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MDC Ozark Region
Tracts, county rules and seasons near Bunker, Missouri
Bunker, MDC Ozark Region: tracts inside 10 miles, the rules of each county they touch, opening-weekend CWD sampling and local shops.
Photo: Mark Twain National Forest (beside Bunker), used as a nearby stand-in. SlapTheWorld (CC0 1.0)
Dent County counts Bunker among its communities; county business happens in Salem. Anyone headed to Mark Twain National Forest can base in Bunker; the line is under a mile out. Census Vintage 2024 puts Bunker at 297 residents on 0.7 square miles. About 118,150 acres of public ground lie inside a 10-mile radius of Bunker. Dent County as a whole carries roughly 94,365 public acres (18,695 acres of MDC land, 73,679 acres of Mark Twain National Forest, 1,992 acres of the Riverways and 44 acres of state parks and historic sites). Measured from the town point, the first area is Mark Twain National Forest, which reaches into town.
Town point and land area from the Census 2024 Gazetteer, population from the Census Vintage 2024 estimates; public acreage and boundary miles within 10 miles are a GIS measure over MDC, USFS, USFWS, Corps and NPS boundaries (places.json). MDC region from the MDC Regions layer. Checked October 29, 2026.
Bunker deer rules by county, 2026
MDC sets deer rules county by county, and public land near Bunker can sit in a different county from the town, so every county holding a nearby area gets a row.
| County | Fill limit | Portions open | CWD Nov. 14-15 | Grain, salt ban | Turkey, fall | Bear zone |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dent County home county | 4 | Open | No | Yes | Open | Zone 2 |
| Oregon County | 4 | Open | Nov. 14-15 | Yes | Open | Zone 2, Zone 1 |
| Ripley County | 4 | Open | Nov. 14-15 | Yes | Open | Zone 2 |
| Iron County | 1 | Closed | Nov. 14-15 | No | Open | Zone 2 |
| Carter County | 1 | Closed | Nov. 14-15 | No | Open | Zone 2 + elk |
Dent County carries a firearms antlerless limit of 4. Dent County joins the 100 counties where the antlerless portions are open. MDC bans deer feed and minerals in Dent County year-round. Donating a Dent County deer to Share the Harvest means a CWD test first. Dent County is one of the counties with the November dog rule for squirrels and rabbits. Zone 2 bear hunting reaches Dent County (Oct 17 to Oct 30, 2026). Check the 2026-2030 digest map: the older layer shows Dent County in the Middle Zone (54%) and South Zone (46%). For 2026 MDC dropped the CWD Management Zone, the CWD portion and the antler-point restriction, all of which once touched Dent County.
Sampling stops nearby
| Site | Address | Town | County | How far |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bunker Fire Department | 132 Rte. 72 | Bunker | Reynolds | at town |
| Timber Volunteer Fire Department Shed | 39245 Hwy. 19 | Timber | Shannon | 14 mi |
| Iron County C-4 School | 35 Rte. 49 | Viburnum | Iron | 18 mi |
County rules from the 2026 Fall Deer and Turkey booklet county table; CWD sampling counties and stations from the MDC CWD pages; bear zones from the 2026 Black Bear Hunting Digest; elk from the 2026 Elk Hunting Digest; duck zones from the 2026-2027 waterfowl digest and the 2021-2025 MDC zone layer. Checked October 29, 2026.
Public ground from Bunker
The map and table share 10 areas; bold pins mark land whose boundary comes within 10 miles of Bunker.
| Public land | Miles | Kind | Run by | Deer methods | Antlerless | Acres | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mark Twain National Forest key area | at town | National forest | USFS | Statewide rules | – | 1,510,740 | – |
| Logan Creek CA | 8.7 mi SE | Conservation area | MDC | Bow and gun | Allowed | 13,170 | – |
| Ozark National Scenic Riverways | 16 mi S | Riverway | Park Service | Statewide rules | – | 80,546 | Managed hunts too |
| Indian Trail CA | 19 mi NW | Conservation area | MDC | Bow and gun | Allowed | 13,503 | – |
| Cedar Grove CA | 20 mi W | Conservation area | MDC | Bow and gun | Allowed | 880 | – |
| Sunklands CA | 21 mi SW | Conservation area | MDC | Bow and gun | Allowed | 40,383 | – |
| Current River CA | 22 mi S | Conservation area | MDC | Bow and gun | Allowed | 29,371 | – |
| Angeline CA | 23 mi SW | Conservation area | MDC | Bow and gun | Allowed | 39,603 | – |
| Short Bend Access | 23 mi NW | Public access | MDC | Archery only | Allowed | 87 | – |
| Rocky Creek CA | 24 mi S | Conservation area | MDC | Bow and gun | Allowed | 42,184 | – |
Logan Creek Conservation Area is the biggest tract touching the ring, at 13,170 acres. Sorted by program, the nearby land is 1 conservation or natural area and 1 federal area. For deer at Logan Creek Conservation Area, MDC lists archery and firearms, and antlerless permits may be filled there. The national forest near Bunker needs no extra federal permit; MDC rules and dates apply.
Close-up on the nearest tracts
- Logan Creek CA: Logan Creek Conservation Area lies south of Black River and north of Current River.
- Indian Trail CA: Indian Trail Conservation Area covers 13,503 acres in northeast Dent County, between Salem and Steelville.
- MDC directions to Logan Creek CA: From the junction of Highway 106/Route B west of Ellington, take Route B north 3 miles to the main tract. See map for additional access.
Lands from MDC area pages and GIS layers, USFS, USFWS, NPS, Corps and Missouri State Parks records (lands.json; each land page cites its own source). Boundary miles from places.json, other miles to each mapped point. Deer methods and antlerless permit status from the 2026 Fall Deer and Turkey booklet area table and the MDC area deer quick view. Checked October 29, 2026.
Dent County harvest for Bunker hunters
Figures cover the entire county; MDC prints no harvest for a single town. 2025 brought 2,659 deer, after 2,584 in 2024. In 2025, 1,208 checked deer were antlered bucks. Harvest density in 2025: 3.6 deer per square mile. In spring 2026 the county turkey harvest reached 506. The latest fall firearms figure is 42 (2025). Dent County has 0 CWD-positive deer out of 2,336 samples on the MDC dashboard.
| Year | Total | Antlered | Button bucks | Does |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 3,351 | 1,457 | 381 | 1,513 |
| 2023 | 3,865 | 1,508 | 339 | 2,018 |
| 2024 | 2,584 | 1,105 | 274 | 1,205 |
| 2025 | 2,659 | 1,208 | 268 | 1,183 |
| Part of season | Total |
|---|---|
| Archery | 374 |
| Early youth | 150 |
| November | 1,592 |
| Late youth | 13 |
| Alt. methods | 98 |
| Managed hunts | 15 |
| Year | Birds | Public land |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 608 | 153 |
| 2024 | 557 | 83 |
| 2025 | 692 | 162 |
| 2026 | 506 | 80 |
| Season | Deer tested | Positives |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 180 | 0 |
| 2024 | 653 | 0 |
| 2025 | 636 | 0 |
| 2026 | 4 | 0 |
Deer from the MDC 2025-2026 deer harvest summary and earlier summaries (harvest.json; 2017-2019 county totals exclude managed hunts); density from the MDC 2025 deer season report; turkey from the MDC turkey harvest summaries; CWD from the MDC CWD dashboard. Checked October 29, 2026.
Bunker open seasons, 2026-27
MDC sets deer rules county by county, and Dent County allows 4 antlerless deer on firearms permits. The 40 rows below come from the 2026 MDC booklets.
| Game | Segment | Scope | Opening day | Closing day | Now |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | |
| 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 | |
| Bobwhite quail | Youth quail | Statewide | Oct 24, 2026 | Oct 25, 2026 | |
| Bobwhite quail | Quail | Statewide | Nov 1, 2026 | Jan 15, 2027 | |
| Pheasant | Youth pheasant | Statewide | Oct 24, 2026 | Oct 25, 2026 | |
| Pheasant | Pheasant | 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 | |
| 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 | |
| Youth waterfowl | Youth waterfowl days | South Zone | Nov 21, 2026 | Nov 22, 2026 | |
| Ducks and coots | Ducks, split 1 | Middle Zone | Nov 7, 2026 | Dec 13, 2026 | |
| Ducks and coots | Ducks, split 1 | South Zone | Nov 26, 2026 | Nov 29, 2026 | |
| Ducks and coots | Ducks, split 2 | South Zone | Dec 7, 2026 | Jan 31, 2027 | |
| 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 | |
| Coyote | Coyote hunting | Statewide | Jan 1, 2026 | Dec 31, 2026 | |
| Groundhog | Groundhog | Statewide | May 11, 2026 | Dec 15, 2026 | |
| Bullfrogs and green frogs | Frogging | Statewide | Jun 30, 2026 | Oct 31, 2026 | |
| Raccoon, opossum, skunk | Hunt and trap, early | Statewide | Aug 1, 2026 | Oct 15, 2026 | |
| Rails | Rail season | Statewide | Sep 1, 2026 | Nov 9, 2026 | |
| Snipe | Snipe season | Statewide | Sep 1, 2026 | Dec 16, 2026 | |
| Crow | Crow season | Statewide | Nov 1, 2026 | Mar 3, 2027 | |
| Badger and foxes | Hunting and trapping | Statewide | Nov 15, 2026 | Jan 31, 2027 | |
| 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 |
From the 2026 Fall Deer and Turkey Hunting Regulations, the 2026-2027 Migratory Bird and Waterfowl Digest and the 2026 hunting and trapping summary (Missouri Department of Conservation), checked October 29, 2026.
Legal light, Bunker
Deer, bear, elk and fall archery turkey may be taken from half an hour before sunrise to half an hour after sunset; ducks, geese, doves and fall firearms turkey stop at sunset.
| Date | Opener or close | Sunrise | Sunset | Deer | Migratory |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 1, 2026 | Dove opener | 6:35 a.m. | 7:36 p.m. | 6:05 a.m.–8:06 p.m. | 6:05 a.m.–7:36 p.m. |
| Sep 15, 2026 | Archery opener | 6:47 a.m. | 7:14 p.m. | 6:17 a.m.–7:44 p.m. | 6:17 a.m.–7:14 p.m. |
| Oct 1, 2026 | Fall firearms turkey | 7:02 a.m. | 6:48 p.m. | 6:32 a.m.–7:18 p.m. | 6:32 a.m.–6:48 p.m. |
| Nov 7, 2026 | Middle Zone ducks | 6:39 a.m. | 4:59 p.m. | 6:09 a.m.–5:29 p.m. | 6:09 a.m.–4:59 p.m. |
| Nov 14, 2026 | November firearms opener | 6:47 a.m. | 4:53 p.m. | 6:17 a.m.–5:23 p.m. | 6:17 a.m.–4:53 p.m. |
| Dec 26, 2026 | Alternative methods | 7:22 a.m. | 4:51 p.m. | 6:52 a.m.–5:21 p.m. | 6:52 a.m.–4:51 p.m. |
| Jan 15, 2027 | Archery close | 7:22 a.m. | 5:09 p.m. | 6:52 a.m.–5:39 p.m. | 6:52 a.m.–5:09 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.
Bunker hunting businesses
The shops Bunker hunters use each fall, sorted by trade and then by distance. To donate venison, Hometown Processing (19 mi) is on MDC’s Share the Harvest processor list. Closest voluntary CWD partner on MDC’s list: Hometown Processing (19 mi). Taxidermy: Tater's Sporting Goods & Taxidermy, 21 mi away in Salem. The closest shop for shells and gear is Tater's Sporting Goods & Taxidermy, 21 mi from Bunker. Pen-raised birds and guided hunts: Piney Ridge Ranch (Winona) is the closest preserve or guide listed.
| Kind | Listings 15 mi | Listings 35 mi | Nearest business | Away | Where |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Venison processing | 0 | 5 | Hometown Processing (nearest) | 19 mi NW | Salem |
| Taxidermy studios | 0 | 6 | Tater's Sporting Goods & Taxidermy (nearest) | 21 mi NW | Salem |
| Gear shops | 0 | 10 | Tater's Sporting Goods & Taxidermy (nearest) | 21 mi NW | Salem |
| Preserves and guide services | 0 | 1 | Piney Ridge Ranch (nearest) | 32 mi S | Winona |
Venison processing
Taxidermy studios
Gear shops
Preserves and guide services
Processors from the MDC Share the Harvest processor lookup, MDC CWD sampling partners, the MDC commercial permit listing and Yellow Pages; taxidermists, shops and preserves from MDC permits, chain store locators and Yellow Pages (services.json). Checked October 29, 2026; hours were not checked.
Hunting dates within reach of Bunker
Inside a rough 30-mile circle, soonest first, there is 1 upcoming event: youth managed deer hunt. Checked October 29, 2026.
Still to come
| Held on | Event | How far | Where held | Link | Checked at |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 5–6, 2026 | Ozark National Scenic Riverways (Big Spring Area) Youth Managed Deer Hunt 2026 · youth managed deer hunt | 16 | Event details | Source |
Bunker: gun clubs and MDC lines nearby
Bay Creek Branch Shooting Range (Angeline Conservation Area) heads the Bunker list (17 miles), and two more follow.
Straight-line miles from the town centre; ranges checked October 29, 2026.
Bunker conservation offices
The nearest MDC office open to the public from the middle of Dent County is Twin Pines Conservation Center in Winona, about 43 miles away. Regional questions go to Ozark Regional Office, 551 Joe Jones Blvd, West Plains. Field offices are conservation area staff bases, so call before driving out.
MDC Ellington Office, 21 mi out of Bunker
MDC Eminence Office lies 22 mi south
Offices from the MDC offices open to the public, the MDC regional offices page and the MDC field office layer (services.json, counties.json). Checked October 29, 2026.
Bunker hunters ask
If not Bunker, where else can I stay?
Centerville is closest, then Viburnum, Ellington and Salem.
If I hunt from Bunker, which public land comes first?
Start with Mark Twain National Forest, which reaches into town. Behind it comes Logan Creek Conservation Area, its closest boundary 8.7 miles out.
What does the 10-mile acreage around Bunker add up to?
Some 118,150 acres in 2 tracts.
Can I take antlerless deer with a rifle near Bunker?
Yes, 4 on firearms antlerless permits in Dent County, and in the antlerless portions if the county is open.
Does Dent County open for the antlerless portions?
Yes, Dent County is open.
Does Dent County have mandatory CWD sampling in 2026?
No, Dent County is not on the 2026 list.
Which bear zone number applies around Bunker?
Zone 2, over 100% of the county.
What time does deer hunting stop at Bunker on the opener?
At 5:22 p.m., half an hour after sunset; rabbits stop at sunset.
Can a deer wait until tomorrow to be Telechecked?
No. Telecheck by 10 p.m. the same day, unless processing or leaving the county comes first.
Is hunter orange required near Bunker?
Yes, during the firearms deer portions: a hunter orange hat and a shirt, vest or coat visible from all sides.
Where does a Bunker hunter get venison cut and wrapped?
Try Hometown Processing (Salem), the closest listing.
Whom do I call about conservation areas near Bunker?
Call Twin Pines Conservation Center at (573) 469-0897.
Answers from places.json, lands.json, counties.json, services.json and the 2026 Fall Deer and Turkey Hunting Regulations; Telecheck from the booklet, hunter orange from booklet p. 4. Checked October 29, 2026.
Bunker pre-trip checks
For hunts out of Bunker, the MDC booklets and the area regulations on each land page settle any doubt.
Other photos on this page: Good Fire Photos (Public Domain Mark 1.0); National Park Service Digital Image Archives (Public domain); Shelby L. Bell (CC BY 2.0); LeeAnne Adams (CC BY 2.0); Jeff Meyer (CC BY 2.0); J L (CC BY-SA 2.0); Heath Cajandig (CC BY 2.0); darin_kuntze (CC BY 2.0).