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My hunting area this season was in the Northwest corner of Missouri. However, according to the author of the following article I should have been in the NE part in order to find trophy deer.
Ox
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Posted on Thu, Nov. 20, 2003
Weekend Destination
Head north for deer country
Upper Missouri, with its ideal habitat, holds increasing population
By BRENT FRAZEE
The Kansas City Star
You'd think the 10-point buck that Tyler Perry shot Sunday would be the deer
of a lifetime for the young hunter. Not so. Yes, it was one that caused
ripples of excitement in Macon County on opening weekend of the Missouri
firearms deer season. But Perry will tell you with a straight face that
he has seen bigger — and shot bigger.
A couple years ago, I shot an 11-pointer that had a rack that was bigger
than this one,” said Perry, 21, who lives in Kirksville, Mo. And I've
seen bucks while I'm out scouting there that are bigger than the ones I shot.
Up here, it doesn't surprise us that much anymore when we see a huge
buck. That's what this area is known for; It's just a real good place to hunt
deer. I consider myself lucky to live up here.
Indeed, the northeast region has firmly established itself as Missouri's
deer-hunting capital. With its mix of crops, timber, brush, grasslands and
CRP acreage, it fits the modern bill of what is ideal deer habitat.
Maybe hunters thought they had to head for the big-timber country of the
deep Ozarks to take deer in Missouri years ago, but they're heading in
the opposite direction now. North Missouri is the place to go these days.
Deer used to be thought of as a timber species, said George Shurvington,
a wildlife biologist for the Missouri Department of Conservation. But we've
changed out thinking on that. In reality, they are an edge' species.
They do well where different habitat types join together where timber
borders crop fields, for example. That's why they are thriving up here.
Hunters also are thriving. For much of the last decade, the northeast
region has been the state leader in deer harvest. Counties such as
Macon, Adair, Pike and Sullivan annually produce outstanding hunting.
And this year is following tradition. On opening weekend, hunters took
19,353 deer in the northeast region, tops in the state. And among counties,
Macon ranked second with 1,980 deer checked in.
Updates haven't been issued by the Department of Conservation
since then. But by the time the season ends Tuesday, officials
expect the northeast to again have the impressive harvest totals
to justify its reputation as Missouri's top deer-hunting region.
Most of the 16 counties in the region provide good deer hunting,
Shurvington said. That's what's impressive about this part of the state.
There aren't many places where there isn't good deer habitat. A portion
of that good habitat can be found on the region's abundant public land.
And that attracts crowds of hunters each year.
Conservation agents reported counting more than 100 vehicles on
opening day at the Atlanta-Long Branch Conservation Area near
Macon. And some hunters reported having to travel to Iowa before
they could find a motel room .
This area really is developing a tradition for deer hunting, Shurvington said.
We talk to people who have camped in the same spot for years. Perry is
one of many who knows exactly where he is going to be each deer opener.
He hunts a farm in Macon County that offers thick timber close to crop fields.
He sat in a tree stand overlooking that ideal habitat for three hours on opening
day Saturday and failed to even spot a deer. But his fortunes changed
late Sunday.
My friend was making a drive through a patch of timber and he pushed this
big buck out, Perry said. I just got lucky. But Perry wasn't the only hunter
who took a trophy deer in Macon County on opening weekend. Kurt Hamilton
of La Plata, Mo., also will be making a trip to the taxidermist. He shot a
10-point buck on his farm Sunday morning.
Our land borders a public hunting area (the Hidden Hollow Conservation Area),
and I'm sure some of the bucks from there are pushed over here when the
shooting starts, Hamilton said. They'll go to the brushy ditch lines on our
land and just lay down.
That's where we've found them in past years, so that's one of the areas I
always try to hunt. This year, the fog played a part. When Hamilton went
out, it was thick and he figured that gave the deer a false sense of
security.
When it started to lift, this buck was just out in the open, Hamilton said.
He probably felt that he was still hidden. The buck was the biggest
Hamilton has ever taken in more than 20 years of hunting in northeast
Missouri. He figures it will be big enough to qualify for the Missouri
Show-Me Big Bucks Club, which honors hunters who take trophy deer.
Usually, they get what I call ;ground shrinkage; after you shoot them,
Hamilton joked. They get smaller once you go to pick them up.
But this one was just the opposite. It didn't look that big when I went
to shoot it. But once I went over to him, I saw that he had a big rack.
Northeast Missouri's public hunting:
Not only is northeast Missouri the state's top deer hunting region, it
is one of the leaders in public hunting opportunities. Here are some of
the area's options:
• ATLANTA-LONG BRANCH CONSERVATION AREA: This 5,000-acre
conservation area north of Macon, Mo., attracts big crowds each deer
season. But it has plenty of deer. And hunters often can find room to r
oam after the opening-weekend crush.
• UNION RIDGE CONSERVATION AREA: With 8,000 acres of land,
this is the region's largest block of public hunting. Just north of
Greencastle, Mo., it sits in Adair and Sullivan counties.
• INDIAN HILLS CONSERVATION AREA: Situated five miles south
of Memphis, Mo., in Scotland County, this 4,000-acre tract offers a
mix of timber and clearings that hold plenty of deer.
Ox
--------------
Posted on Thu, Nov. 20, 2003
Weekend Destination
Head north for deer country
Upper Missouri, with its ideal habitat, holds increasing population
By BRENT FRAZEE
The Kansas City Star
You'd think the 10-point buck that Tyler Perry shot Sunday would be the deer
of a lifetime for the young hunter. Not so. Yes, it was one that caused
ripples of excitement in Macon County on opening weekend of the Missouri
firearms deer season. But Perry will tell you with a straight face that
he has seen bigger — and shot bigger.
A couple years ago, I shot an 11-pointer that had a rack that was bigger
than this one,” said Perry, 21, who lives in Kirksville, Mo. And I've
seen bucks while I'm out scouting there that are bigger than the ones I shot.
Up here, it doesn't surprise us that much anymore when we see a huge
buck. That's what this area is known for; It's just a real good place to hunt
deer. I consider myself lucky to live up here.
Indeed, the northeast region has firmly established itself as Missouri's
deer-hunting capital. With its mix of crops, timber, brush, grasslands and
CRP acreage, it fits the modern bill of what is ideal deer habitat.
Maybe hunters thought they had to head for the big-timber country of the
deep Ozarks to take deer in Missouri years ago, but they're heading in
the opposite direction now. North Missouri is the place to go these days.
Deer used to be thought of as a timber species, said George Shurvington,
a wildlife biologist for the Missouri Department of Conservation. But we've
changed out thinking on that. In reality, they are an edge' species.
They do well where different habitat types join together where timber
borders crop fields, for example. That's why they are thriving up here.
Hunters also are thriving. For much of the last decade, the northeast
region has been the state leader in deer harvest. Counties such as
Macon, Adair, Pike and Sullivan annually produce outstanding hunting.
And this year is following tradition. On opening weekend, hunters took
19,353 deer in the northeast region, tops in the state. And among counties,
Macon ranked second with 1,980 deer checked in.
Updates haven't been issued by the Department of Conservation
since then. But by the time the season ends Tuesday, officials
expect the northeast to again have the impressive harvest totals
to justify its reputation as Missouri's top deer-hunting region.
Most of the 16 counties in the region provide good deer hunting,
Shurvington said. That's what's impressive about this part of the state.
There aren't many places where there isn't good deer habitat. A portion
of that good habitat can be found on the region's abundant public land.
And that attracts crowds of hunters each year.
Conservation agents reported counting more than 100 vehicles on
opening day at the Atlanta-Long Branch Conservation Area near
Macon. And some hunters reported having to travel to Iowa before
they could find a motel room .
This area really is developing a tradition for deer hunting, Shurvington said.
We talk to people who have camped in the same spot for years. Perry is
one of many who knows exactly where he is going to be each deer opener.
He hunts a farm in Macon County that offers thick timber close to crop fields.
He sat in a tree stand overlooking that ideal habitat for three hours on opening
day Saturday and failed to even spot a deer. But his fortunes changed
late Sunday.
My friend was making a drive through a patch of timber and he pushed this
big buck out, Perry said. I just got lucky. But Perry wasn't the only hunter
who took a trophy deer in Macon County on opening weekend. Kurt Hamilton
of La Plata, Mo., also will be making a trip to the taxidermist. He shot a
10-point buck on his farm Sunday morning.
Our land borders a public hunting area (the Hidden Hollow Conservation Area),
and I'm sure some of the bucks from there are pushed over here when the
shooting starts, Hamilton said. They'll go to the brushy ditch lines on our
land and just lay down.
That's where we've found them in past years, so that's one of the areas I
always try to hunt. This year, the fog played a part. When Hamilton went
out, it was thick and he figured that gave the deer a false sense of
security.
When it started to lift, this buck was just out in the open, Hamilton said.
He probably felt that he was still hidden. The buck was the biggest
Hamilton has ever taken in more than 20 years of hunting in northeast
Missouri. He figures it will be big enough to qualify for the Missouri
Show-Me Big Bucks Club, which honors hunters who take trophy deer.
Usually, they get what I call ;ground shrinkage; after you shoot them,
Hamilton joked. They get smaller once you go to pick them up.
But this one was just the opposite. It didn't look that big when I went
to shoot it. But once I went over to him, I saw that he had a big rack.
Northeast Missouri's public hunting:
Not only is northeast Missouri the state's top deer hunting region, it
is one of the leaders in public hunting opportunities. Here are some of
the area's options:
• ATLANTA-LONG BRANCH CONSERVATION AREA: This 5,000-acre
conservation area north of Macon, Mo., attracts big crowds each deer
season. But it has plenty of deer. And hunters often can find room to r
oam after the opening-weekend crush.
• UNION RIDGE CONSERVATION AREA: With 8,000 acres of land,
this is the region's largest block of public hunting. Just north of
Greencastle, Mo., it sits in Adair and Sullivan counties.
• INDIAN HILLS CONSERVATION AREA: Situated five miles south
of Memphis, Mo., in Scotland County, this 4,000-acre tract offers a
mix of timber and clearings that hold plenty of deer.
