Missouri public land

[Landon11]

Recently moved from Mississippi to Northwest Arkansas. Looking to mainly bow hunt Missouri Public land. I’ve been scouting a few conservation blocks but looking for some tips or direction to which part of Missouri offers the best ground! Not asking for your secret spots but would like to narrow down my options to which way to go! Thanks in advance

 

[Pescetism]

Btw, since you're brand new you probably haven't seen or been told but the quoted portion below will likely get you poor or no responses. I don't mind sharing some info since the hunting, and wildlife outlook are so different in the Midwest vs the West but many others will assume you're here to get good info and never return without contributing to the site.

Not asking for your secret spots but would like to narrow down my options to which way to go! Thanks in advance

Best will be relative, deer numbers are good across the state but the highest scores usually come from central and northern MO. I would expect pressure from other hunters to be moderate to high. Unless money and time aren't a consideration you may want to work out the logistics of hunting each each area(s) before diving into specific conservation areas since many don't allow dispersed camping and travel time between home/hotel to those areas may be significant. Camping in the parking lots can be....interesting.

If you're on Rokslide long enough, and have interest, I can help you out with more specific info about a few CA's in the northern portion.

 

[Landon11]

Btw, since you're brand new you probably haven't seen or been told but the quoted portion below will likely get you poor or no responses. I don't mind sharing some info since the hunting, and wildlife outlook are so different in the Midwest vs the West but many others will assume you're here to get good info and never return without contributing to the site.



Best will be relative, deer numbers are good across the state but the highest scores usually come from central and northern MO. I would expect pressure from other hunters to be moderate to high. Unless money and time aren't a consideration you may want to work out the logistics of hunting each each area(s) before diving into specific conservation areas since many don't allow dispersed camping and travel time between home/hotel to those areas may be significant. Camping in the parking lots can be....interesting.

If you're on Rokslide long enough, and have interest, I can help you out with more specific info about a few CA's in the northern portion.

Thanks man I’m new here and honestly didn’t know how to go about posting, I’m open minded and willing to share any info I have to help others as well. I’m and avid deer and turkey hunter who has hunted several portions of the states!

 

[Landon11]

Thanks man I’m new here and honestly didn’t know how to go about posting, I’m open minded and willing to share any info I have to help others as well. I’m and avid deer and turkey hunter who has hunted several portions of the states!

I’ve been blessed enough to deer hunt mostly private my whole life in Mississippi and just moving I will most likely only be hunting public this year and just looking for some help on which direction to go. I appreciate any help I can get

 

[SloppyJ]

Welcome! Where are you at in NWA?

 

[Landon11]

Welcome! Where are you at in NWA?

Rogers area

 

[SloppyJ]

Rogers area

Awesome. I'm literally just a few minutes down the road so reach out if you need anything. I don't know anything about hunting MO but I'm looking to plan a turkey trip with my oldest son for next spring.

 

[Landon11]

Awesome. I'm literally just a few minutes down the road so reach out if you need anything. I don't know anything about hunting MO but I'm looking to plan a turkey trip with my oldest son for next spring.

Sounds good man! I’ve turkey hunted mark twain a couple years. So let me know if I can help in any way

 

[bnsafe]

there are no turkey or deer in mo lol. i dont know much about the southern state so no help. but, i can tell you that pretty much anywhere you go will be all yours until the last week of october. then plan on the hoards to hit and everything you planned on will go up in smoke. first weekend of rifle season will be wild, I dont go for safety reasons, then after that ive shot multiple deer and little pressure. most have been within 100 yds of a road, nothing big but they are there, just dang near impossible to find. they got big for a reason. as for turkeys our populations are shadows of what they use to be and hunting pressure has been extreme. might not be where yall are goin, but it is where im at.

 

[Pescetism]

Thanks man I’m new here and honestly didn’t know how to go about posting, I’m open minded and willing to share any info I have to help others as well. I’m and avid deer and turkey hunter who has hunted several portions of the states!

Awesome. I'm fairly new here too and hope it didn't sound like I was harping on you. Tried to word it less abrasively than you may get from someone else while still letting you know.

The poster above is right about pressure. The first three weeks of Nov are busy, especially in areas with quail or pheasants. In Oct I think you're more likely to see conservation agents than other bow hunters.

 

[CMF]

Haven't deer hunted there yet, but the pressure during turkey season was pretty intense on the public.

 

[dtrkyman]

Hunted MO. public last November, absolute shit show. Do not expect to find a place to yourself!

After my hunt I told my wife if I ever say I am going to MO. to hunt public again to kick in the D---!

 

[woods89]

I've hunted deer and turkeys in southern MO, which is where I live, for the last 15 or so years.

My info is pretty hard won, so I'm not going to give much out. But you really need to just start scouting and adapt. You'll find no free lunch on public ground here, but there are deer to kill. You will deal with pressure, but if you stick with it you can find ways to get away from it. Turkey hunting is nothing like it was from 2010-2017 or so, but I still love getting out in the woods here in spring.

Get a copy of Mapping Trophy Bucks by Brad Herndon ( I think?). That book was a big help to me.

 

[signing off]

Welcome.
This coming weekend is an anterless doe gun weekend. Pick a few places to explore and get a feel for pressure. I eliminated a few spots on national forest by driving through on the main Nov opening day.
Between the national forest and state conservation areas in SW Mo, you will have options upon options. Find a terrain feature or type that you enjoy and go for it.