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Town base, Wayne County
Public hunting ground near Piedmont, Missouri
Ground to hunt around Piedmont, the 2026-27 rules for Wayne County, deer and turkey totals by year, drawn hunts and businesses close to town.
Photo: Nearby stand-in for Piedmont: Mark Twain National Forest (1.9 mi from Piedmont). Forest Service, Eastern Region (Public Domain Mark 1.0)
Piedmont, a city, falls within Wayne County and MDC’s Southeast Region. Of the towns around Clearwater Lake (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers), Piedmont came out closest, the edge 3.2 miles out. This page hangs on Clearwater Lake Management Lands, whose line lies within 3 miles of Piedmont. In the 2024 estimates Piedmont logged 1,869 residents. Counting overlaps once, public land within 10 miles comes to about 54,235 acres in 9 listed areas. County-wide, Wayne County holds some 128,083 acres of public land: 23,488 acres of MDC land, 88,305 acres of Mark Twain National Forest, 811 acres of Corps fee land, 9,582 acres of refuge land and 5,982 acres of state parks and historic sites. Closest of every listed area is Lon Sanders Canyon Conservation Area, its closest boundary 1.9 miles out.
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.
Piedmont land, nearest first
Miles run from the Piedmont town point to the closest edge for land inside 10 miles, and to the mapped point beyond that, so road miles will be longer.
| Property | Off town | Type | Run by | Deer gear | Doe tags | Acres | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lon Sanders Canyon CA | 1.9 mi N | Conservation area | MDC | Archery only | Allowed | 130 | – |
| Mark Twain National Forest | 1.9 mi | National forest | USFS | Statewide rules | – | 1,510,740 | – |
| Clearwater Lake (Corps) why listed | 3.2 mi W | Corps lake | Corps | Corps rules | – | – | Corps page unread |
| Clearwater Lake lands why listed | 3.3 mi NW | Corps land, MDC | MDC | Bow and gun | Allowed | 12,659 | Managed hunts too |
| Flatwoods CA | 4.2 mi E | Conservation area | MDC | Bow and gun | Archery only | 907 | – |
| Clearwater CA | 5.5 mi W | Conservation area | MDC | Bow and gun | Allowed | 11,211 | – |
| Riverside CA why listed | 6.0 mi N | Conservation area | MDC | Bow and gun | Archery only | 2,768 | – |
| Graves Mountain CA why listed | 6.1 mi NE | Conservation area | MDC | Bow and gun | Archery only | 3,027 | – |
| Wappapello Lake lands | 9.1 mi E | Corps land, MDC | MDC | Bow and gun | Archery only | 1,880 | Managed hunts too |
| Funk Memorial State Forest and Wildlife Area | 11 mi N | Conservation area | MDC | Bow and gun | Allowed | 180 | – |
Size leader inside 10 miles of Piedmont: Clearwater Lake Management Lands, 12,659 acres. That ring mixes 5 conservation and natural areas, 3 Corps lake tracts and 1 federal area. Lon Sanders Canyon Conservation Area (1.9 mi) takes archery methods only for deer, and antlerless permits may be filled there; turkey is archery only. The Corps district page for Clearwater Lake (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers) would not load when checked, so confirm open zones with the project office first. Forest Service land is close by: Mark Twain National Forest, open under statewide MDC seasons.
Area descriptions
- Lon Sanders Canyon CA: This is a forest area with shut-ins on McKenzie Creek and an interpretive hiking trail.
- Clearwater Lake lands: The Clearwater Lake Managment Lands are owned by the US Army Corps of Engineers and managed by the MDC.
- MDC directions to Lon Sanders Canyon CA: From Piedmont, take Highway 34 east, then Canyon Road (County Road 341) north 0.50 mile.
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.
Services around Piedmont
Buttons for phone, map and website appear only when a source gave them; opening hours were not verified. Piedmont Processing (at town) takes Share the Harvest deer for Missouri food pantries. Deer heads can be dropped at County Line Taxidermy LLC, an MDC CWD sampling partner. Allen's Creative Taxidermy (Greenville) is the first taxidermy stop, 14 mi from Piedmont. After 5 Archery Range (at town) is the handiest gun or outdoor shop. Baker Bucks, LLC of Ellsinore is the closest preserve on file.
| Service | Close (15 mi) | Wider (35 mi) | Closest | Miles | City |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deer processors | 1 | 6 | Piedmont Processing (closest) | at town | Piedmont |
| Taxidermy shops | 3 | 11 | Allen's Creative Taxidermy (closest) | 14 mi E | Greenville |
| Sporting goods | 1 | 8 | After 5 Archery Range (closest) | at town | Piedmont |
| Outfitters and preserves | 0 | 1 | Baker Bucks, LLC (closest) | 15 mi S | Ellsinore |
Deer processors
Taxidermy shops
Sporting goods
Outfitters and preserves
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.
Piedmont county deer limits and CWD rules
The county you stand in decides the deer rules; this table lists the ones a Piedmont hunter is most likely to cross into.
| County | Antlerless deer | Antlerless hunts | CWD stations | Feed rule | Fall turkey | Bear, elk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wayne County local | 1 | Closed | Nov. 14-15 | No | 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 |
MDC sets Wayne County at 1 for firearms antlerless deer. Antlerless portions are closed in Wayne County. Deer shot in Wayne County on the November opening weekend must be sampled for CWD that day at one of 3 county stations. Leave the beagles home in Wayne County by day during the November portion. Wayne County lies in bear zone 2, where the quota is 22 bears. On MDC’s 2021-2025 zone layer Wayne County is Middle Zone (100%); the zone lines moved for 2026.
Stations for Nov. 14-15
| Station | Street | City | County | Miles |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Piedmont MDC Office | 410 Piedmont Ave. | Piedmont | Wayne | 1.4 mi |
| Greenville City Park | 248 Maple St. | Greenville | Wayne | 14 mi |
| Ellington MDC Office | 2929 Co. Rd. 618 | Ellington | Reynolds | 16 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.
Piedmont season dates
For Wayne County, 35 season segments cover deer, turkey, small game, waterfowl and furbearers this permit year.
| Animal | Season | Area rule | Start | Finish | Right now |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White-tailed deer | Archery, first part | Statewide | Sep 15, 2026 | Nov 13, 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, 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 | |
| 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 | |
| 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.
Managed deer hunts near Piedmont
For a drawn hunt near Piedmont, Wayne County has 5 managed deer hunts this season. MDC took applications until Jul 31, 2026.
| Where | Category | Days | Hunters | Limit code |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mingo NWR | Muzzleloader or Cap-and-Ball Firearms Only | Dec. 5–6 | 80 | B |
| Mingo NWR | Youth – Firearms | Nov. 7–8 | 40 | A |
| Clearwater Lake ML — Veterans with Service-Related Disabilities and Mobility Impaired Hunt | People with Disabilities – Firearms | Nov. 7–8 | 6 | A |
| Coldwater CA — Inside Disabled Hunt Area | People with Disabilities – Firearms | Nov. 14–24 | 5 | F |
| Wappapello Lake ML | People with Disabilities – Firearms | Oct. 17–18 | 25 | A |
From the MDC Managed Deer Hunts List 2026-2027; limit codes are explained there. Checked October 29, 2026.
Piedmont area harvest, county totals
MDC publishes harvest county by county, so the chart covers the whole of Wayne County. 2025 brought 4,081 deer, after 2,680 in 2024. Antlered bucks: 1,898 in 2025; does: 1,781. MDC’s 2025 report puts the county at 5.7 deer per square mile and 9.4 firearms hunters per square mile. Spring 2026: 339 turkeys checked in Wayne County (291 adult gobblers). Fall turkey in 2025 came to 40 on firearms permits. CWD testing in Wayne County: 728 samples and 0 positives over the sample years shown.
| Year | Harvest | Bucks | Button bucks | Does |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 3,235 | 1,583 | 337 | 1,315 |
| 2023 | 4,014 | 1,888 | 421 | 1,705 |
| 2024 | 2,680 | 1,262 | 281 | 1,137 |
| 2025 | 4,081 | 1,898 | 402 | 1,781 |
| Portion | Deer |
|---|---|
| Archery | 902 |
| Early youth | 235 |
| November | 2,699 |
| Late youth | 28 |
| Alt. methods | 196 |
| Managed hunts | 21 |
| Spring | Total | Public |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 290 | 136 |
| 2024 | 372 | 146 |
| 2025 | 443 | 195 |
| 2026 | 339 | 121 |
| Year | Samples | CWD found |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 78 | 0 |
| 2024 | 126 | 0 |
| 2025 | 39 | 0 |
| 2026 | 1 | 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.
Piedmont shooters: three nearest ranges
Flatwoods Conservation Area Shooting Range heads the Piedmont list (5 miles), and two more follow.
Straight-line miles from the town centre; ranges checked October 29, 2026.
MDC offices for Piedmont hunters
From the centre of Wayne County, the closest MDC office open to visitors is Piedmont Office in Piedmont. The Southeast Region is run from Southeast Regional Office in Cape Girardeau ((573) 290-5730). No office visit is needed for a permit: buy it online, in the MO Hunting app or from a vendor.
MDC Piedmont Office, about 1.4 mi northeast of town
MDC Ellington Office, 16 mi out of Piedmont
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.
Piedmont legal hours
Legal light for deer at Piedmont runs 30 minutes either side of sunrise and sunset; for ducks it starts 30 minutes before sunrise and ends at sunset.
| When | Event | Rise | Set | Big game | Birds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 1, 2026 | Dove opener | 6:31 a.m. | 7:32 p.m. | 6:01 a.m.–8:02 p.m. | 6:01 a.m.–7:32 p.m. |
| Sep 15, 2026 | Archery opener | 6:43 a.m. | 7:10 p.m. | 6:13 a.m.–7:40 p.m. | 6:13 a.m.–7:10 p.m. |
| Oct 1, 2026 | Fall firearms turkey | 6:58 a.m. | 6:44 p.m. | 6:28 a.m.–7:14 p.m. | 6:28 a.m.–6:44 p.m. |
| Nov 7, 2026 | Middle Zone ducks | 6:35 a.m. | 4:55 p.m. | 6:05 a.m.–5:25 p.m. | 6:05 a.m.–4:55 p.m. |
| Nov 14, 2026 | November firearms opener | 6:43 a.m. | 4:49 p.m. | 6:13 a.m.–5:19 p.m. | 6:13 a.m.–4:49 p.m. |
| Dec 26, 2026 | Alternative methods | 7:18 a.m. | 4:47 p.m. | 6:48 a.m.–5:17 p.m. | 6:48 a.m.–4:47 p.m. |
| Jan 15, 2027 | Archery close | 7:18 a.m. | 5:05 p.m. | 6:48 a.m.–5:35 p.m. | 6:48 a.m.–5:05 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.
Piedmont hunting questions
Which 2026 county deer rules apply around Piedmont?
Wayne County: firearms antlerless limit 1, antlerless portions closed, mandatory CWD sampling Nov. 14-15.
Is Piedmont a good base for public-land hunting?
It has 9 tracts and about 54,235 public acres inside 10 miles.
Must deer shot near Piedmont be tested for CWD?
Yes, deer taken Nov. 14 or 15 in Wayne County must go to a sampling station that day.
Is Wayne County one of the antlerless-portion counties?
No. MDC lists Wayne County as closed.
How soon after dawn can a Piedmont deer hunter fire?
From 6:14 a.m. on Nov. 14 at Piedmont.
Can I hunt black bear from Piedmont?
Yes, Oct 17 to Oct 30, 2026 in zone 2 for drawn permit holders.
Must a portable blind on an MDC area carry orange?
It is recommended, not required, on MDC areas.
Must I notch my permit for a Piedmont deer?
Yes, notch the month and day on a paper permit or in the MO Hunting app right away.
Which MDC office open to the public is nearest Piedmont?
For Wayne County, Piedmont Office, 410 Piedmont Ave, Piedmont, (573) 469-0899.
How many miles to a deer processor from Piedmont?
About at town, to Piedmont Processing.
What bases lie close to Piedmont?
Greenville, Williamsville, Ellsinore and Ellington.
Does MDC hold managed deer hunts near Piedmont?
Yes, 5 hunts in Wayne County.
Where is the closest conservation area or federal tract to Piedmont?
Among MDC and federal tracts, the nearest is Lon Sanders Canyon Conservation Area, its closest boundary 1.9 miles out. Number two: Mark Twain National Forest, its closest boundary 1.9 miles out.
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.
Piedmont final checks
Leaving Piedmont before dawn? Look up legal light for the date and the county rules for the tract you picked.
Other photos on this page: darin_kuntze (CC BY 2.0); Heath Cajandig (CC BY 2.0); Shelby L. Bell (CC BY 2.0); Heath Cajandig (CC BY 2.0); J L (CC BY-SA 2.0); LeeAnne Adams (CC BY 2.0); J L (CC BY-SA 2.0); Heath Cajandig (CC BY 2.0).