1. Drury-Mincy Conservation Area
City: Kirbyville, MO
Category: Parks & Recreation
Telephone: (417) 334-4830
Address: 3347 Gunnison Rd.
Description: This 5,559-acre conservation area in southern Taney County is only minutes from downtown Branson. It is named for early landowner Frank Drury and the settlement of Mincy. It was the Missouri Conservation Department’s first deer refuge. By the 1920s Missouri’s deer numbers had dwindled to only 14 herds. One of these lived in the Mincy area on the private Skaggs Game Preserve, and Frank Drury worked with the department to increase deer numbers. From 1939 to 1959 deer from the preserve were successfully used to restore populations statewide. Turkeys from the preserve also provided the stock for statewide restoration projects during the 1960s. The department leased the land in 1939 and purchased it in 1987. Fox, Bee, and Mincy Creeks meander through stands of wild cane on their way to Bull Shoals Lake in this wilderness area, which is in the heart of the White River glade region. It is open for hunting, frogging, stream fishing, hiking, bird-watching, nature study, picnicking, and outdoor photography. Camping is allowed in the Mincy portion only. The area has miles of foot trails for hiking. You can obtain information and a map of the Drury-Mincy Conservation Area by writing the Drury-Mincy Area Manager, HCR 2, Box 1040, Kirbyville, MO 65679 or by calling (417) 334-4830. To get to the preserve, go 3 miles east of Branson on MO 76. As soon as you pass the Kirbyville School, turn south (right) onto MO J, which will take you right into the preserve. At Mincy you see the signs for the preserve.
2. K Dock Marina
City: Kirbyville, MO
Category: Parks & Recreation
Telephone: (417) 334-2880
Address: 295 Marina Dr.
Description: On Bull Shoals Lake, the marina rents boat slips and fishing and pontoon boats. Fishing boats are $60 per half day, $100 full day. Pontoons are $90 per half day, $150 full day. Fuel is additional.