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State park hunt · Missouri 2026-27
Mark Twain State Park hunting
A 2026-27 hunter guide to this state park with a managed deer hunt in Monroe County, 2,565 acres.
Photo: mostateparks (Public Domain Mark 1.0)
Getting to Mark Twain State Park
Mark Twain State Park profile
Expect about 2,565 acres of public ground at Mark Twain State Park, Monroe County. No other state park with a managed deer hunt in Monroe County appears in the records. Managing agency: Missouri Department of Natural Resources, Division of State Parks.
Listed game: 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 Mark Twain State Park
Mark Twain State Park county rules for 2026-27
| Item | Monroe County |
|---|---|
| Firearms antlerless limit | 4 deer |
| Antlerless portions | Open |
| CWD sampling Nov. 14-15 | Mandatory |
| 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 Mark Twain State Park; Monroe County has a firearms antlerless limit of 4 for 2026-27. In Monroe County, the Oct. 9-11 and Dec. 5-13 antlerless portions apply. Monroe County is one of the 28 mandatory sampling counties: present deer shot Nov. 14-15 for testing. Feeding deer and placing minerals is banned year-round in Monroe County. Removed for 2026: the CWD portion, the management zone and the antler-point restriction.
- Monroe County Fairgrounds, 415 E. Locust St., Paris
2026 Fall Deer and Turkey booklet county rules, MDC CWD rules and 2026 bear digest; checked October 29, 2026.
Who hunts Mark Twain State Park by drawing
MDC drew 20 hunters for 1 managed hunt on Mark Twain State Park this season. By category the hunts break down as military personnel/veterans (1). Drawn hunters were picked from applications due Jul 31, 2026.
| Number | Category | Days | Drawn | Bag code | Orientation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| – | Military Personnel/Veterans – Firearms | Nov. 7–8 | 20 | B | Nov. 6 |
MDC Managed Deer Hunts List 2026-2027; checked October 29, 2026.
Mark Twain State Park: what is open when
Filtered for Mark Twain State Park by its game list: 1 species, 8 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 |
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.
Map around Mark Twain State Park
Crow-flight distance from Mark Twain State Park to Mark Twain Lake (Corps) is 1.6 mi (northeast); the table runs outward from there.
| Place | Type | Acres | County | Miles off | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mark Twain Lake (Corps) | Corps lake | – | Monroe, Ralls | 1.6 mi | northeast |
| Robert M. White II CA | Conservation area | 1,163 | Audrain, Monroe | 11 mi | south |
| Hunnewell Access | Public access area | 33 | Shelby | 13 mi | north |
| Cedar Bluff Access | Public access area | 40 | Monroe | 14 mi | west |
| Ruby Clark Willingham Memorial WA | Conservation area | 70 | Monroe | 15 mi | west |
| Hunnewell Lake CA | Conservation area | 1,999 | Shelby | 16 mi | north |
| Mound View Access | Public access area | 41 | Shelby | 17 mi | northwest |
| Elmslie Memorial CA | Conservation area | 236 | Marion | 18 mi | north |
Points: MoDNR Missouri State Parks Boundaries layer (polygon centroid of the largest part). Straight-line distances. Statewide public land map.
Mark Twain State Park area harvest by year
Whole-county counts.
Hunters in Monroe County checked 3,749 deer in 2025, against 3,527 the year before; there is no figure for Mark Twain State Park alone. The spring 2026 count for Monroe County was 516 turkeys (75 on public land). Recent CWD results for Monroe County: 0 positives, none on record.
| Permit year | Antlered bucks | Button bucks | Does | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1,696 | 341 | 1,712 | 3,749 |
| 2024 | 1,594 | 333 | 1,600 | 3,527 |
| 2023 | 1,575 | 385 | 1,934 | 3,894 |
| 2022 | 1,676 | 411 | 1,785 | 3,872 |
| 2021 | 1,524 | 399 | 1,616 | 3,539 |
| 2020 | 1,617 | 414 | 1,672 | 3,703 |
| Season | Spring | Public | Youth | Firearms (fall) | Archery (fall) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 516 | 75 | 63 | – | – |
| 2025 | 517 | 79 | 57 | 32 | 15 |
| 2024 | 440 | 78 | 35 | 26 | 16 |
| 2023 | 417 | 81 | 27 | 33 | 22 |
| 2022 | 299 | – | 26 | 25 | 27 |
| 2021 | 373 | – | 24 | 31 | 23 |
| Year | Samples | CWD found |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 14 | 0 |
| 2025 | 206 | 0 |
| 2024 | 781 | 0 |
| 2023 | 82 | 0 |
| 2022 | 142 | 0 |
| 2021 | 115 | 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 Mark Twain State Park
From Mark Twain State Park, Paris is 11 mi away. Largest of the five: Mexico, 11,482 people. Hannibal Office (Hannibal) sits 25 mi from Mark Twain State Park, closer than any other MDC office.
| Town | County | People (2024) | Distance | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paris | Monroe | 1,177 | 11 mi | west |
| Monroe City | Monroe | 2,706 | 12 mi | north |
| New London | Ralls | 977 | 23 mi | east |
| Mexico | Audrain | 11,482 | 23 mi | south |
| Shelbyville | Shelby | 503 | 25 mi | northwest |
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.
Mark Twain State Park hunters: public range and clubs
From Mark Twain State Park, Mark Twain Lake Shooting Range is the nearest MDC or other public range (12 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 Mark Twain State Park
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 | 6:37 a.m. | 7:38 p.m. | 6:07 a.m. to 8:08 p.m. | 6:07 a.m. to 7:38 p.m. |
| Sep 15, 2026 | Archery opener | 6:49 a.m. | 7:16 p.m. | 6:19 a.m. to 7:46 p.m. | 6:19 a.m. to 7:16 p.m. |
| Oct 1, 2026 | Fall firearms turkey | 7:04 a.m. | 6:50 p.m. | 6:34 a.m. to 7:20 p.m. | 6:34 a.m. to 6:50 p.m. |
| Nov 7, 2026 | Middle Zone ducks | 6:41 a.m. | 5:01 p.m. | 6:11 a.m. to 5:31 p.m. | 6:11 a.m. to 5:01 p.m. |
| Nov 14, 2026 | November firearms opener | 6:49 a.m. | 4:55 p.m. | 6:19 a.m. to 5:25 p.m. | 6:19 a.m. to 4:55 p.m. |
| Dec 26, 2026 | Alternative methods | 7:24 a.m. | 4:53 p.m. | 6:54 a.m. to 5:23 p.m. | 6:54 a.m. to 4:53 p.m. |
| Jan 15, 2027 | Archery close | 7:24 a.m. | 5:11 p.m. | 6:54 a.m. to 5:41 p.m. | 6:54 a.m. to 5:11 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 Mark Twain State Park
Mark Twain State Park questions with sourced answers
How far is the nearest town from Mark Twain State Park?
Paris is the nearest town we cover, 11 mi off.
Mark Twain State Park crowded: where next?
Next in line: Mark Twain Lake (Corps) (1.6 mi), Robert M. White II Conservation Area (11 mi) and Hunnewell Access (13 mi).
Mark Twain State Park: which permits apply?
The right MDC permit: Archer's or Firearms for deer, Small Game for small game, Migratory Bird for doves and ducks.
Mark Twain State Park: size and manager?
Missouri Department of Natural Resources, Division of State Parks handles it, and it spans 2,565 acres.
What is the firearms antlerless limit around Mark Twain State Park?
4 antlerless deer with firearms permits, under the Monroe County rule.
Is Mark Twain State Park open for hunting this season?
Only in the MDC managed deer hunt drawn for the park (1 hunt); Missouri State Parks otherwise ban hunting.
How do I get into a managed hunt at Mark Twain State Park?
Yes, 1 in 2026-27, 20 spots, applied for in July.
What are the CWD rules around Mark Twain State Park?
Bring opening-weekend deer to a station. Do not feed deer or put out minerals.
What are deer hours at Mark Twain State Park on Nov. 14?
Nov. 14 at the Mark Twain State Park point: 6:19 a.m. to 5:25 p.m. for deer (sunrise 6:49 a.m.).
Last word on Mark Twain State Park
Confirm methods, permits and the Monroe County deer rules for Mark Twain State Park before the drive.
Sources: source · source · source · source; regulations from the 2026 Fall Deer and Turkey booklet. Checked October 29, 2026.
Other photos on this page: YellowstoneNPS (Public domain); USFWS Mountain Prairie (Public domain); Rebecca Suchland (CC BY 2.0).