Missouri deer research / Maries County

Maries County, Missouri Deer Hunting Research

Provisional FDR Deer Herd Index 37.5 Provisional, ranked #101 of 114 ranked Missouri counties. Built from Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) Telecheck records, 2015–2025 plus public-land access.

D - Average
37.5 / 100
Provisional FDR Index
#101 of 114
Ranked-county rank
69↓
Buck Index
2,613
Public-land acres
2,204
2025 deer harvest

What drives the Maries County index

Provisional components, each scored 0–100 against the ranked Missouri counties. Provisional.

Herd quality41
Population29
Buck Index20
Habitat32
Momentum15
Deer-vehicle crash rate94

Buck Index

69↓ out of 100. How this county ranks on the Buck Index against every county we cover. 100 is the top. Land is measured as what a hunter can actually hunt (10 m estimate).

Hunting pressure

Pressure Index 7.9 / 10 (Higher). About 9.3 deer hunters per square mile of huntable land: 79th percentile of 3,051 rated counties in 48 states, 66th percentile within Missouri. How often deer run into people, 0 to 10 on one scale across every rated state; 10 is the most crowded county in the country.

Measured. Missouri Department of Conservation deer season summary, firearms hunters per square mile, 2024 season, places this county within Missouri. Missouri Department of Conservation report. Missouri averages 8.7 deer hunters per square mile of huntable land (state wildlife agency count, 2025 season).

2015–2025 harvest trend

SeasonTotal harvest
20252,204
20241,910
20232,391
20222,328
20212,509
20202,259
20192,473
20182,218
20172,342
20162,191
20152,240

Harvest totals from Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) Telecheck records, 2015–2025. MDC reports totals by county and season; archery / firearm splits are not broken out in this dataset.

See full Maries County harvest charts →

Harvest composition

MDC reports each deer as an Antlered Buck, Doe, or Button Buck (a male fawn). In 2025, the Maries County harvest was 1,118 antlered bucks, 880 does, and 206 button bucks.

SeasonAntlered buckDoeButton buckTotal
20251,1188802062,204
20249248021841,910
20231,0661,0792462,391
20221,0011,0712562,328
20211,1241,0793062,509
20209201,0602792,259
20199581,1783372,473
20189561,0052572,218
20171,0469913052,342
20169569712642,191
20159081,0542782,240

Antlered buck = adult male; button buck = male fawn; doe = adult female. Only MDC's additive method portions are summed, so the three sum to the county total, with no double-counting.

See full Maries County composition charts →

Herd & land detail

MetricValue
Latest season (2025)2,204 deer
Harvest per sq mi4.18
Buck : doe ratio1.27
County land (sq mi)526.90
Public-land acres2,613

Methodology

Provisional index. Provisional index: herd, harvest, the Buck Index, and roadway (exposure-normalized deer-vehicle crash rate) components; habitat/age-structure partial where the state does not publish them.. FULLY DRAWN RESEARCH · Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) PROVISIONAL COUNTY DEER INDEX

Informational only. Built from public-record Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) county harvest data, US Census TIGER county land area, the Buck Index, and exposure-normalized deer-vehicle crash rates where published. Provisional index; some components partial or pending. Not a prediction or guarantee. Verify with the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC).

See Maries County on the map

Parcels with owner & acreage, public hunting land, leaf-off imagery, and this research, together on one hunting map.

Nearby counties

Frequently asked questions

Is Maries County, Missouri good for deer hunting?

Maries County scores 37.5 of 100 on the provisional FDR Deer Herd Index (D - Average), ranked #101 of 114 ranked Missouri counties. The provisional index is built from MDC public harvest records, the Buck Index and deer-vehicle crash data; some components are partial, as noted in the methodology.

How many deer were harvested in Maries County last season?

MDC records show 2,204 deer harvested in Maries County, Missouri in 2025, the most recent reported season.

Cite this

Fully Drawn Research. "Maries County, Missouri deer hunting research." County page. https://www.fullydrawnresearch.ai/research/mo/maries. Accessed Nov 1, 2026.

Data and charts from this page are free to use with attribution. See the Content Lab.

Sources: Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) Telecheck records, 2015–2025; public-land access from public land-cover and public-hunting-area records. Public-record data only: no private contact information, no landowner lists. This is a provisional index, harvest and access components only; Buck Index and roadway components are a later step.

Fully Drawn Research is independent and not affiliated with or endorsed by the Missouri MDC. Historical data and modeled indexes describe the past; they are not a promise of hunting outcomes. Always verify current seasons, permits, and site rules with the MDC before you hunt.

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