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With snow on the ground and hunting seasons still going strong in many states, the though of burning is far from most "to-do lists," dormant-season burns help manage grasslands and promote native plant growth. Fire is frequently listed as the most powerful tool in the habitat management...

I was feeling the pressure of getting my eight-year old granddaughter on deer. In 2023 she harvested a doe, and in 2024 a button buck. This year, her goal was to "tag out" with a buck and doe. She was already into her seventh sit of the season (two with me, five with dad), and she had only seen...

With the close of the Show-Me States’ main firearms deer season, the Missouri Department of Conservation reports hunters harvested 158,712 deer during the regular November firearms season (65% of the total harvest, to date). 2025: 158,712 2024: 158,577 2023: 193,885 2022: 199,115 2021: 188,928...

Day one of the Baptist Homes of Arcadia Valley Senior Deer Hunt is over, but the memories will continue for a lifetime! Despite the drought, the Vitalize Carbon Load food plots produced, allowed two senior hunters who thought their hunting days were long over to harvest a deer. New this year...

Day 1 of 7: I am once again privileged to be a part of a century old Deer Camp tradition, joining a colleague and friend and his family at their 140 year old cabin in the beautiful Ozark mountains. On the 5 Hour drive from our Northwest Missouri farm, the temperatures averaged to 81°. This is...

My son-in-law experienced the rut the wrong way this morning in Kansas City on the way to work...

There are plenty of things that could be worse than having a birthday in mid-October—having an anniversary during hunting season, for one. Yet, every year as my birthday approaches, I feel that familiar tug to step away from the busy rhythm of work and spend all or part of the day in pursuit of...

A couple of recent threads have demonstrated that CWD is a topic of interest and passion...and one that is respectfully discussed on this forum. Here are two recent resources that are well worth the time investment for those wanting to know how to respond to CWD (if it is in your area) or...

We are preparing for the 2026 senior hunts at work, and I thought it was interesting to see how quickly the deer appeared on the path after mowing an access trail. This ladder stand will be ideal for team members using crossbows. After a day in the office it is nice to be able to go into...

We’re starting a new tradition of Pre Deer Camp as a way to enjoy the camaraderie of deer camp while building excitement for the coming season while getting help with some of the chores related to the season. Thursday night we reviewed last September's camera data and compared it to this years...

Nice shade trees and a steady breeze offset the heat as we enjoyed the 5th annual New Hope Creek Deer Coop gathering on our farm. The meeting was a great success with nearly 20 landowners representing about 1600 acres gathering to discuss all things Whitetail, while enjoying venison slam...

I enjoyed my first dove hunt using a nice O/U my wife bought for me a couple of years ago. My friend, who is the landowner, said the action was slow, but the shotgun felt good and brought down 6 birds, which will be dinner tomorrow night.

We planted ten apples, two pears and two plum trees when we moved to the farm in 2017. That first year we had to replace two apples and both plums due to deer and drought. This year we had our first three pears (delicious) and first bushel of apples. I wish I had known of this forum back then...

I put in for a managed hunt near where I live with the “assurance” it would take three or four years to be drawn, based on the odds. My intention was to build up some points to ensure a draw once I retire. To my surprise, I was chosen this year—which means I am not ready! The park is 10 miles...

In 2022, Native Hunter posted a thread about his Lawnmower plot. Rather than revive that old thread, I thought I would start a new one for those using this simple, but often effective, method for food plotting. With limited time, I took advantage of work taking me 1 1/2 hours from our cabin...

Invasive plants susceptible to prescribed burns (meaning controlled fires can be used as a management tool to help control or eliminate them). Japanese Honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica) can be controlled, especially with winter burns Bush Honeysuckle: A common invasive shrub that can outcompete...

Special thanks to Admin Bill for agreeing to add this forum! Over the past years, I’ve read many posts promoting burns for invasive control, site prep and supporting the early successional vegetation so important to the wildlife we love and appreciate. The goal of this forum is to have a place...

I had the privilege of being invited to speak on the Main Beam Podcast this past Wednesday. The episode went live yesterday. It's pretty much 90 minutes of talking about the deer hunting, with a focus upon the senior deer hunt initiative that is close to my heart. It was fun being in the...

Have a blessed and safe July 4th.

The Missouri Department of Conservation in partnership with Quail Forever and two wildlife foundations hosted a quail habitat field day for landowners. Here are the key take homes and some pictures: 1) The best tool is a September burn rotation every three or four years. 2) Unlike deer plots...