County Howell, Missouri

Howell County occupies the Salem Plateau subdivision of the Ozark Plateaus, featuring rolling hills, narrow valleys, and dissected uplands underlain by Paleozoic limestones and dolomites. Classic karst topography — sinkholes, caves, losing streams, and springs — funnels deer movement across the landscape. Major drainages include the South Fork and Warm Fork of the Spring River, Current River headwater tributaries, and the Eleven Point River corridor. Upland timber is predominantly oak-hickory with shortleaf pine and eastern red cedar intrusion; creek bottoms transition to sycamore, cottonwood, and green ash. Thin, rocky Ozark soils limit row-crop agriculture, concentrating deer on river-bottom fields and timber openings for forage. River bluffs along Spring River tributaries and karst benches form natural travel corridors between ridge-top bedding and bottomland feeding areas.

Low to moderate relative to most Missouri counties. Despite consistently ranking in the top three statewide for total deer harvest — including a No. 2 finish after the 2025 opening firearms weekend — rugged terrain, steep hollows, and limited road networks concentrate pressure near parking areas. Interior ridges and creek drainages on White Ranch and the Eleven Point Ranger District see dramatically lighter pressure after opening weekend. Distance from major population centers (230-plus miles from St. Louis, 250-plus miles from Kansas City) limits non-resident and weekend traffic compared to north Missouri farmland counties. Local hunter density is highest during the November rut but falls sharply in archery and alternative-methods seasons.

Howell County allows up to four (4) firearms antlerless deer per season; archery antlerless permits are unlimited — hunters may purchase and fill any number during the archery season statewide. All general deer tags are over-the-counter with no quota permit required. Howell County was in the CWD Management Zone for 2025-2026 (with a separate CWD firearms portion Nov 26-30); for 2026-2027 MDC eliminated the CWD zone designation and the separate CWD firearms portion statewide. Nonresident antlered buck bag limit reduced from two to one beginning 2026. CWD testing of harvested deer remains encouraged in this region.

Deer archery: Sep 15-Nov 13 and Nov 25-Jan 15; early antlerless firearms: Oct 9-11; early youth: Oct 24-25; November firearms: Nov 14-24; late youth: Nov 27-29; late antlerless: Dec 5-13; alternative methods (muzzleloader, handgun, crossbow): Dec 26-Jan 5. Spring turkey youth: Apr 11-12, general: Apr 20-May 10. Fall turkey archery runs concurrent with archery deer; fall turkey firearms: Oct 1-31 in open counties. Squirrel season May 23-Feb 15 (limit 10/day). Rabbit Oct 1-Feb 14 (limit 10/day). Waterfowl opportunity is limited — no major reservoirs or managed impoundments — though wood ducks and migratory ducks use Spring River tributaries and Current River corridors during fall migration.

Howell County offers a rare combination of top-tier harvest numbers and genuine Ozark solitude. White Ranch Conservation Area provides 6,600-plus acres of mature upland timber — one of the largest MDC tracts in the region — with consistently strong deer and turkey populations. The Mark Twain National Forest Eleven Point Ranger District adds tens of thousands of acres of walk-in public land, including canoe-accessible river corridors that place hunters well away from road pressure. Spring River and Eleven Point River bottomlands create timber-to-open-field transition habitat ideal for mature buck movement during the November rut. Although Ozark deer run smaller-bodied than north Missouri counterparts, low pressure and complex terrain allow bucks to mature, and trophy-class whitetails are regularly taken on public land. The county's karst landscape — bluffs, springs, and creek drainages — creates predictable travel funnels that reward mobile hunters willing to work steep, rugged ground.