Mibowhunter91

ok first are non resident archery tags still sold over the counter?

and now Im just lookin for thoughts here Im planning a bowhunt in NE Missouri for next season with my dad and a close friend. When i started lookin at the public land my head started to spin there is alot of land to hunt. Any thoughts on some of the better areas to help pin point where we will start scouting? I really like the ideas of the archery and muzzleloader only areas. Im am goin to make a trip down after winter to help get an idea of where we'll be hunting i just need some help on where to start.

Thanks Matt

bscofield

I've been hunting in Missouri, as a resident, for around 4 or 5 years. As far as I know ALL tags are available over the counter.
You're right, we have lots of public lands to hunt. And bow hunters get several shelters from a lot of the gun hunting nut jobs.
I'm unfamiliar with the NE area, but I've been told it can be a monster breeding ground! I've heard good things from a friend of mine about the public land around Mark Twain, but that may be much further south than you want to go.

wallhangr

Adair County has some good areas, but you're talking about some rough terrain on the State ground there. There are several areas around Hannibal that would provide options. Some of them are small and tend to get overlooked.

Mibowhunter91

Thanks for clearing that up i thought so but wanted to make sure before i sent all the time and then found out i needed to apply thank you

Mibowhunter91

how rough are we talkin here id be ok maybe it will help keep some hunters away now if were talkin mountian climbing gear i might think again about hunting that haha.

I was thinking about some of the smaller places just for that reason. Either that or just go way deer into an area like indian hills and hope its big enough that it would spread the pressure out

wallhangr

Not neccessarily mountain climbing kind of rough - more the case of thick and overgrown. That may have changed though - the MDC has a habit of ignoring an area for years and then showing up to bulldoze overgrown areas. But if they haven't, there are some ravines/ditches that are your best bet.

Mibowhunter91

The thick stuff won't bother me at all I'll have to look into it. What about a place like Indian hills or hidden hollow... or even a place like Ted shanks. I'm not looking to set any records or anything but I.think it would be great if I could get my buddy in front of a 125 class buck or am I getting my hopes up

wallhangr

Not familiar with Hidden Hollow, but it's in the right part of the state. Ted Shanks would be a good spot (right across the river from famed Pike Co, IL) & Indian Hills is right next to some property I used to hunt. I think I had over 20 deer sightings during the last weekend I hunted there. I think you'd be tempted to pass on a 125 for something bigger in all those areas.

Mibowhunter91

Thanks a lot that's the kind of info I wanted to hear. I didn't want to get my.hopes up knowing its.public ground. Between those big places and the smaller ones I between I think I have my work cut out for me just getting an idea where well want to spend most of our time.

Beard Buster

You should also check the regs closely to see if the 4 tine on one side restriction is in effect where you plan to hunt. I am guessing that it is, and that is a good thing if you are wanting to see a good buck. MO seems to really have the deer management figured out. I was stationed on the west side of the state as my last base and had great luck killing deer there. A 125+ inch buck on public land is not an easy task though... I hope you can get up there and do plenty of scouting prior to the season. Tags are very easy to buy there, but make sure you have your hunters safety license and everything with you when you go there. I was fortunate enough to get resident tags, due to being stationed there. Good luck though! Plenty of big bucks in MO.