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Conservation area · Missouri 2026-27
Lake Paho Conservation Area, a hunter guide
A 2026-27 hunter guide to this conservation area in Mercer County, 2,350 acres.
Photo: David Wilson (CC BY 2.0)
Getting to Lake Paho Conservation Area
Lake Paho Conservation Area profile
Expect about 2,350 acres of public ground at Lake Paho Conservation Area, Mercer County. By size it ranks 1st of the 4 conservation areas we list in Mercer County. MDC manages it from the Upper Grand district of the Northwest Region.
Besides hunting, the MDC area page lists camping (individual campsites), fishing (white bass, sunfish, catfish, crappie) and trapping (special use permit).
What the area page says about it: Lake Paho Conservation Area is in central Mercer County. The Conservation Department, assisted by a financial commitment from residents of Mercer and surrounding counties, built Lake Paho in the late 1940s. The lake was opened to public fishing in 1951. The area is rich in Native American history, and the 273-acre lake on the area was named "Paho" from the Indian word meaning "first" or "number one". Visitors to the area may enjoy the numerous prairie plants, such as Indian grass, compass plant, and wild indigo that occur naturally in the gently rolling uplands.
Listed game: Deer, Turkey, Rabbit, Squirrel, Dove, Quail, Waterfowl.
- White-tailed Deer
- Wild Turkey
- Eastern Cottontail
- Gray Squirrel
- Fox Squirrel
- Mourning Dove
- Northern Bobwhite Quail
- Ducks
From the agency record (Missouri Department of Conservation); checked October 29, 2026.
Nearby
Places to hunt and shoot around Lake Paho Conservation Area
Lake Paho Conservation Area: methods MDC allows
The rules below are what MDC lists for Lake Paho Conservation Area on top of statewide seasons.
| Game | Allowed methods | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| White-tailed Deer | Muzzleloader, archery | Allowed |
| Wild Turkey | Archery and firearms | – |
| Eastern Cottontail | Statewide methods | – |
| Gray Squirrel | Statewide methods | – |
| Northern Bobwhite Quail | Statewide methods | – |
| Mourning Dove | Statewide methods | – |
| Ducks | Open Hunting | Nontoxic shot |
Deer hunters on Lake Paho Conservation Area are limited to muzzleloader and archery methods; antlerless permits may be used. Lake Paho Conservation Area is archery and firearms for turkey. On MDC land, deer hunting is legal only where the area is listed; Lake Paho Conservation Area qualifies.
Sources: area page, area regulations, deer quick view; booklet table: 2026 Fall Deer and Turkey booklet, pp. 42-55. Checked October 29, 2026.
Lake Paho Conservation Area county rules for 2026-27
| Item | Mercer 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 | None |
| Duck zone | North |
County rules apply on Lake Paho Conservation Area; Mercer County has a firearms antlerless limit of 4 for 2026-27. In Mercer County, the Oct. 9-11 and Dec. 5-13 antlerless portions apply. Feeding deer and placing minerals is banned year-round in Mercer County. Removed for 2026: the CWD portion, the management zone and the antler-point restriction.
2026 Fall Deer and Turkey booklet county rules, MDC CWD rules and 2026 bear digest; checked October 29, 2026.
Lake Paho Conservation Area: what is open when
Filtered for Lake Paho Conservation Area by its game list: 12 species, 22 season rows.
| Species | Season | Applies | Opens | Closes | Today |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | |
| Bobwhite quail | Youth quail | Statewide | Oct 24, 2026 | Oct 25, 2026 | |
| Bobwhite quail | Quail | Statewide | Nov 1, 2026 | Jan 15, 2027 | |
| Rabbits | Rabbit hunting | Statewide | Oct 1, 2026 | Feb 15, 2027 | |
| Squirrels | Squirrel season | Statewide | May 23, 2026 | Feb 15, 2027 | |
| Doves | Dove season | Statewide | Sep 1, 2026 | Nov 29, 2026 | |
| Teal | September teal | Statewide | Sep 12, 2026 | Sep 20, 2026 | |
| Youth waterfowl | Youth waterfowl days | North Zone | Oct 24, 2026 | Oct 25, 2026 | |
| Ducks and coots | Regular ducks | North Zone | Oct 31, 2026 | Dec 29, 2026 | |
| Early Canada goose | Early Canada goose | Statewide | Oct 3, 2026 | Oct 11, 2026 | |
| Geese | Regular geese | Statewide | Nov 11, 2026 | Feb 6, 2027 | |
| Light geese | Conservation order | Statewide | Feb 7, 2027 | Apr 30, 2027 |
During firearms portions, Lake Paho Conservation Area allows muzzleloaders, not modern guns. Spring 2027 turkey dates were not published when these pages were checked.
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.
Ducks and geese on Lake Paho Conservation Area
Waterfowl hunting on Lake Paho Conservation Area is open hunting: no draw, first come first served under statewide rules. MDC zone mapping puts Mercer County in the North Zone; zone lines moved for 2026-2030, so confirm near the edge. Waterfowl loads must be nontoxic, statewide.
| Duck dates | From | To |
|---|---|---|
| Youth waterfowl days | Oct 24, 2026 | Oct 25, 2026 |
| Regular ducks | Oct 31, 2026 | Dec 29, 2026 |
2026-2027 Migratory Bird and Waterfowl Digest, managed areas; area page; checked October 29, 2026.
Doves on Lake Paho Conservation Area
For 2026 the dove layer shows 2 fields and 11.1 acres on Lake Paho Conservation Area, mostly sunflower. MDC marks the fields open to all hunters. MDC names Lake Paho Conservation Area a dove management area. Hunt doves from Sep 1, 2026 to Nov 29, 2026.
MDC 2026 dove field layer and Dove Management Areas; checked October 29, 2026.
Map around Lake Paho Conservation Area
Crow-flight distance from Lake Paho Conservation Area to Chloe Lowry Marsh Natural Area is 3.2 mi (east); the table runs outward from there.
| Place | Type | Acres | County | Miles off | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chloe Lowry Marsh Natural Area | Natural area | 115 | Mercer | 3.2 mi | east |
| McClure CA | Conservation area | 239 | Mercer | 8.3 mi | southeast |
| Peter and John Bagley Woods CA | Conservation area | 20 | Mercer | 11 mi | north |
| Route A Tract (MRAP) | MRAP tract | 355 | Grundy | 13 mi | south |
| Russell B., Hazel S. and Arnold L. VanDyke CA | Conservation area | 315 | Mercer | 14 mi | east |
| The Wayne Helton Memorial WA (2,736 acres) | Conservation area | 2,736 | Harrison | 14 mi | southwest |
| Crowder State Park | State park hunt | 1,974 | Grundy | 22 mi | south |
| Mockingbird Hill Access | Public access area | 80 | Grundy | 24 mi | south |
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.
Lake Paho Conservation Area area harvest by year
Whole-county counts.
Hunters in Mercer County checked 2,036 deer in 2025, against 2,044 the year before; there is no figure for Lake Paho Conservation Area alone. The spring 2026 count for Mercer County was 446 turkeys (9 on public land). Recent CWD results for Mercer County: 1 positive, first detected in 2018-2019.
| Permit year | Antlered bucks | Button bucks | Does | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1,062 | 115 | 859 | 2,036 |
| 2024 | 1,071 | 109 | 864 | 2,044 |
| 2023 | 1,119 | 105 | 885 | 2,109 |
| 2022 | 1,068 | 103 | 818 | 1,989 |
| 2021 | 1,167 | 102 | 824 | 2,093 |
| 2020 | 1,233 | 143 | 901 | 2,277 |
| Season | Spring | Public | Youth | Firearms (fall) | Archery (fall) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 446 | 9 | 40 | – | – |
| 2025 | 549 | 14 | 44 | 14 | 10 |
| 2024 | 560 | 13 | 31 | 6 | 13 |
| 2023 | 480 | 22 | 16 | 9 | 20 |
| 2022 | 392 | – | 34 | 10 | 25 |
| 2021 | 388 | – | 18 | 14 | 26 |
| Year | Samples | CWD found |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 2 | 0 |
| 2025 | 60 | 0 |
| 2024 | 40 | 1 |
| 2023 | 30 | 0 |
| 2022 | 323 | 0 |
| 2021 | 363 | 0 |
MDC 2025 deer harvest summary, MDC turkey harvest summaries and MDC CWD dashboard; earlier years from the yearly reports. Checked October 29, 2026.
Towns, MDC offices and shops by Lake Paho Conservation Area
From Lake Paho Conservation Area, Princeton is 4.4 mi away. Largest of the five: Trenton, 5,588 people. Directions on file: From Princeton, take Highway 136 west 4 miles, then right on Fathom Street to the area. Lake Paho Conservation Area Field Office (Princeton) sits 1.2 mi from Lake Paho Conservation Area, closer than any other MDC office.
| Town | County | People (2024) | Distance | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Princeton | Mercer | 983 | 4.4 mi | east |
| Bethany | Harrison | 2,912 | 22 mi | southwest |
| Gilman City | Daviess | 329 | 23 mi | southwest |
| Trenton | Grundy | 5,588 | 24 mi | south |
| Jamesport | Daviess | 567 | 32 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.
Lake Paho Conservation Area hunters: public range and clubs
From Lake Paho Conservation Area, Trenton Area Trap and Skeet Range is the nearest MDC or other public range (21 miles). 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.
Legal hours for Lake Paho Conservation Area
Rabbits are sunrise to sunset, migratory birds half an hour before sunrise to sunset, and big game gets the extra half hour after sunset.
| Day | Moment | First sun | Last sun | Deer hours | Bird hours |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 1, 2026 | Dove opener | 6:44 a.m. | 7:45 p.m. | 6:14 a.m. to 8:15 p.m. | 6:14 a.m. to 7:45 p.m. |
| Sep 15, 2026 | Archery opener | 6:56 a.m. | 7:23 p.m. | 6:26 a.m. to 7:53 p.m. | 6:26 a.m. to 7:23 p.m. |
| Oct 1, 2026 | Fall firearms turkey | 7:11 a.m. | 6:57 p.m. | 6:41 a.m. to 7:27 p.m. | 6:41 a.m. to 6:57 p.m. |
| Nov 7, 2026 | Middle Zone ducks | 6:48 a.m. | 5:08 p.m. | 6:18 a.m. to 5:38 p.m. | 6:18 a.m. to 5:08 p.m. |
| Nov 14, 2026 | November firearms opener | 6:56 a.m. | 5:02 p.m. | 6:26 a.m. to 5:32 p.m. | 6:26 a.m. to 5:02 p.m. |
| Dec 26, 2026 | Alternative methods | 7:31 a.m. | 5:00 p.m. | 7:01 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. | 7:01 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. |
| Jan 15, 2027 | Archery close | 7:31 a.m. | 5:18 p.m. | 7:01 a.m. to 5:48 p.m. | 7:01 a.m. to 5:18 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.
Scenery to match Lake Paho Conservation Area
Lake Paho Conservation Area questions with sourced answers
What are deer hours at Lake Paho Conservation Area on Nov. 14?
Nov. 14 at the Lake Paho Conservation Area point: 6:26 a.m. to 5:32 p.m. for deer (sunrise 6:56 a.m.).
How much dove field is on Lake Paho Conservation Area?
2 fields totalling 11.1 acres.
How far is the nearest town from Lake Paho Conservation Area?
Princeton is the nearest town we cover, 4.4 mi off.
Lake Paho Conservation Area crowded: where next?
Next in line: Chloe Lowry Marsh Natural Area (3.2 mi), McClure Conservation Area (8.3 mi) and Peter and John Bagley Woods Conservation Area (11 mi).
Can hunters camp on Lake Paho Conservation Area?
Yes, camping is listed, and the area is open 4 a.m. to 10 p.m..
Lake Paho Conservation Area: size and manager?
Missouri Department of Conservation handles it, and it spans 2,350 acres.
Is Lake Paho Conservation Area open for hunting this season?
Yes, deer, turkey, rabbit, squirrel, dove, quail and waterfowl, following statewide seasons and any area limits.
Lake Paho Conservation Area: which permits apply?
The right MDC permit: Archer's or Firearms for deer, Small Game for small game, Migratory Bird for doves and ducks.
What is the firearms antlerless limit around Lake Paho Conservation Area?
4 antlerless deer with firearms permits, under the Mercer County rule.
Can I use a rifle for deer on Lake Paho Conservation Area?
Muzzleloader and archery methods on this area. Antlerless permits are allowed.
Can I hunt turkey on Lake Paho Conservation Area?
Use archery and firearms. Fall gun season: Oct. 1-31.
What are the CWD rules around Lake Paho Conservation Area?
No mandatory station visit in this county. Do not feed deer or put out minerals.
Duck hunting at Lake Paho Conservation Area: how?
North Zone dates apply; the area uses open hunting.
Other photos on this page: Gary Leavens (CC BY-SA 2.0); USFWS Midwest Region (Public Domain Mark 1.0); Joseph Gage (CC BY-SA 2.0).