County Randolph, Missouri

Randolph County occupies the Dissected Till Plains of north-central Missouri — gently rolling glacial hills interspersed with broad river bottomlands and productive agricultural uplands. This is not Ozarks country; the landscape is shaped by Pleistocene glaciation rather than karst or bedrock uplift. The Chariton River is the primary waterway, draining southward through the county. Elevations range roughly 700-900 feet with modest relief. Land cover is dominated by corn and soybean row crops on fertile glacial loam uplands, with hardwood timber — oak, hickory, cottonwood, silver maple — concentrated in creek drainages, river bottoms, and along the margins of Thomas Hill Reservoir. CRP grasslands and cattle pasture round out the mosaic. The fertile glacial soils support abundant natural food sources: white oak mast in timbered drainages and waste grain in harvested crop fields make Randolph County a textbook north Missouri ag-and-timber deer county.

Moderate. Randolph County sits roughly 100 miles northeast of Kansas City and 130 miles northwest of St. Louis, far enough from both metros to escape the heavy weekend pressure that saturates counties within 60-90 miles of those cities. The county seat of Moberly (population approximately 13,000) generates modest local hunting activity. Public areas see heavier use during the November firearms season but remain comparatively uncrowded during archery and alternative-methods portions. The agricultural landscape with limited public land disperses pressure broadly across private farms. Hunters willing to access interior sections of Thomas Hill Reservoir CA or Rudolf Bennitt CA — requiring a mile or more of foot travel — can find low competition on weekdays and outside peak firearms weekends.

Randolph County is in the blue antlerless permit zone: hunters may fill four firearms antlerless deer permits during the firearms season, all portions combined. Archery antlerless permits are available statewide with no county-specific restrictions and may be used throughout the archery deer season. All Missouri deer permits are over-the-counter; there is no quota or controlled-draw system for deer statewide. Randolph County is in the CWD Management Zone, which removes the antler-point restriction (APR) that otherwise applies in some Missouri counties — any antlered buck may be taken. Resident landowners with 75 or more acres may obtain no-cost Resident Landowner Firearms Antlerless permits for additional does. Deer harvested in the CWD zone are subject to carcass-part transport restrictions out of the zone.

Deer 2025-26: Archery Sept 15-Nov 14 and Nov 26-Jan 15; Early Antlerless Firearms Oct 10-12; Early Youth Nov 1-2; November Firearms Nov 15-25; CWD Portion Nov 26-30; Alternative Methods (archery, crossbow, handgun, muzzleloader) Dec 27-Jan 6. Turkey: Spring Youth April 12-13; Regular Spring April 21-May 11, one tom or jake; Fall Firearms Turkey Oct 1-31 in open counties; Fall Archery Turkey concurrent with archery deer season. Squirrel: May 24-Feb 15, daily limit 10. Rabbit: Oct 1-Feb 15, daily limit 6. Waterfowl: Duck and Canada goose hunting at Thomas Hill Reservoir CA, though a refuge on the northern lake arm (north of Hwy T) limits some prime areas; teal and early Canada goose seasons apply. Predators and furbearers (coyote, raccoon) may be hunted or trapped under statewide regulations year-round or per season.

Thomas Hill Reservoir Conservation Area is the county anchor — one of northeast Missouri's largest public tracts at over 9,200 acres, with miles of timber-to-water edge that concentrates deer and turkeys. The agricultural matrix of corn and soybean fields surrounded by timbered creek drainages and Chariton River bottomland is classic north Missouri trophy whitetail habitat; river corridor funnels buck movement and provides reliable travel routes for mature deer. The CWD zone designation removes the antler-point restriction, simplifying doe management and buck harvest. Moderate pressure relative to metro-adjacent counties makes Randolph a viable destination for public-land hunters. Rudolf Bennitt CA on the southern county edge offers intimate timber hunting in a tract touching three counties. Multi-species potential is strong: spring turkey in the oak timber, fall whitetail in the ag-edge maze, waterfowl on the reservoir, and squirrel in any of the hardwood drainages.