Northern MO, Central IA?

[SwampCat]

I made a trip from SW AR up to KC over to Grinnell IA. Saw quite a few deer Joplin south, crows, ducks, geese, buzzards, hawks all sorts song birds, roadkill deer and coons. From KC to Grinnell IA, I saw about ten hawks, five eagles, two crows two flocks of geese - and no other living wildlife. One roadkill deer and three roadkill yotes. Very little fishing water up there.

When I used to drive through NW MO and W IA going to SD to bird hunt - 90’s and early 2000’s, I was always afraid I was going to hit a deer there were so many. What does an outdoors person do up there this time of year?

That -1 with 15 mile winds was pretty miserable for this southerner. Seemed a lot colder than that single digit weather I left at home.

 

[356]

I made a trip from SW AR up to KC over to Grinnell IA. Saw quite a few deer Joplin south, crows, ducks, geese, buzzards, hawks all sorts song birds, roadkill deer and coons. From KC to Grinnell IA, I saw about ten hawks, five eagles, two crows two flocks of geese - and no other living wildlife. One roadkill deer and three roadkill yotes. Very little fishing water up there.

When I used to drive through NW MO and W IA going to SD to bird hunt - 90’s and early 2000’s, I was always afraid I was going to hit a deer there were so many. What does an outdoors person do up there this time of year?

That -1 with 15 mile winds was pretty miserable for this southerner. Seemed a lot colder than that single digit weather I left at home.

This outdoors person in NW Missouri is getting ready to do the annual frost seeding and some predator control. I am also looking forward to a pheasant hunt in three weeks at a large northern Missouri pheasant outfitter and working on stand placement changes based on a new master plan for our property.

Deer harvest in NW Missouri is pretty low compared to NE and Southern Missouri.

 

[Bill]

Deer harvest in NW Missouri is pretty low compared to NE and Southern Missouri.

I wonder if that’s because it’s more engrained in NW Missouri hunters to hold out for mature bucks and not so much like that elsewhere in the state.

Not sure if that is actually the case but seems feasible.

 

[SwampCat]

This outdoors person in NW Missouri is getting ready to do the annual frost seeding and some predator control. I am also looking forward to a pheasant hunt in three weeks at a large northern Missouri pheasant outfitter and working on stand placement changes based on a new master plan for our property.

Deer harvest in NW Missouri is pretty low compared to NE and Southern Missouri. View attachment 88637

Your regular state pheasant season is still open in three weeks? Would not have thought that. We saw quite a few deer feeding in corn fields southern MO - nothing in northern MO or Iowa. Also thought we would see some turkeys - but nothing. Just seemed really sterile compared to Joplin and south

 

[356]

Your regular state pheasant season is still open in three weeks? Would not have thought that. We saw quite a few deer feeding in corn fields southern MO - nothing in northern MO or Iowa. Also thought we would see some turkeys - but nothing. Just seemed really sterile compared to Joplin and south

Private outfitters are allowed extended seasons. We have a group of 15 going through a special "off season" deal. This will be my first pheasant hunt since 1975--back when I hoped to flush one up in the cotton and grain fields of central California--and hopefully my first successful pheasant hunt. As for turkey, there are some good populations near Craig and Fairfax.

 

[356]

I wonder if that’s because it’s more engrained in NW Missouri hunters to hold out for mature bucks and not so much like that elsewhere in the state.

Not sure if that is actually the case but seems feasible.

Hard to say what is the reason, Bill.

Grundy, DeKalb, Daviess and Gentry are the NW counties with a balanced antlerless/buck harvest. Grundy, 935 antlerless/834 bucks was the best of the northwest!; DeKalb 547 antlerless/550 bucks; Gentry 742/804, Daviess 1499/1381). The rest of the NW counties trend towards a 2 bucks for every antlerless tag, with many being even worse, such as Atchison, which whose ratio was a dismal 132 antlerless/409 bucks. My county, Clinton, was not great, at 418/600. I guess we didn't help this much on the farm as my granddaughter and I took two does and two bucks off the property.

 

[Bill]

I guess we didn't help this much on the farm as my granddaughter and I took two does and two bucks off the property.

That’s 4 more than we took off my place waiting for a mature deer recovery after EHD. Some good up and coming 3 YO bucks walked this year.

 

[356]

EHD was rough on several counties. I know of only one found in our creek, but I've heard of some areas were the stench was prevalent for miles along the creeks and rivers. I think that was in Worth county (?).

 

[MN Slick]

The deer harvest in Iowa is 1/2 of what is was during the glory years around 2008 or so. So logic says the population is 1/2 of what it was then too.

 

[bwoods11]

I hunt in Iowa and Missouri. Most evening hunts I can shoot a deer with a bow if I want to.

In Northern Missouri this yr I hunted late October & early November I shot shot a buck on Halloween, after I missed one earlier in the night … sat 3-4 more times and passed several bucks and does.

This is on a mostly agricultural type farm with wooded draws, river bottom etc…

Seems like deer numbers are petty good . Drove around the section a few times after I tagged out and saw a lot of deer !

 

[SwampCat]

I hunt in Iowa and Missouri. Most evening hunts I can shoot a deer with a bow if I want to.

In Northern Missouri this yr I hunted late October & early November I shot shot a buck on Halloween, after I missed one earlier in the night … sat 3-4 more times and passed several bucks and does.

This is on a mostly agricultural type farm with wooded draws, river bottom etc…

Seems like deer numbers are petty good . Drove around the section a few times after I tagged out and saw a lot of deer !

I was expecting to see a lot of deer and turkeys. I did see a lot of deer in southern MO out in the edge of corn fields. I saw one road kill deer from KC north. I saw two crows which was shocking. No smaller birds at all. Was really surprised by the lack of game I saw.

 

[pilotpip]

North of I-70 hunting is very different than south. I grew up hunting around Truman Lake. At one point we had unlimited antlerless tags in Benton County. Moved up to a lease near Memphis surrounded by outfitters and managers. I shot lots of 150lb does and could be very picky about bucks. While I never killed anything with a big rack, I did kill a couple that pushed 200lbs dressed that were in the 7-8 year old range.

We lost the lease, and my father in law bought land by Lake of the Ozarks. Lots of timber, every neighboring property was putting out corn piles and had an "if it's brown, it's down" mentality. I didn't enjoy that at all. Population density is a lot higher too. There are a lot more 5-10ac pieces that people live on where up north it's mostly larger ag operations once you get out of town. The neighbors that decided to start cooking meth were the final straw.

That property was sold, and we are about to close on a new piece in north central mo. Already have talked to a couple neighbors, who are looking for trophies, and practicing some good management. I've seen more deer, turkey and rabbit sign there in the 90ish minute walk we did with the realtor than I did on the old place in 5 years. I'm looking forward to it. I'll probably post some land tour stuff in a couple months to get opinion from the brain trust here.