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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...

This thread continues a three year tradition of attempting to forecast the upcoming deer season. This is the 8th season on our property, and the doe/buck ratio seems to be much better. So far, all the does are dropping single fawns. The coyotes are out in number. Two target deer survived, and...

With the closing of my in-laws estate, my wife and I now have 1/3 ownership of 45 acres in hunting unit 176 near Tower, MN. Her brothers don't hunt anymore, so the property is not hunted, at least from what I know. Growing up, my wife saw deer, bear and moose sightings regularly. Today, bear and...

While I should be planting, a friend and I are riding the Rocky’s in our RZRs. After hearing Spencer talk about going to Colorado to ride his side-by-side for four years during deer camp, I finally threw out the gauntlet and said, “Let’s go.” I bought a low-mileage 2019 RZR 900 ESP trail model...

The original week of my scheduled first hog hunt was met with a blizzard that shut down I-44 and brought record-low temperatures to Missouri and Oklahoma. We had to postpone the trip for two weeks, but on Wednesday, March 5, 2025, my three colleagues, who I count as close friends, joined me on a...

Your first piece of property. It’s always interesting to hear how folks acquired their first piece of property. Keep the story short, and share any insights that might help new members navigate their landowner dreams! Our was 8 acres with an 800 sq/ foot 2/BR, 1B log cabin purchased in 2012...

I am taking our senior leadership team to Mangum, Oklahoma for a hog hunt in Mid-February. This will be the first hog hunt for us all. We'll be hunting four locations on two farms, and the local conservation officers, who is a friend, is baiting the sites for us. I'm taking an AR with red-dot...

What is your acorn strategy? This past weekend's tree survey suggests this will be a bumper acorn year. I have burr oak acorns the size of golf-balls and other white oak acorns showing in abundance. This will be the first year the farm has a tower blind well situated for the acorn drop, plus...

This question is based on another thread on e-bikes. Getting to the stand with minimal disturbance is a priority for most of us. So, what have you found that works best to get to your deer stand?

In May of 2023 I posted a “deer season forecast” based on early trail cam photos. Although it is well past May, I will continue the tradition and post the anticipated harvest for the 2024-25 season. Feel free to respond with your “forecast” for the upcoming season. 2024 marks the 7th season...

Our third annual New Hope Creek Cooperative will be Monday September 16th. If members in the NW Missouri area might be interested in learning more about establishing a landowner deer/habitat coop, Cole Gander (NDA Deer Outreach Specialist) and Nate Mechlin (MDC Private Lands Conservationist)...

The title may be off, but seems appropriate as the Olympics games have started,, and I grew up watching them on the Wide World of Sports. As made the final glyphosate pass on what will be the last of five fall food plots, I drove over a ground hornet nest. Needless to say, the hornets won, and...

When I saw this milkweed I thought, "Hey, now I can be just like those guys on "The Hunting Public" and never again will I be busted by the wind :-)

It's already been a brutal chigger year. With the generally mild winter and no late freeze, the chiggers seem to have gotten a head start. The ticks are about normal from my observation, but my wife thinks they are worse this year. I just finished mixing a gallon of Permethrin for my work...

I ordered the new Stealth Cam revolver for a transition point that I have always wished for two (or three) cameras. I don’t know if this will turn out to be a gimmick or a helpful tool in the buck-tracking toolbox. My immediate questions are: 1) Will the deer react to the motion of the...

As a landowner and hunter in a CWD zone, I have worked closely with the Missouri Department of Conservation, and have invited them to speak at our coop meetings. While nobody likes having CWD in their area, our deer herds are looking good for 2024. The 2023 special CWD area firearms season and...

Monday April 15 is the start of Missouri’s Turkey Season. My turkey gun in a Tri-Star Viper Max (12g, 3 1/2”). Historically I have used Winchester Long Beard XR in 3 1/2”, but this year I am trying Federal TSS 3”. I patterned at 20, 30, 40 and 50 yards. The right is the TSS, the center is the...

As typical with my schedule, I missed a perfect day for burning, however, I did get the firebreaks put in around the main burn areas. This year I’ll be doing a dormant or early season burn in the areas with the NWSG and wildlife plots. During the first burn two years ago I mowed the firebreaks...

EHD has been a big topic given some of the major kills in Iowa. Here in Missouri, we had a higher than average kill rate, but nothing like 2012. Here is the latest EHD map for 2023. On a mid-Missouri mentored hunt one team had a buck die in front of the blind. While the actual numbers are...

DeerCast posted a feature on the work Hunters for Hunters is doing to address the wolf population in Minnesota. My wife’s small family farm, which she is now the executor over, is in hunting unit 176 near Lake Vermillion. We used to see deer regularly, and this was a property I enjoyed hunting...