County Franklin, Missouri

Franklin County sits at the northern edge of the Ozark Highlands where the Salem Plateau meets the Missouri River lowlands. Topography is rugged with steep forested ridges, narrow valleys, and prominent limestone bluffs; elevations range from roughly 400 to over 800 feet. The Meramec River bisects the county from southwest to northeast, flanked by broad bottomland corridors of cottonwood, silver maple, and sycamore. The Bourbeuse River drains the central portion. Upland cover is predominantly oak-hickory forest with cedar glades and scattered row-crop and pasture on broader ridges. Cherty Ozark soils support mast-producing white and red oaks; alluvial bottomland soils along the Meramec and its tributaries deliver lush browse and soft mast. Karst features — sinkholes, caves, and cold springs — are common throughout, feeding seeps that deer use heavily in dry summers. The county straddles the Central Hardwoods ecological section, and its mosaic of timber, brushy edge, and small grain provides year-round deer food sources.

High — among the highest in Missouri. Franklin County is the state's top deer-harvest county with 6,770 deer taken in the 2025-2026 season, including 1,272 during archery alone. The county borders the St. Louis metro and is easily accessible via I-44 and Highway 100, drawing a very large urban hunter base. MDC conservation areas, especially Meramec CA, see heavy use during the November firearms season. Pressure eases somewhat in the western interior away from main corridors, and mid-week hunting on public areas provides some relief. Private land in the interior timber country offers the best combination of deer density and reduced competition for hunters seeking trophy bucks.

Franklin County falls under the standard statewide antlerless permit structure with no county-specific quota system. Hunters may purchase and fill up to four (4) firearms antlerless deer permits during the combined firearms season (all portions). Archery antlerless permits are over-the-counter with no county cap — any number may be purchased and filled during the archery season statewide. All antlerless tags are OTC; no special drawing or quota applies to Franklin County. Missouri imposes no antler-point restrictions in this county. Standard statewide CWD carcass-transport restrictions apply throughout the county.

Deer 2026-2027: archery Sept. 15–Nov. 13 and Nov. 25–Jan. 15, 2027; early antlerless Oct. 9–11; early youth Oct. 24–25; main November firearms Nov. 14–24; late youth Nov. 27–29; late antlerless Dec. 5–13; alternative methods (muzzleloader, atlatl, crossbow) Dec. 26–Jan. 5, 2027. Spring turkey 2027: April 20–May 10 (youth portion April 11–12); fall archery turkey runs concurrent with archery deer season; fall firearms turkey Oct. 1–31 in designated open counties — verify annually whether Franklin County is listed. Squirrel: statewide season May 23–Feb. 15. Rabbit: Nov. 1–Feb. 15. Waterfowl: the Meramec and Bourbeuse Rivers hold migrating mallards and wood ducks; Catawissa CA floodplain lakes offer the best public waterfowl hunting opportunity in the county.

Franklin County leads Missouri in total annual deer harvest — nearly 6,800 deer in 2025-2026 — driven by exceptional habitat where Ozark hardwood ridges and limestone bluff country meet agricultural edge along the Meramec River corridor. That terrain diversity sustains large-bodied deer with genuine trophy potential, though public-land competition is stiff given proximity to St. Louis. Meramec Conservation Area (~4,000 acres) is the standout public property, delivering real Ozark hill-country hunting with river-bottom access and a remote feel uncommon this close to a major metro. Private-land permission in the county's central and western sections — where grain fields and brushy draws meet dense timber — unlocks the best rut hunting on mature bucks. The river systems add waterfowl and small-game variety that rounds out a multi-species hunting camp.