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Conservation area · Missouri 2026-27
Tate Island Conservation Area hunting
A 2026-27 hunter guide to this conservation area in Callaway County, 422 acres.
Photo: Paul Sableman (CC BY 2.0)
Getting to Tate Island Conservation Area
Parking, trailheads and gates near Tate Island Conservation Area
- Tate Island AccessTrailhead · 1.1 mi from the centreDirections
- Katy Trail Portland TrailheadTrailhead · 2.5 mi from the centreDirections
- Katy Trail Portland Trailhead ParkingParking · 2.5 mi from the centreDirections
- Market StreetBoat ramp · 2.5 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 2.7 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 2.8 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.
Tate Island Conservation Area profile
Expect about 422 acres of public ground at Tate Island Conservation Area, Callaway County. By size it ranks 5th of the 6 conservation areas we list in Callaway County. MDC manages it from the River Hills – CE district of the Central Region.
Besides hunting, the MDC area page lists camping (boat-in along missouri river), fishing (catfish) and trapping (special use permit).
What the area page says about it: Tate Island is is a 433 acre island located within the Missouri River Channel between river miles 110.3 and 113.3. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers acquired the island from willing sellers in 1994 and the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) cooperatively manages the area for Missouri River habitat and public use. This island area is forested and only accessible by boat.
Listed game: Deer, Turkey, Squirrel.
From the agency record (Missouri Department of Conservation); checked October 29, 2026.
Nearby
Places to hunt and shoot around Tate Island Conservation Area
Tate Island Conservation Area: methods MDC allows
The rules below are what MDC lists for Tate Island Conservation Area on top of statewide seasons.
| Game | Allowed methods | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| White-tailed Deer | Archery and firearms | Allowed |
| Wild Turkey | Archery and firearms | – |
| Gray Squirrel | Statewide methods | – |
Deer on Tate Island Conservation Area: archery and firearms, and antlerless permits may be used. Tate Island Conservation Area is archery and firearms for turkey. Code A in the conservation-area table: antlerless permits allowed on Tate Island Conservation Area. On MDC land, deer hunting is legal only where the area is listed; Tate Island 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.
Tate Island Conservation Area county rules for 2026-27
| Item | Callaway 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 | Middle / North |
County rules apply on Tate Island Conservation Area; Callaway County has a firearms antlerless limit of 4 for 2026-27. In Callaway County, the Oct. 9-11 and Dec. 5-13 antlerless portions apply. Callaway 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 Callaway County. Removed for 2026: the CWD portion, the management zone and the antler-point restriction.
- Mokane Lions Club Park, 301 River St., Mokane
- North Callaway High School , 2700 Thunderbird Dr., Kingdom City
- Whetstone Creek Conservation Area, 3215 County Road 1003, Williamsburg
2026 Fall Deer and Turkey booklet county rules, MDC CWD rules and 2026 bear digest; checked October 29, 2026.
Tate Island Conservation Area: what is open when
Filtered for Tate Island Conservation Area by its game list: 3 species, 12 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 | |
| Squirrels | Squirrel season | Statewide | May 23, 2026 | Feb 15, 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 Tate Island Conservation Area
Crow-flight distance from Tate Island Conservation Area to Grand Bluffs Conservation Area is 3.4 mi (east); the table runs outward from there.
| Place | Type | Acres | County | Miles off | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Bluffs CA | Conservation area | 236 | Montgomery | 3.4 mi | east |
| Reform CA | Conservation area | 3,580 | Callaway | 6.5 mi | west |
| Ben Branch Lake CA | Conservation area | 563 | Osage | 11 mi | southwest |
| Loutre Lick Access | Public access area | 163 | Montgomery | 13 mi | north |
| Prairie Fork CA | Conservation area | 920 | Callaway | 13 mi | north |
| Danville CA | Conservation area | 3,136 | Montgomery | 14 mi | northeast |
| Moores Mill Access | Public access area | 101 | Callaway | 16 mi | northwest |
| Daniel Boone CA | Conservation area | 3,523 | Warren | 16 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.
Tate Island Conservation Area area harvest by year
Whole-county counts.
Hunters in Callaway County checked 5,197 deer in 2025, against 4,440 the year before; there is no figure for Tate Island Conservation Area alone. The spring 2026 count for Callaway County was 926 turkeys (76 on public land). Recent CWD results for Callaway County: 1 positive, first detected in 2024-2025.
| Permit year | Antlered bucks | Button bucks | Does | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2,360 | 437 | 2,400 | 5,197 |
| 2024 | 1,785 | 410 | 2,245 | 4,440 |
| 2023 | 2,255 | 626 | 2,894 | 5,775 |
| 2022 | 2,303 | 506 | 2,628 | 5,437 |
| 2021 | 2,268 | 523 | 2,667 | 5,458 |
| 2020 | 2,012 | 531 | 2,445 | 4,988 |
| Season | Spring | Public | Youth | Firearms (fall) | Archery (fall) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 926 | 76 | 90 | – | – |
| 2025 | 873 | 84 | 87 | 30 | 27 |
| 2024 | 824 | 89 | 74 | 40 | 24 |
| 2023 | 801 | 108 | 49 | 39 | 41 |
| 2022 | 616 | – | 44 | 34 | 36 |
| 2021 | 707 | – | 68 | 41 | 61 |
| Year | Samples | CWD found |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 30 | 0 |
| 2025 | 1,009 | 0 |
| 2024 | 232 | 1 |
| 2023 | 192 | 0 |
| 2022 | 178 | 0 |
| 2021 | 202 | 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 Tate Island Conservation Area
From Tate Island Conservation Area, Chamois is 5.9 mi away. Largest of the five: Hermann, 2,192 people. Directions on file: From Portland, by river, east about 1.50 miles. This is a Missouri River island accessible only by boat. Whetstone Creek Conservation Area Field Office (Williamsburg) sits 17 mi from Tate Island Conservation Area, closer than any other MDC office.
| Town | County | People (2024) | Distance | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chamois | Osage | 381 | 5.9 mi | southwest |
| Big Spring | Montgomery | – | 12 mi | northeast |
| Hermann | Gasconade | 2,192 | 13 mi | east |
| Danville | Montgomery | – | 16 mi | northeast |
| Tebbetts | Callaway | – | 17 mi | west |
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.
Tate Island Conservation Area hunters: public range and clubs
Drive about 17 miles from Tate Island Conservation Area to reach Whetstone Creek CA range, the nearest public lanes. 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 Tate Island 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 | 6:37 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 Tate Island Conservation Area
Tate Island Conservation Area questions with sourced answers
Tate Island Conservation Area crowded: where next?
Next in line: Grand Bluffs Conservation Area (3.4 mi), Reform Conservation Area (6.5 mi) and Ben Branch Lake Conservation Area (11 mi).
What are deer hours at Tate Island Conservation Area on Nov. 14?
Nov. 14 at the Tate Island Conservation Area point: 6:18 a.m. to 5:24 p.m. for deer (sunrise 6:48 a.m.).
Tate Island Conservation Area: size and manager?
Missouri Department of Conservation handles it, and it spans 422 acres.
How far is the nearest town from Tate Island Conservation Area?
Chamois is the nearest town we cover, 5.9 mi off.
Tate Island 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.
Can hunters camp on Tate Island Conservation Area?
Yes, camping is listed, and the area is open 4 a.m. to 10 p.m..
Can I use a rifle for deer on Tate Island Conservation Area?
Archery and firearms on this area. Antlerless permits are allowed.
Is Tate Island Conservation Area open for hunting this season?
Yes, deer, turkey and squirrel, following statewide seasons and any area limits.
What are the CWD rules around Tate Island Conservation Area?
Bring opening-weekend deer to a station. Do not feed deer or put out minerals.
What is the firearms antlerless limit around Tate Island Conservation Area?
4 antlerless deer with firearms permits, under the Callaway County rule.
Can I hunt turkey on Tate Island Conservation Area?
Use archery and firearms. Fall gun season: Oct. 1-31.
Last word on Tate Island Conservation Area
Confirm methods, permits and the Callaway County deer rules for Tate Island Conservation Area 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: Deb Watson (CC BY 2.0); USFWS Mountain Prairie (Public domain); Russ (CC BY 2.0).