Mark Twain National Forest
The Mark Twain National Forest in southern Missouri is amazingly vast. I need to learn more about this area, and the hunting opportunities there. I suspect I could hunt different spots in this area my entire life and still not appreciate how much space there is.
There are nine geographically separate sections of the Mark Twain National Forest, all but one of which are south of I-44. The closest ones are Potosi-Salem, Fredericktown, and Houston-Rolla. However, the Poplar Bluff and Eleven Point sections are also worth considering.
Over-Hunted?
I drove down to the Potosi ranger station and got some information about the forest, along with a map (which I have since lost). I drove into the forest and checked out a couple areas, all within the Potosi ranger district: road 2472 off Hwy P, roads 2478 and 2363 off Hwy 32.
I was not left with a good impression. The place felt barren and sterile. I saw almost no wildlife. One squirrel, one coyote, and one turkey, all of which were scared up by my truck as I was driving. I neither saw nor heard any regular nesting birds, only birds of prey flying overhead.
The forest didn't really appeal to me, either. It seemed dry and acidic. There was just something about the few yellow pines, perhaps. Anyway, I think I need to check out a different area. Potosi is the closest ranger district to St. Louis, which might explain being over-hunted. Now that I am living off of I-55, perhaps I should check out the Fredericktown ranger district.