Missouri Hunting
Missouri Department of Conservation
| Season | Open Date | Close Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coyote | May 9, 2011 | Mar 31, 2012 | |
| Groundhog | May 9, 2011 | Dec 15, 2011 | |
| Squirrel | May 28, 2011 | Feb 15, 2012 | |
| Deer (Archery) | Sep 15, 2011 | Jan 15, 2012 | |
| Deer (Urban) | Oct 7, 2011 | Oct 10, 2011 | In Urban Areas |
| Deer (Firearms) | Nov 11, 2011 | Nov 22, 2011 | |
| Deer (Antlerless) | Nov 23, 2011 | Dec 4, 2011 | In Northern Counties |
| Deer (Muzzleloader) | Dec 17, 2011 | Dec 27, 2011 | |
| Rabbit | Oct 1, 2011 | Feb 15, 2012 |
My next task, after rabbit season is over, is to scout out more locations for hunting. Primarily, I want to find good spots for hunting deer, but I should keep an eye out for good rabbit hunting spots. See Deer Locations in Missouri. Feb 16 to Apr 17 is a two month span of time between the end of rabbit season and the beginning of the spring turkey season.
2011 Deer Hunting
This year, I want to get proficient with my compound bow and hunt the archery season. That will give me access to four months of hunting in Missouri. With that, I won't feel so rushed to take time off for hunting: I will have eighteen weekends during which to hunt.
Tim and I need to improve our plan (as well as the execution) for hunting in Missouri. Mainly, we need to find better places to hunt.
Public Lands
I need to look more into hunting on public lands. This page has info about this. There are some state and federal areas where we may be able to hunt, including parts of Mark Twain National Forest. I should probably wait to make my inquiries until after the spring Turkey season, which closes after May 10, but I can do some exploring before it opens, April 20.
- Blue Springs Creek Conservation Area
- White Wildlife Area
- Logan Conservation Area
- Truman State Park
- Mark Twain National Forest
- Ozark National Scenic Riverways
- Howell Island
I also need to look for some good spots in northern Missouri, so that I can take part in the antlerless deer portion of the hunting season.
Maybe I should plan a camping trip in Southeast Missouri for the purpose of exploring some of the public lands down there.
Deer Hunting Areas
See Deer Locations in Missouri.
Rabbit Hunting Areas in St. Louis MDC Region
These are areas in St. Louis MDC region that allow rabbit hunting and are listed as having good populations. I need to check each of these out.
| Area | Acres | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Busch
Memorial CA (Special regulations apply) | 6951 | 33 min |
| Logan CA | 1797 | 59 min |
| White Memorial WA | 810 | 59 min |
| Blue Springs Creek CA | 859 | 1 hr 3 min |
| Anderson Memorial CA | 340 | 1 hr 26 min |