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St. Charles County · Wildlife refuge
Hunting at Two Rivers National Wildlife Refuge (Missouri portion)
Seasons, methods and access for this national wildlife refuge in St. Charles County.
Photo: Matt Zimmerman (CC BY 2.0)
Getting to Two Rivers National Wildlife Refuge (Missouri portion)
Parking, trailheads and gates near Two Rivers National Wildlife Refuge (Missouri portion)
- Hide A Way HarborBoat ramp · 0.5 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 0.6 mi from the centreDirections
- Our Lady of the Rivers Parking LotParking · 1.0 mi from the centreDirections
- Elsah Kayak AccessBoat ramp · 1.0 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 1.1 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 1.1 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 1.1 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 3.3 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 3.4 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 3.4 mi from the centreDirections
- Great RiversBoat ramp · 3.4 mi from the centreDirections
- Piasa CreekBoat ramp · 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.
Key facts on Two Rivers NWR (Missouri portion)
St. Charles County is home to the 144 acres of Two Rivers NWR (Missouri portion). It is the only national wildlife refuge on our list in St. Charles County. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has charge of it.
The source adds: Refuge spans Missouri and Illinois; only fee-title land inside Missouri is counted here.
Located between the confluence of the Mississippi River and Illinois River, the refuge encompasses 9,225 acres of riverine and floodplain habitat.
Species on the record: Migratory birds, Upland game, Big game, Deer, Turkey.
From the agency record (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service); checked October 29, 2026.
Nearby
Places to hunt and shoot around Two Rivers National Wildlife Refuge (Missouri portion)
Open units of Two Rivers NWR (Missouri portion)
Two Rivers NWR (Missouri portion) is divided into 1 hunt unit in the USFWS layer.
| Area | Open | Acres | Permit | Permit type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Portage Island | Special Regulations Apply | 144 | No | – |
USFWS Public Hunt Units layer; checked October 29, 2026.
Two Rivers NWR (Missouri portion) rules of entry
Hunting on Two Rivers NWR (Missouri portion) is limited to designated areas (migratory game bird hunting, upland game hunting and big game hunting), and refuge rules apply on top of state law.
- Migratory game bird hunting. We allow hunting of migratory game bird species authorized by the State on designated areas of the refuge subject to the conditions set forth at paragraphs (l)(1)(i) through (iii) of § 32.32.
- Upland game hunting. We allow hunting of upland game species authorized by the State on designated areas of the refuge subject to the conditions set forth at paragraphs (l)(1)(i) through (iii) and (l)(2)(ii) through (iv) of § 32.32.
- Big game hunting. We allow hunting of white-tailed deer and turkey on designated areas on the refuge subject to the conditions set forth at paragraphs (l)(1)(i) through (iii) and (l)(2)(ii) and (3)(l)(ii) and (iii) of § 32.32.
St. Charles County rules on Two Rivers NWR (Missouri portion)
| County rule | St. Charles 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 | Zone 2 |
| Duck zone | Middle |
For deer, St. Charles County sets the rules on Two Rivers NWR (Missouri portion): firearms antlerless limit 4. Antlerless portions: open in October and December for St. Charles County. Mandatory CWD sampling applies in St. Charles County on opening weekend of the November portion (2 stations in the county). Leave the feeders home: St. Charles County bans feed and minerals all year. Bear hunters drawn for Zone 2 may hunt St. Charles County (750 permits, 22 bears). No CWD portion, no CWD Management Zone and no antler-point restriction this season.
- Parking lot north of Emerald View Turf Farm, Hwy. 79 , O'Fallon
- Weldon Spring Conservation Area Shop, 6990 Hwy. 94 S., Weldon Spring
2026 Fall Deer and Turkey booklet county rules, MDC CWD rules and 2026 bear digest; checked October 29, 2026.
Open dates on Two Rivers NWR (Missouri portion)
Open-now status is in the last column; 25 rows apply to Two Rivers NWR (Missouri portion).
| Quarry | Season | Where | Opening | Closing | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | |
| Rabbits | Rabbit hunting | Statewide | Oct 1, 2026 | Feb 15, 2027 | |
| Squirrels | Squirrel season | Statewide | May 23, 2026 | Feb 15, 2027 | |
| Woodcock | Woodcock season | Statewide | Oct 18, 2026 | Dec 1, 2026 | |
| 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 | Middle Zone | Oct 31, 2026 | Nov 1, 2026 | |
| Ducks and coots | Ducks, split 1 | Middle Zone | Nov 7, 2026 | Dec 13, 2026 | |
| Ducks and coots | Ducks, split 2 | Middle Zone | Dec 19, 2026 | Jan 10, 2027 | |
| 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 | |
| Raccoon, opossum, skunk | Hunt and trap, early | Statewide | Aug 1, 2026 | Oct 15, 2026 | |
| Bobcat | Hunting and trapping | Statewide | Nov 15, 2026 | Feb 28, 2027 | |
| Raccoon, opossum, skunk | Hunt and trap, main | Statewide | Nov 15, 2026 | Feb 28, 2027 |
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.
St. Charles County deer and turkey harvest near Two Rivers NWR (Missouri portion)
County-level data from MDC.
MDC reports deer harvest by county, not by area: St. Charles County checked 2,141 deer in the 2025 permit year, 4% fewer than in 2024. Public land gave up 53 of the 299 spring 2026 turkeys in St. Charles County. CWD samples from St. Charles County turned up 0 positives in recent years.
| Season | Antlered bucks | Button bucks | Does | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 976 | 156 | 1,009 | 2,141 |
| 2024 | 1,036 | 166 | 1,029 | 2,231 |
| 2023 | 1,030 | 221 | 1,046 | 2,297 |
| 2022 | 1,066 | 207 | 975 | 2,248 |
| 2021 | 992 | 194 | 936 | 2,122 |
| 2020 | 908 | 207 | 929 | 2,044 |
| Year | Spring | Public land | Youth | Fall firearms | Fall archery |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 299 | 53 | 24 | – | – |
| 2025 | 318 | 77 | 29 | 23 | 8 |
| 2024 | 274 | 68 | 19 | 28 | 7 |
| 2023 | 298 | 68 | 9 | 28 | 13 |
| 2022 | 201 | – | 26 | 31 | 17 |
| 2021 | 195 | – | 16 | 15 | 23 |
| Year | Deer tested | Positive |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 35 | 0 |
| 2025 | 257 | 0 |
| 2024 | 69 | 0 |
| 2023 | 68 | 0 |
| 2022 | 63 | 0 |
| 2021 | 336 | 0 |
MDC 2025 deer harvest summary, MDC turkey harvest summaries and MDC CWD dashboard; earlier years from the yearly reports. Checked October 29, 2026.
Two Rivers NWR (Missouri portion) and nearby public land, mapped
Marais Temps Clair Conservation Area (4.7 mi, southwest) tops the neighbor list for Two Rivers NWR (Missouri portion), measured as the crow flies.
| Neighbor | Category | Acreage | County | Distance | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marais Temps Clair CA | Conservation area | 918 | St. Charles | 4.7 mi | southwest |
| Pelican Island Natural Area | Natural area | 2,260 | St. Louis | 5.0 mi | southeast |
| Saint Stanislaus CA | Conservation area | 812 | St. Louis | 8.9 mi | south |
| Columbia Bottom CA | Conservation area | 4,451 | St. Louis | 14 mi | southeast |
| Creve Coeur Park Lake (St. Louis County) | Cooperative area | 320 | St. Louis | 17 mi | southwest |
| Cuivre Island CA | Conservation area | 1,461 | Lincoln, St. Charles | 17 mi | west |
| Sandy Island CA | Conservation area | 308 | Lincoln | 20 mi | west |
| August G. Beckemeier CA | Conservation area | 54 | St. Louis | 20 mi | southwest |
Points: USFWS Interest layer (fee-title refuge land in Missouri) (polygon centroid of the largest part). Straight-line distances. Statewide public land map.
Getting supplies near Two Rivers NWR (Missouri portion)
Nearest town with its own page: Portage Des Sioux, 0.9 mi. For a hardware store or a motel, Florissant (51,290 people) is 9.7 mi away. The closest MDC office on file is Columbia Bottom Field Office, about 13 mi from Two Rivers NWR (Missouri portion).
| Place | County | Population | Distance | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Portage Des Sioux | St. Charles | 323 | 0.9 mi | southeast |
| Old Jamestown | St. Louis | – | 8.1 mi | southeast |
| West Alton | St. Charles | 353 | 9.6 mi | southeast |
| Florissant | St. Louis | 51,290 | 9.7 mi | south |
| Hazelwood | St. Louis | 24,951 | 10 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.
Two Rivers NWR (Missouri portion) 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 Two Rivers NWR (Missouri portion) that means subtract 7 minutes.
| Date | Opener or close | Sunrise | Sunset | Deer | Migratory |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 1, 2026 | Dove opener | 6:32 a.m. | 7:33 p.m. | 6:02 a.m. to 8:03 p.m. | 6:02 a.m. to 7:33 p.m. |
| Sep 15, 2026 | Archery opener | 6:44 a.m. | 7:11 p.m. | 6:14 a.m. to 7:41 p.m. | 6:14 a.m. to 7:11 p.m. |
| Oct 1, 2026 | Fall firearms turkey | 6:59 a.m. | 6:45 p.m. | 6:29 a.m. to 7:15 p.m. | 6:29 a.m. to 6:45 p.m. |
| Nov 7, 2026 | Middle Zone ducks | 6:36 a.m. | 4:56 p.m. | 6:06 a.m. to 5:26 p.m. | 6:06 a.m. to 4:56 p.m. |
| Nov 14, 2026 | November firearms opener | 6:44 a.m. | 4:50 p.m. | 6:14 a.m. to 5:20 p.m. | 6:14 a.m. to 4:50 p.m. |
| Dec 26, 2026 | Alternative methods | 7:19 a.m. | 4:48 p.m. | 6:49 a.m. to 5:18 p.m. | 6:49 a.m. to 4:48 p.m. |
| Jan 15, 2027 | Archery close | 7:19 a.m. | 5:06 p.m. | 6:49 a.m. to 5:36 p.m. | 6:49 a.m. to 5:06 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.
Range options on the drive to Two Rivers National Wildlife Refuge (Missouri portion)
St. Louis City has the public range nearest Two Rivers National Wildlife Refuge (Missouri portion): Forest Park Archery Range (22 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 Two Rivers NWR (Missouri portion)
Two Rivers NWR (Missouri portion) hunter FAQ
Is deer feeding banned near Two Rivers NWR (Missouri portion)?
CWD rules in St. Charles County: sampling mandatory Nov. 14-15, feed ban yes.
Is Two Rivers NWR (Missouri portion) good for fall turkey?
Turkey is statewide methods; fall firearms is open.
What bear rules apply at Two Rivers NWR (Missouri portion)?
Zone 2 covers the county (750 permits); bear is not on the area list.
Two Rivers NWR (Missouri portion) shooting hours for the November opener?
Roughly 6:13 a.m. until 5:19 p.m., worked out for this spot.
Which public areas neighbor Two Rivers NWR (Missouri portion)?
In order of distance: Marais Temps Clair Conservation Area (4.7 mi), Pelican Island Natural Area (5.0 mi) and Saint Stanislaus Conservation Area (8.9 mi).
Nearest town with services to Two Rivers NWR (Missouri portion)?
Portage Des Sioux (St. Charles County), about 0.9 mi away.
Who is in charge of Two Rivers NWR (Missouri portion)?
The record lists 144 acres; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is in charge.
Is there an area permit for Two Rivers NWR (Missouri portion)?
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 Two Rivers NWR (Missouri portion)?
On designated areas only: 50 CFR 32.44 lists migratory game bird hunting, upland game hunting and big game hunting for Two Rivers NWR (Missouri portion).
Which antlerless rule covers Two Rivers NWR (Missouri portion)?
Missouri sets it by county; St. Charles County allows 4 on firearms permits. Antlerless portions are open.
Two Rivers NWR (Missouri portion) final checklist
Signs on the ground outrank any web page; look for posted refuge and closed zones on Two Rivers NWR (Missouri portion).
Sources: source · source · source · source · source; regulations from the 2026 Fall Deer and Turkey booklet. Checked October 29, 2026.
Other photos on this page: Birding for Climate (Public domain); U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service – Midwest Region (Public domain); Joseph Gage (CC BY-SA 2.0).