It looks like I'll be in St. Joseph, Missouri in November for the any legal weapon season. I'd love to shoot a white tail again (it's been a few years). Skinheads or dink bucks would be fine. Wondering if anyone knows the public ground around there. Private ground wouldn't be turned down! Happy to share stories, whiskey, and advice on the draw system in Nevada if you want to hunt out here.

Much appreciated.

A lot of the missouri river bank and bottom is public. Its a navigable river

If you can find MDC website. Should be a map on there of areas.

Find the Mrap map on their website ,will show you farm ground you can access also. New program in Missouri farmers allow access to ground thats been put into the Mrap program. Some of these spots are really good.

I’ve seen the MDC site, didn’t know about the MRAP map. Will check that out.

I don’t have access to a boat. I’m hoping to be able to hike and get away from folks. I realize that’s not super easy in Missouri!

Hunted with my dad and one of his friends down by Carrollton on the public in the surrounding area a few years back. Both years that we did it, we shot a few deer. A fair amount of hunters on the public, but can have luck if you understand how to hunt hunters instead of deer. Use that to your advantage.

My other option is Carrollton actually. What conservation areas were you hunting? I have some private ground near Carrollton, but wouldn't mind checking that out. I do understand the idea of hunting hunters, it sure helps to think that way out west!

My advice would be to download the ONx Map application for Missouri. You can use it free for 7 days and then have to purchase for $30/year. It will give you a current aerial view and topo map, as well as all the private and public land parcels as an overlay. Public land is highlighted so it makes it easy to find on the map. It is well worth it to narrow down non-pressured areas and mark them with waypoints.

ol'dad

mdc

click the link to look up public hunting areas.

Will you be bowhunting?

We harvested deer at Bunch Hollow, McKinnley (SP), and a smaller one just west of town but I don't remember the name. Some of the other ones (including some of the smaller ones) were decent as well depending on the day.

Nope .308

Each County's Plat book is online and will tell you where the Gov land is and What's private.

If at all possible I would hunt the private land as the orange army can get thick. Parts of the land around Smithville Lake always looks interesting.

Orange Army, that's funny. I need an offer to hunt private in order to do so. wink wink

Oh yeh, Smithville looks "interesting" for sure. Unless you spend the night at the pulloffs there's no place to park, and there's an orange blob in every other tree. It's "interesting". Every Tom, Richard, and Harry from Kansas City is there. I live there. Bunch Hollow would get my vote.

Can’t help sorry..if bowhunting maybe...some good bowhunting along that Missouri River...firearm season might be kinda dicey if it’s anything like it is on the other side of the river in Nebraska...

Hope you find something...

I’d ask on the Missouri hunters forums if it was me

Rifle season in this state is basically a national holiday. Gonna be orange everywhere especially opening weekend.
Check some of the waterfowl areas north of st joe to see if they allow rifle hunting. Used to see some nice deer at Nodaway and Bob brown conservation areas when we were up there pheasant hunting. Good luck. Also look at Bilby ranch.

I appreciate that. I used to hunt with a longbow. Then I found trapping and decided my .308 was better for filling the freezer. I respect archery hunters however!