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Cape Girardeau County · Conservation area
Lake Girardeau Conservation Area, a hunter guide
Seasons, methods and access for this conservation area in Cape Girardeau County.
Photo: Allen Gathman (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Getting to Lake Girardeau Conservation Area
Parking, trailheads and gates near Lake Girardeau Conservation Area
- Lake Girardeau CABoat ramp · 0.3 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 0.4 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 0.4 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 0.4 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 0.5 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 0.7 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 1.0 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 1.7 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 3.5 mi from the centreDirections
Parking, trailhead and gate locations come from OpenStreetMap contributors. Roads into public land can be gated or seasonal; check with the managing agency before you go.
Lake Girardeau Conservation Area profile
Cape Girardeau County is home to the 351 acres of Lake Girardeau Conservation Area. In acreage it places 4th among 5 conservation areas in Cape Girardeau County. Management sits with MDC: River Hills – SE district, Southeast Region.
When hunting is slow, Lake Girardeau Conservation Area offers camping (individual campsites) and fishing (sunfish, catfish, crappie, black bass), per MDC.
In the agency's words: Lake Girardeau Conservation Area is near Crump in Cape Girardeau County, 14 miles southwest of Jackson on Route U and Route RA. The Conservation Department acquired this 351-acre area in 1962 and constructed a 162-acre lake here in 1964. The lake features two disabled-accessible fishing piers and a concrete boat ramp and offers good fishing for bass, bluegill, catfish and crappie.
Species on the record: Deer, Black bear, Turkey.
From the agency record (Missouri Department of Conservation); checked October 29, 2026.
Nearby
Places to hunt and shoot around Lake Girardeau Conservation Area
Lake Girardeau Conservation Area methods and area rules
Methods for Lake Girardeau Conservation Area come from the MDC area page and the deer quick view.
| Quarry | Methods | Permits |
|---|---|---|
| White-tailed Deer | Archery only | Allowed |
| Wild Turkey | Archery and firearms | – |
| Black Bear | Archery only | Zone permit |
For deer, Lake Girardeau Conservation Area is open to archery methods only, and antlerless permits may be used. For turkey, MDC allows archery and firearms on Lake Girardeau Conservation Area. A bear permit holder may hunt Lake Girardeau Conservation Area with archery only. Antlerless code A applies to Lake Girardeau Conservation Area, so antlerless permits allowed. MDC limits deer hunting on its areas to the listed ones, and Lake Girardeau 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.
Cape Girardeau County rules on Lake Girardeau Conservation Area
| County rule | Cape Girardeau 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 2 |
| Duck zone | Middle / South |
For deer, Cape Girardeau County sets the rules on Lake Girardeau Conservation Area: firearms antlerless limit 4. Antlerless portions: open in October and December for Cape Girardeau County. Leave the feeders home: Cape Girardeau County bans feed and minerals all year. Bear hunters drawn for Zone 2 may hunt Cape Girardeau County (750 permits, 22 bears). No CWD portion, no CWD Management Zone and no antler-point restriction this season.
2026 Fall Deer and Turkey booklet county rules, MDC CWD rules and 2026 bear digest; checked October 29, 2026.
Open dates on Lake Girardeau Conservation Area
Open-now status is in the last column; 6 rows apply to Lake Girardeau Conservation Area.
| Quarry | Season | Where | Opening | Closing | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | |
| Black bear | Bear, zone 2 | Bear zone 2 | Oct 17, 2026 | Oct 30, 2026 | |
| 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 |
Firearms deer portions are left out because Lake Girardeau Conservation Area is archery-only for deer. 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.
Cape Girardeau County deer and turkey harvest near Lake Girardeau Conservation Area
County-level data from MDC.
MDC reports deer harvest by county, not by area: Cape Girardeau County checked 3,186 deer in the 2025 permit year, 2% more than in 2024. Public land gave up 14 of the 594 spring 2026 turkeys in Cape Girardeau County. CWD samples from Cape Girardeau County turned up 1 positive in recent years.
| Season | Antlered bucks | Button bucks | Does | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1,260 | 337 | 1,589 | 3,186 |
| 2024 | 1,216 | 307 | 1,588 | 3,111 |
| 2023 | 1,296 | 314 | 1,689 | 3,299 |
| 2022 | 1,228 | 295 | 1,613 | 3,136 |
| 2021 | 1,228 | 228 | 1,233 | 2,689 |
| 2020 | 1,328 | 250 | 1,337 | 2,915 |
| Year | Spring | Public land | Youth | Fall firearms | Fall archery |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 594 | 14 | 70 | – | – |
| 2025 | 488 | 17 | 47 | 23 | 13 |
| 2024 | 504 | 33 | 46 | 29 | 16 |
| 2023 | 473 | 19 | 42 | 24 | 16 |
| 2022 | 393 | – | 47 | 30 | 30 |
| 2021 | 429 | – | 53 | 20 | 25 |
| Year | Deer tested | Positive |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 13 | 0 |
| 2025 | 513 | 1 |
| 2024 | 41 | 0 |
| 2023 | 52 | 0 |
| 2022 | 42 | 0 |
| 2021 | 83 | 0 |
MDC 2025 deer harvest summary, MDC turkey harvest summaries and MDC CWD dashboard; earlier years from the yearly reports. Checked October 29, 2026.
Lake Girardeau Conservation Area and nearby public land, mapped
Sank Conservation Area (12 mi, southwest) tops the neighbor list for Lake Girardeau Conservation Area, measured as the crow flies.
| Neighbor | Category | Acreage | County | Distance | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sank CA | Conservation area | 118 | Bollinger | 12 mi | southwest |
| Grassy Towersite | Towersite | 40 | Bollinger | 12 mi | west |
| Tywappity Towersite | Towersite | 64 | Scott | 13 mi | southeast |
| Old Plantation Access | Public access area | 70 | Cape Girardeau | 13 mi | north |
| Dark Cypress Swamp Unit of Duck Creek CA (conservation area) | Conservation area | 790 | Bollinger | 13 mi | southwest |
| Maintz Wildlife Preserve | Conservation area | 801 | Cape Girardeau | 14 mi | north |
| Cape Woods CA | Conservation area | 37 | Cape Girardeau | 15 mi | east |
| Greenbrier Unit of Duck Creek CA | Conservation area | 474 | Bollinger | 17 mi | southwest |
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 Lake Girardeau Conservation Area
Nearest town with its own page: Marble Hill, 7.9 mi. For a hardware store or a motel, Jackson (15,929 people) is 12 mi away. Getting there, per MDC: From Jackson, take Highway 34 west 7 miles, then Route U south 6 miles to the area. Watch for signs. The closest MDC office on file is Southeast Regional Office, about 14 mi from Lake Girardeau Conservation Area.
| Place | County | Population | Distance | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marble Hill | Bollinger | 1,381 | 7.9 mi | west |
| Jackson | Cape Girardeau | 15,929 | 12 mi | northeast |
| Zalma | Bollinger | – | 16 mi | southwest |
| Benton | Scott | 911 | 20 mi | southeast |
| Morley | Scott | 674 | 21 mi | southeast |
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.
Lake Girardeau 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 Lake Girardeau Conservation Area that means subtract 9 minutes.
| Date | Opener or close | Sunrise | Sunset | Deer | Migratory |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 1, 2026 | Dove opener | 6:28 a.m. | 7:29 p.m. | 5:58 a.m. to 7:59 p.m. | 5:58 a.m. to 7:29 p.m. |
| Sep 15, 2026 | Archery opener | 6:40 a.m. | 7:07 p.m. | 6:10 a.m. to 7:37 p.m. | 6:10 a.m. to 7:07 p.m. |
| Oct 1, 2026 | Fall firearms turkey | 6:55 a.m. | 6:41 p.m. | 6:25 a.m. to 7:11 p.m. | 6:25 a.m. to 6:41 p.m. |
| Nov 7, 2026 | Middle Zone ducks | 6:32 a.m. | 4:52 p.m. | 6:02 a.m. to 5:22 p.m. | 6:02 a.m. to 4:52 p.m. |
| Nov 14, 2026 | November firearms opener | 6:40 a.m. | 4:46 p.m. | 6:10 a.m. to 5:16 p.m. | 6:10 a.m. to 4:46 p.m. |
| Dec 26, 2026 | Alternative methods | 7:15 a.m. | 4:44 p.m. | 6:45 a.m. to 5:14 p.m. | 6:45 a.m. to 4:44 p.m. |
| Jan 15, 2027 | Archery close | 7:15 a.m. | 5:02 p.m. | 6:45 a.m. to 5:32 p.m. | 6:45 a.m. to 5:02 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.
Lake Girardeau Conservation Area hunters: public range and clubs
Cape Girardeau County has the public range nearest Lake Girardeau Conservation Area: Maintz Wildlife Preserve Archery Range (14 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 Lake Girardeau Conservation Area
Lake Girardeau Conservation Area hunter FAQ
Is Lake Girardeau Conservation Area good for fall turkey?
Turkey is archery and firearms; fall firearms is open.
What bear rules apply at Lake Girardeau Conservation Area?
Zone 2 covers the county (750 permits); bear is on the area list.
Lake Girardeau Conservation Area shooting hours for the November opener?
Roughly 6:11 a.m. until 5:17 p.m., worked out for this spot.
Lake Girardeau Conservation Area crowded: where next?
In order of distance: Sank Conservation Area (12 mi), Grassy Towersite (12 mi) and Tywappity Towersite (13 mi).
Nearest town with services to Lake Girardeau Conservation Area?
Marble Hill (Bollinger County), about 7.9 mi away.
Lake Girardeau Conservation Area: size and manager?
The record lists 351 acres; Missouri Department of Conservation is in charge.
Can hunters camp on Lake Girardeau Conservation Area?
Hours are not posted; campsites are listed.
Is there an area permit for Lake Girardeau Conservation Area?
Missouri permits for the game you hunt; deer need an Archer's or Firearms permit, migratory birds a Migratory Bird permit.
May the public hunt at Lake Girardeau Conservation Area?
Open for deer, black bear and turkey, with the methods shown in the rules section.
What deer methods are allowed on Lake Girardeau Conservation Area?
The deer rule is archery methods only. Antlerless permits are allowed.
Which antlerless rule covers Lake Girardeau Conservation Area?
Missouri sets it by county; Cape Girardeau County allows 4 on firearms permits. Antlerless portions are open.
Is deer feeding banned near Lake Girardeau Conservation Area?
CWD rules in Cape Girardeau County: sampling not mandatory, feed ban yes.
Lake Girardeau Conservation Area final checklist
Signs on the ground outrank any web page; look for posted refuge and closed zones on Lake Girardeau 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: Allen Gathman (CC BY-SA 2.0); Shenandoah National Park (Public Domain Mark 1.0); USFWS Midwest Region (Public Domain Mark 1.0).