Deer Hunting | Missouri Deer Season

Missouri Deer Season Opens With Archery

Deer season opens in Missouri using archery equipment in the middle of September. It is usually unseasonably warm when early season archery hunting. I personally do not spend much time in the tree this part of the season unless I have a big buck patterned very well, which is tough to do after they shed their velvet. Most of my time is spent scouting and hanging stands for prime time “The Rut”. As the rut gets closer time is spent studying sign left by bucks and the paths in which they are following to get to and from their sanctuary. We start hunting the last 2 weeks of October hoping to catch a big buck cruising from bedding are to bedding area checking for the first receptive doe.

Hunting the Rut In Missouri

When November finally arrives we spend as much time in a tree as we can stand always keeping the wind in our favor, no exceptions. This part of the season you will see bucks that you have never seen before and may never see again. Past history has proven the most buck movement in Missouri deer season is the first part of November and the higher than any other time of the year. After spend many hours bow hunting the first 2 weeks of November the archery tackle gets set to the side and high power rifles are the preferred weapon to use for the 11 day Missouri gun season. Between 1/2 and 2/3rds of the states total deer harvest takes place during this period.

Muzzleloader Hunting Late Season

As the hunting season grows on I can’t wait to hunt the late Missouri Muzzleloader season. All summer long my sons and I watch nice bucks roam their summer range but when their antlers harden and the competition for dominance starts the bigger whitetail bucks become hard to find. So I patiently wait for the late season. It is holding true for us again this year as one of the boys check the camera cards and find the 12 point that we watched most of the summer is back in the area. We are all excited to start putting together the pieces to try and harvest this dandy buck.

We are still hunting this impressive Missouri Buck!!

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Bowhunting Whitetail | Lull before the Rut

“The Lull Before the Rut”

After the first week of bow season the deer activity starts to dwindle for most all hunters. This is the time that a lot of hunters are scratching their heads trying to figure out where all the big bucks went. It becomes a frustrating time to be in the hunting woods until the pre-rut heats up around Halloween. So where did they go? They didn’t go anywhere. The warm weather may have the deer whole up in a cool hollow during daylight hours and they will only move at night. It is all about survival, deer are trying to add body mass for the cold winter ahead, to move unnecessarily during the heat of the day burns body fat so they lay around all day and move when the cooler night time air keeps them from burning much needed fat for the winter. Remember Mature Bucks didn’t get to their age by accident!

Whitetails Love Acorns!

Acorns are a whitetails preferred food, so if your intent about hunting the lull before the rut get into the woods and find a good mast crop of, preferably white oak acorns on the ground and get a tree-stand up over them. An oak tree laden ridge is a great spot to setup to catch mature bucks during the lull and during the midday. Find the best spot between the food and their bedding area. Trying to stay closer to the bedding area than the dinner table will pay bigger dividends. The mature bucks figured out real soon when the bowhunting whitetail season started, that its not safe to wander around during daylight hours. So if you’re only hunting mature bucks, here’s one of my bowhunting whitetail tips for the October lull…..Go Fishing! If there’s any hunting pressure where you go bowhunting whitetail, then you can bet that in most cases, the big bucks in your area are bedded down an hour before light in the morning and won’t expose themselves until it’s too dark to shoot.

Whitetail Movement during the ‘Lull’!

So doing intensive scout and preparing for the upcoming rut or going fishing during the October lull is a great way to keep you from over-hunting your area until the pre-rut kicks in for bowhunting whitetails. As long as you’re not on a field edge or in an open woods, but rather between a couple bedding areas with good cover, you will increase your odds at a mature buck.

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