,141 in 2025 and 2,231 in 2024. Spring 2026 turkey harvest in St. Charles County: 299, with 53 from public ground. St. Charles County CWD testing: 828 samples in the years shown, 0 positives.
| Year | Antlered | Buttons | Does | All deer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 976 | 156 | 1,009 | 2,141 |
| 2024 | 1,036 | 166 | 1,029 | 2,231 |
| 2023 | 1,030 | 221 | 1,046 | 2,297 |
| 2022 | 1,066 | 207 | 975 | 2,248 |
| 2021 | 992 | 194 | 936 | 2,122 |
| 2020 | 908 | 207 | 929 | 2,044 |
| Year | Spring | Spring, public land | Spring youth | Fall firearms | Fall archery |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 299 | 53 | 24 | – | – |
| 2025 | 318 | 77 | 29 | 23 | 8 |
| 2024 | 274 | 68 | 19 | 28 | 7 |
| 2023 | 298 | 68 | 9 | 28 | 13 |
| 2022 | 201 | – | 26 | 31 | 17 |
| 2021 | 195 | – | 16 | 15 | 23 |
| Sample year | Tested | Detections |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 35 | 0 |
| 2025 | 257 | 0 |
| 2024 | 69 | 0 |
| 2023 | 68 | 0 |
| 2022 | 63 | 0 |
| 2021 | 336 | 0 |
MDC 2025 deer harvest summary, MDC turkey harvest summaries and MDC CWD dashboard; earlier years from the yearly reports. Checked October 29, 2026.
Nearest help for Howell Island Conservation Area hunters
4.5 mi separates Howell Island Conservation Area from Weldon Spring. O'Fallon tops the population column at 95,355. MDC directions: From eastbound I-64, exit onto Chesterfield Airport Road and take Olive Street/Eatherton Road 3 miles west to the area entrance. From westbound I-64, exit onto Long Road and take Chesterfield Airport Road west 2 miles, then Olive Street/Eatherton Road west 3 miles to the area entrance. St Charles hosts the MDC office nearest Howell Island Conservation Area (St. Louis Regional Office, 3.1 mi).
| Community | County | Residents | Straight line | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weldon Spring | St. Charles | 5,304 | 4.5 mi | northeast |
| Dardenne Prairie | St. Charles | 14,407 | 5.6 mi | north |
| Wildwood | St. Louis | 35,082 | 6.2 mi | south |
| O'Fallon | St. Charles | 95,355 | 8.6 mi | north |
| St. Peters | St. Charles | 61,398 | 10 mi | northeast |
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.
Howell Island Conservation Area hunters: public range and clubs
August A. Busch range is the nearest public range to Howell Island Conservation Area, about 5 miles away. Beside it, two gun clubs within 30 miles.
From MDC area pages and the MDC Shooting Ranges layer, the operators’ pages and directory listings, checked October 29, 2026.
Howell Island Conservation Area legal shooting light
Legal light for deer at Howell Island Conservation Area runs 30 minutes either side of sunrise and sunset; for ducks it starts 30 minutes before sunrise and ends at sunset.
| Date | Why it matters | Sunrise | Sunset | Big game legal | Waterfowl legal |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 1, 2026 | Dove opener | 6:32 a.m. | 7:33 p.m. | 6:02 a.m. to 8:03 p.m. | 6:02 a.m. to 7:33 p.m. |
| Sep 15, 2026 | Archery opener | 6:44 a.m. | 7:11 p.m. | 6:14 a.m. to 7:41 p.m. | 6:14 a.m. to 7:11 p.m. |
| Oct 1, 2026 | Fall firearms turkey | 6:59 a.m. | 6:45 p.m. | 6:29 a.m. to 7:15 p.m. | 6:29 a.m. to 6:45 p.m. |
| Nov 7, 2026 | Middle Zone ducks | 6:36 a.m. | 4:56 p.m. | 6:06 a.m. to 5:26 p.m. | 6:06 a.m. to 4:56 p.m. |
| Nov 14, 2026 | November firearms opener | 6:44 a.m. | 4:50 p.m. | 6:14 a.m. to 5:20 p.m. | 6:14 a.m. to 4:50 p.m. |
| Dec 26, 2026 | Alternative methods | 7:19 a.m. | 4:48 p.m. | 6:49 a.m. to 5:18 p.m. | 6:49 a.m. to 4:48 p.m. |
| Jan 15, 2027 | Archery close | 7:19 a.m. | 5:06 p.m. | 6:49 a.m. to 5:36 p.m. | 6:49 a.m. to 5:06 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.
Images near and like Howell Island Conservation Area
Howell Island Conservation Area, quick questions
Closest community to Howell Island Conservation Area?
The closest town page is Weldon Spring (4.5 mi).
How large an area is Howell Island Conservation Area?
2,548 acres in all; the manager is Missouri Department of Conservation.
When may I be on Howell Island Conservation Area?
4 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily. No camping listed.
Which Missouri permits do I need at Howell Island Conservation Area?
Statewide MDC permits apply; managed hunts need the drawn permit as well.
Does Howell Island Conservation Area allow hunting?
Yes, for deer, turkey and squirrel; deer hunting is allowed because the area is on the MDC list.
How may deer be hunted on Howell Island Conservation Area?
MDC lists archery methods only for deer. Antlerless permits are allowed.
What county deer limit applies at Howell Island Conservation Area?
The county rule is 4 antlerless deer with firearms; the antlerless portions are open.
What CWD rules apply at Howell Island Conservation Area?
St. Charles County has mandatory CWD sampling on Nov. 14-15 and a year-round feed and mineral ban.
How may turkeys be hunted on Howell Island Conservation Area?
Yes, by archery and firearms; fall firearms turkey runs Oct. 1-31 here.
Does a bear zone include Howell Island Conservation Area?
BMZ 2, 750 permits drawn. The area does not list bear.
When can I shoot at Howell Island Conservation Area on opening day?
Opening day of the November portion runs 6:14 a.m. to 5:20 p.m. there.
What backup public land is near Howell Island Conservation Area?
Within reach: Weldon Spring Conservation Area (1.9 mi), Dr. Edmund A. Babler Memorial State Park (2.9 mi) and August A. Busch Memorial Conservation Area (4.9 mi).
Howell Island Conservation Area: checks before you go
Use this page to plan, then reread the agency page for Howell Island Conservation Area shortly before the trip.
Sources: source · source · source · source; regulations from the 2026 Fall Deer and Turkey booklet. Checked October 29, 2026.
Other photos on this page: Matt Zimmerman (CC BY 2.0); Robert Taylor (CC BY 2.0); Watts (CC BY 2.0).