Missouri Deer Hunting Lease

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Scouting

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Missouri is a deer hunting and deer hunter friendly state for the resident and non-resident deer hunter that seeks his own deer hunting lease.

Geography is the first influence to Missouri’s whitetail deer population with any lease worth having outside of the south central Ozark Mountain region and inside of the highly agricultural north, central west and the very southeast boot heel regions. The difference is food and the agricultural regions are well known for their large whitetail deer body size and trophy rack production. The Ozark Mountain region in contrast is known for small racked bucks.

A recent dynamic of the limited area of Missouri's rack point restriction (4 points one side) zone has changed leases within that region.

The first of the second order effects of the point restriction zone was to drive up lease costs as this region sits squarely in the middle between the three large metropolitan regions of Kansas City, St Louis and Des Monies.

Those concentrations of suburban bound hunters and Missouri’s over-the-counter tags make for a combination of hunters with money, without land, willing to travel and will travel to where they get the best return for their deer hunting. This has created increased competition amongst those seeking deer leases with many single and small group deer hunters willing to pay higher than state average prices for land within the point restriction zone or that area where more of the bigger racked bucks are coming from. Much to the benefit of the landowners this increased deer hunting lease inflation limits access by the average deer hunter.

The next of the second order effects is that Missouri's point restriction zone due to increased acreage under privately held leases actually is receiving less deer hunter pressure and the hunters that hunt their own deer leases typically are seeking better than the average racks. These two effects combine into fewer racked bucks being harvested and more being allowed to live longer. These same deer hunters do not seem to have any higher a doe harvest rates than others.

Whatever the arguments may have been to create Missouri's point restriction zone the resulting effect may include undesired second order effects that will change the dynamics of the deer herd, deer hunting and hunters within that region. The prediction is increasing rack and herd size that will cause further and future change in the state’s deer hunting regulations. These changes will result from increasing deer herd size and associated deer-car accident rates and adverse agricultural impacts.

At this point the Missouri deer rack restriction zone is a bounty for the trophy whitetail deer hunter and those that are willing to pay for lease land the point zone focuses where to spend those lease dollars. This will be relatively short lived (10 years or so) and those that seek trophy Missouri whitetail deer will gain much.

Jo(h)ns and Shaun,

A quick note and some attached photos of 3 different bucks, all from the same trail camera I had out for a touch over a week on MAHA property in [location deleted]. As a result of some business travel of late, etc., (i.e. the usual excuses), I've had a late start on scouting but getting these have me fired up for late Oct/early Nov.

Thanks for your efforts in scouring the Midwest for ground, and as mentioned by all, the lovely and friendly voice of Shaun when making reservations is much appreciated.
Hope to have my ugly mug posed with one of these studs (or a bigger one) later this year.

Best, Jeff

Thanks Jeff for sharing your deer pictures and we wish you the best of luck on the big one.

Getting this deep into our Missouri deer hunting is generally deeper than most deer hunters will dig. That one deer hunting value point difference between us and the average deer hunter is part of the work most hunters seek to avoid. Deer hunters want to deer hunt without the extra work of finding and keeping a deer lease. We do that lease work and the deer hunter simply deer hunts.

Missouri Firearms Whitetail Season

Missouri Archery Whitetail Advantage

Missouri Muzzleloader Deer Hunting

Deer Lease

Fair Chase Hunts