Here in Missouri finding a Lease is getting harder and harder to do. There are a lot of hunting clubs and other hunting organizations taking up a lot of the leases out there. Hunting public land here in Missouri, and in other states, also has its challenges. Finding a good piece of public ground is the first step. When I find a public hunting area the first thing I do is go to GOOGLE EARTH. I look at the surrounding farms to see what crop land is out there compared to the hunting area pertaining to food and cover , and also look for water sources, streams,creeks,and ponds, I always do the Google thing first before I ever walk an area. The Missouri Department of Conservation is another great resource for hunters in Missouri, as they have maps of all the public areas, along with a lot of great info for all your outdoors needs, not just hunting. All you need to do is find the place and print out the map on your computer. If you can find a place that doesn’t get a lot of pressure, and has multiple access points, go in and scout it out. If you don’t like a lot of pressure like I do look, I have found bow hunting only areas seam to have the least amount of pressure.
When I go in and do the scouting, I mark all of my possible stand locations with my ScoutLook app. This app gives me all my weather, maps and the ScentCone Wind Map (see the wind), all in one easy to use app. I look the whole area over and instead of always walking into the middle areas, I always look and scout the outer boundaries. I have killed many good bucks with this tactic. When other hunters walk into the middle area of the property, the deer will most likely back track and leave that area and thats when I have killed many of deer within the view of my truck in the parking lot. But don’t get me wrong, if you scout the outer areas first and don’t see good deer sign then move in towards the middle of the property. Another good tip is when the area has a stream or river through the property use a boat to get into areas that people have problems getting to. I have friends that use this tactic and have killed some MONSTERS.
I hope these tactics help you out this fall Hunt Hard and Hunt Safe .