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Texas County, Missouri
Hunting land and deer rules around Plato, MO
Hunting out of Plato, Missouri: tracts by straight-line miles, county deer rules, MDC sunrise tables and the processors and taxidermists in range.
Photo: Taken on Mark Twain National Forest, beside Plato; a nearby stand-in, not the town. Forest Service, Eastern Region (Public Domain Mark 1.0)
Plato sits in Texas County, a short drive from public ground in the Ozark hills, the Current and Eleven Point rivers and the Mark Twain National Forest. Plato is the jumping-off town for Mark Twain National Forest, its edge 2.7 miles out. The listing comes from Lamberson Memorial Conservation Area: its nearest edge is 10 miles out. The 2024 Census estimate lists 89 residents for Plato. Within 10 miles of the town point, MDC, Mark Twain, refuge, Corps and Riverways boundaries take in about 58,734 acres, with 1 listed area in the ring. The county picture: 67,405 public acres in Texas County, made up of 16,824 acres of MDC land, 49,572 acres of Mark Twain National Forest and 1,021 acres of the Riverways. Ranked by miles, the list opens with 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.
Nearby
Places to hunt and shoot around Plato
Hunting tracts around Plato
The deer column is MDC’s method rule for each conservation area (bow and gun, muzzleloader and bow, or archery only) and whether antlerless permits work there.
| Area | Distance | Type | Agency | Deer | Doe permits | Acres | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mark Twain National Forest anchor land | at town | National forest | USFS | Statewide rules | – | 1,510,740 | – |
| Lamberson Memorial CA anchor land | 12 mi S | Conservation area | MDC | Bow and gun | Allowed | 1,724 | – |
| Peter A. Eck CA | 12 mi NE | Conservation area | MDC | Archery only | Allowed | 371 | – |
| Wilbur Allen Memorial CA | 12 mi SW | Conservation area | MDC | Archery only | Allowed | 380 | – |
| Houston Towersite | 13 mi SE | Towersite | MDC | Archery only | Allowed | 17 | – |
| P. F. Barnes CA | 14 mi S | Conservation area | MDC | Bow and gun | Allowed | 120 | – |
| Fort Leonard Wood | 14 mi N | Army post | U.S. Army | Post permits | – | 60,817 | – |
| Buzzard Bluff Access | 15 mi SW | Public access | MDC | Bow and gun | Allowed | 89 | – |
| Drynob Access | 16 mi NW | Public access | MDC | Archery only | Allowed | 17 | – |
| Horseshoe Bend Natural Area | 16 mi SE | Natural area | MDC | Archery only | Allowed | 233 | – |
The closest area with an MDC deer listing, Lamberson Memorial Conservation Area, allows archery and firearms; antlerless permits may be filled there. Mark Twain National Forest is hunted on MDC permits, though not within 150 yards of buildings, campsites or recreation sites.
From the MDC area pages
- Lamberson Memorial CA: Lamberson Memorial Conservation Area is in Texas County on the Texas/Wright County line, approximately 19 miles west of Houston.
- Peter A. Eck CA: Area includes an old growth, pine-oak forest and Eck Natural Area.
- Wilbur Allen Memorial CA: Wilbur Allen Memorial Conservation Area is located on a gravel road off Highway 95 about 20 miles northeast of Hartville in Wright County.
- MDC directions to Lamberson Memorial CA: From Houston, MO take Hwy 17 west 7 miles to Hwy 38. Travel 12 miles down Hwy 38 to reach the CA. Lamberson Memorial CA is on the north side of 38 Hwy and is 1 mile east of the Texas/Wright County line.
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.
Antlerless limits and CWD near Plato
Each row is one county’s 2026 rule set; the tag marks Texas County, and the other rows are counties where the land in the table above lies.
| County | Antlerless fill | Antlerless portions | CWD sampling | Feed ban | Fall turkey | Bear, elk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texas County town county | 4 | Open | No | Yes | Open | Zone 3, Zone 2, Zone 1 |
| 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 |
Texas County allows 4 antlerless deer on firearms antlerless permits. It is one of the 100 counties open for the early and late antlerless portions. Grain, salt and minerals for deer are banned year-round in Texas County, one of 85 feed-ban counties. Texas County deer must be tested to be donated to food pantries. Texas County belongs mostly to bear zone 3, where permits come by drawing. For ducks, the 2021-2025 zone layer puts Texas County in the South Zone (83%) and Middle Zone (17%); the lines changed for 2026-2030, so check the digest map near a boundary. Texas County no longer sits in a CWD Management Zone: MDC removed it for 2026.
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.
Plato season calendar
24 species and 42 dated windows apply in Texas County; the last column checks each against today.
| Species | Window | Reach | From | Through | 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 | |
| Black bear | Bear, zone 1 | Bear zone 1 | Oct 17, 2026 | Oct 30, 2026 | |
| Black bear | Bear, zone 2 | Bear zone 2 | Oct 17, 2026 | Oct 30, 2026 | |
| Black bear | Bear, zone 3 | Bear zone 3 | 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.
How many deer come out of Texas County
The bars are Texas County totals as MDC printed them in each year’s harvest summary. In 2025 the county gave up 4,974 deer, compared with 5,795 in 2015. Antlered bucks made up 2,475 of the 2025 total and does 2,104. That is 4.3 deer per square mile of county in 2025. Spring turkey in Texas County: 659 birds in 2026, against 861 in 2016. The fall firearms turkey harvest was 17 in 2025, with 20 more by archery. Sampling has covered 2,529 deer in Texas County.
| Season | Deer | Bucks | Buttons | Does |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 4,700 | 2,101 | 475 | 2,124 |
| 2023 | 6,190 | 2,548 | 511 | 3,131 |
| 2024 | 4,121 | 1,997 | 353 | 1,771 |
| 2025 | 4,974 | 2,475 | 395 | 2,104 |
| Portion | Deer, 2025 |
|---|---|
| Archery | 702 |
| Early youth | 290 |
| November | 3,026 |
| Late youth | 38 |
| Alt. methods | 179 |
| Managed hunts | 0 |
| Spring | Turkeys | Public land |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 781 | 214 |
| 2024 | 780 | 144 |
| 2025 | 860 | 198 |
| 2026 | 659 | 86 |
| Year | Samples | Positive |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 257 | 0 |
| 2024 | 378 | 1 |
| 2025 | 992 | 0 |
| 2026 | 10 | 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.
Butchers and mounts, Plato
Listings come from Texas County and its neighbouring counties, ranked by miles from Plato; national chains are dropped. Nelson Deer Processing LLC, 20 mi away, accepts donated deer under Share the Harvest. God's Country Taxidermy collects CWD samples under MDC’s partner program. Shoulder mounts and euro skulls start with God's Country Taxidermy, 8.2 mi out. Forgot the hunter orange? Country Guns in Lebanon is 16 mi away. Stone Creek Ranch, 24 mi away, heads the preserve and guide list.
| Service | Within 15 mi | Within 35 mi | Nearest | Miles | Town |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Processors | 0 | 10 | Cummins Custom Meat (first) | 18 mi E | Licking |
| Mounts | 1 | 11 | God's Country Taxidermy (first) | 8.2 mi W | Mountain Grove |
| Gun and bow shops | 0 | 25 | Country Guns (first) | 16 mi NW | Lebanon |
| Hunting preserves | 0 | 3 | Stone Creek Ranch (first) | 24 mi NE | Edgar Springs |
Processors
Mounts
Gun and bow shops
Hunting 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.
Plato MDC offices
For Texas County, MDC’s closest public office is Ozark Regional Office (West Plains), 40 miles from the county centre. West Plains hosts the MDC Ozark regional office. Staff are often in the field, so call ahead before visiting an office.
MDC George O White Nursery Field Office lies 19 mi east
MDC Rural Forest Fire Equipment Center Field Office, a 26 mi drive northwest
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.
Plato area dinners, classes and hunts
Straight-line radius of about 30 miles: 2 upcoming events, covering bird dog championship.
Booked dates
| Held on | Event | Miles off | Where held | Link | Checked at |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 30, 2026 | Quail Championship Invitational 2026 · bird dog championship | 22 | Grovespring | Event details | Source |
| Feb 6, 2027 | Region 5 (AFTCA) Amateur Shooting Dog Championship 2027 · bird dog championship | 22 | Sportsmen's Association Grounds — Grovespring | Event details | Source |
Plato: gun clubs and MDC lines nearby
Ft Leonard Gun Club heads the Plato list (18 miles), and two more follow.
The nearest MDC or city range is Osage Fork Conservation Area Archery Range, 26 miles off. Range page
Straight-line miles from the town centre; ranges checked October 29, 2026.
Plato sunrise and sunset
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 Plato that means no change.
| 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.–8:08 p.m. | 6:07 a.m.–7:38 p.m. |
| Sep 15, 2026 | Archery opener | 6:49 a.m. | 7:16 p.m. | 6:19 a.m.–7:46 p.m. | 6:19 a.m.–7:16 p.m. |
| Oct 1, 2026 | Fall firearms turkey | 7:04 a.m. | 6:50 p.m. | 6:34 a.m.–7:20 p.m. | 6:34 a.m.–6:50 p.m. |
| Nov 7, 2026 | Middle Zone ducks | 6:41 a.m. | 5:01 p.m. | 6:11 a.m.–5:31 p.m. | 6:11 a.m.–5:01 p.m. |
| Nov 14, 2026 | November firearms opener | 6:49 a.m. | 4:55 p.m. | 6:19 a.m.–5:25 p.m. | 6:19 a.m.–4:55 p.m. |
| Dec 26, 2026 | Alternative methods | 7:24 a.m. | 4:53 p.m. | 6:54 a.m.–5:23 p.m. | 6:54 a.m.–4:53 p.m. |
| Jan 15, 2027 | Archery close | 7:24 a.m. | 5:11 p.m. | 6:54 a.m.–5:41 p.m. | 6:54 a.m.–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.
Plato hunting FAQ
What is the check-in routine for a deer shot near Plato?
Notch the permit, then Telecheck online, in the MO Hunting app or by phone before processing, before leaving the county or by 10 p.m., whichever comes first.
What are the November opener hours for Plato?
6:20 a.m. to 5:26 p.m. at Plato, by MDC’s table and longitude rule.
Which deer processor is the shortest drive from Plato?
Cummins Custom Meat in Licking, about 18 mi away, is the closest listed.
Which orange garments are mandatory in the firearms portions near Plato?
An orange hat plus an orange shirt, vest or coat.
Which neighbouring towns does this site cover?
Fort Leonard Wood, Houston and Licking, then Waynesville.
Can Plato hunters buy permits at an MDC office?
Yes; MDC offices sell permits, and the closest to the county centre is Ozark Regional Office in West Plains.
How large is the public land within a short drive of Plato?
GIS puts it near 58,734 acres; the land table lists 1 tract.
Which tract on MDC’s map lies nearest Plato?
On the map it is Mark Twain National Forest, which reaches into town. After that: Lamberson Memorial Conservation Area, about 12 miles to its mapped centre.
Can I hunt the October antlerless days near Plato?
Yes; Texas County is on the open list.
How does MDC limit antlerless deer in Texas County?
With a county fill limit of 4 for firearms antlerless permits.
Is a drawn bear permit needed near Plato?
Yes; residents apply in May for one zone. Zone 3 had 250 permits.
What CWD measures apply to deer from Texas County?
The statewide carcass rule plus the feed and mineral ban.
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.
Before leaving Plato
Distances on this page are straight lines from Plato; each conservation area, access and federal tract has its own rules, so read the land page and the 2026-27 booklets before you go.
Other photos on this page: Heath Cajandig (CC BY 2.0); Heath Cajandig (CC BY 2.0); darin_kuntze (CC BY 2.0); Good Fire Photos (Public Domain Mark 1.0); Shelby L. Bell (CC BY 2.0); Jena Fuller (CC BY-SA 2.0); USFWS Midwest Region (Public Domain Mark 1.0); J L (CC BY-SA 2.0).