Home › Missouri › Public land › Knob Noster State Park
Missouri state park with a managed deer hunt
Knob Noster State Park, a hunter guide
3,631 acres of state park with a managed deer hunt in Johnson County: area rules, season dates and nearby land.
Photo: MoBikeFed (CC BY 2.0)
Getting to Knob Noster State Park
Knob Noster State Park basics
Knob Noster State Park measures 3,631 acres on the map and sits in Johnson County. Our list holds just this one state park with a managed deer hunt for Johnson County. The ground is under Missouri Department of Natural Resources, Division of State Parks.
Species named: 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 Knob Noster State Park
Knob Noster State Park: the Johnson County rules
| Rule | Johnson 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 | Zone 3 |
| Duck zone | Middle |
The county is the deer unit here. Johnson County allows 4 firearms antlerless deer this year. Johnson County is one of the 100 counties open during the antlerless portions. The year-round feed and mineral ban covers Johnson County. Johnson County lies in Black Bear Management Zone 3, where 250 permits were issued against a quota of 8. Three older rules are gone for 2026: the CWD portion, the CWD Management Zone and the antler-point rule.
2026 Fall Deer and Turkey booklet county rules, MDC CWD rules and 2026 bear digest; checked October 29, 2026.
Knob Noster State Park: drawn deer hunts
Managed deer hunting on Knob Noster State Park: 1 hunt, 100 spots. Knob Noster State Park hunt categories: firearms (1). The drawing used applications filed by Jul 31, 2026.
| No. | Type | When | Hunters | Code | Orientation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 92 | Firearms | Dec. 4–5 | 100 | D | – |
MDC Managed Deer Hunts List 2026-2027; checked October 29, 2026.
Dates that apply at Knob Noster State Park
8 rows for Knob Noster State Park (1 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 | 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 |
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 Knob Noster State Park
Head southeast about 8.3 mi and you reach J. N. Turkey Kearn Memorial Wildlife Area, the nearest listed neighbor of Knob Noster State Park.
| Name | Type | Size (ac) | County | Away | Bearing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| J. N. Turkey Kearn Memorial WA | Conservation area | 1,675 | Johnson, Pettis | 8.3 mi | southeast |
| Hartwell CA | Conservation area | 165 | Pettis | 10 mi | southeast |
| Bruns Tract | Conservation area | – | Pettis | 12 mi | southeast |
| Hazel Hill Lake | Cooperative area | 502 | Johnson | 12 mi | northwest |
| W. R. Kearn Memorial CA | Conservation area | 282 | Pettis | 12 mi | southeast |
| Ralph and Martha Perry Memorial CA | Conservation area | 4,134 | Johnson, Pettis | 13 mi | north |
| Bryson's Hope CA | Conservation area | 290 | Pettis | 13 mi | southeast |
| Edwin A. Pape Lake (Concordia) | Cooperative area | 245 | Lafayette | 14 mi | north |
Points: MoDNR Missouri State Parks Boundaries layer (polygon centroid of the largest part). Straight-line distances. Statewide public land map.
What hunters took around Knob Noster State Park
MDC reports by county.
Deer checked in Johnson County: 3,057 in 2025 and 3,151 in 2024. Spring 2026 turkey harvest in Johnson County: 444, with 12 from public ground. Johnson County CWD testing: 824 samples in the years shown, 0 positives.
| Year | Antlered | Buttons | Does | All deer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1,635 | 258 | 1,164 | 3,057 |
| 2024 | 1,587 | 208 | 1,356 | 3,151 |
| 2023 | 1,626 | 338 | 1,526 | 3,490 |
| 2022 | 1,676 | 316 | 1,451 | 3,443 |
| 2021 | 1,594 | 271 | 1,275 | 3,140 |
| 2020 | 1,621 | 296 | 1,184 | 3,101 |
| Year | Spring | Spring, public land | Spring youth | Fall firearms | Fall archery |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 444 | 12 | 44 | – | – |
| 2025 | 380 | 14 | 44 | 12 | 9 |
| 2024 | 441 | 27 | 41 | 7 | 7 |
| 2023 | 430 | 19 | 25 | 10 | 17 |
| 2022 | 381 | – | 30 | 12 | 22 |
| 2021 | 352 | – | 18 | 19 | 18 |
| Sample year | Tested | Detections |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 5 | 0 |
| 2025 | 54 | 0 |
| 2024 | 174 | 0 |
| 2023 | 205 | 0 |
| 2022 | 225 | 0 |
| 2021 | 161 | 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 Knob Noster State Park hunters
6.7 mi separates Knob Noster State Park from Warrensburg. Sedalia tops the population column at 22,310. Green Ridge hosts the MDC office nearest Knob Noster State Park (JN Kearn Memorial Wildlife Area Field Office, 7.8 mi).
| Community | County | Residents | Straight line | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Warrensburg | Johnson | 19,998 | 6.7 mi | west |
| Green Ridge | Pettis | 599 | 13 mi | southeast |
| Sweet Springs | Saline | 1,331 | 18 mi | northeast |
| Calhoun | Henry | 405 | 19 mi | south |
| Sedalia | Pettis | 22,310 | 20 mi | east |
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.
Knob Noster State Park hunters: public range and clubs
Ralph and Martha Perry Memorial CA range is the nearest public range to Knob Noster State Park, about 11 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.
Knob Noster State Park legal shooting light
Legal light for deer at Knob Noster State Park 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 | 6:45 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.
Calendar dates around Knob Noster State Park
The property itself or a spot within about 10 miles hosts 1 upcoming event (NWTF chapter dinner). Checked October 29, 2026.
Upcoming here
| Date | Event | Miles | Where | Sign up | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 16, 2027 | Stealth Gobblers NWTF Banquet · NWTF chapter dinner | 7 | Warrensburg | Buy tickets | Source |
Images near and like Knob Noster State Park
Knob Noster State Park, quick questions
How large an area is Knob Noster State Park?
3,631 acres in all; the manager is Missouri Department of Natural Resources, Division of State Parks.
Which Missouri permits do I need at Knob Noster State Park?
Statewide MDC permits apply; managed hunts need the drawn permit as well.
Does Knob Noster State Park allow hunting?
Only drawn managed-hunt hunters may hunt Knob Noster State Park; the park is closed to everyone else on hunt days.
What county deer limit applies at Knob Noster State Park?
The county rule is 4 antlerless deer with firearms; the antlerless portions are open.
What CWD rules apply at Knob Noster State Park?
Johnson County has no mandatory sampling this year and a year-round feed and mineral ban.
Does a bear zone include Knob Noster State Park?
BMZ 3, 250 permits drawn. The area does not list bear.
How many managed hunts does Knob Noster State Park hold?
Yes. Apply July 1-31 for the next season; this year has 1 hunts.
When can I shoot at Knob Noster State Park on opening day?
Opening day of the November portion runs 6:26 a.m. to 5:32 p.m. there.
What backup public land is near Knob Noster State Park?
Within reach: J. N. Turkey Kearn Memorial Wildlife Area (8.3 mi), Hartwell Conservation Area (10 mi) and Bruns Tract (12 mi).
Closest community to Knob Noster State Park?
The closest town page is Warrensburg (6.7 mi).
Knob Noster State Park: checks before you go
Use this page to plan, then reread the agency page for Knob Noster State Park 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: USFWS Midwest Region (Public Domain Mark 1.0); USFWS Midwest Region (Public Domain Mark 1.0); Yellowstone National Park (Public Domain Mark 1.0).