Not on the open ridges no, most often they'll cruise 1/3 of the way down from the top on the downwind side. MTNF is tough hunting unless you know what you're looking for. Get to know a topo map well. ID the doe bedding areas, then find the acorns. Look for diversity in habitat. Open woods don't hold deer. Look for cover and clearcuts or disturbed areas. I like to hunt pipelines and/or power lines that get cut every few years or so since many deer feed there when there's no ag fields for miles. Plus bucks like to cruise along powerlines/pipelines for does bedded and feeding in them. Look for brushy hollows that go up to the ridge and connects with another brushy hollow on the other side, I've had luck hunting the top of those hollows for cruising bucks. Look for several ridges meeting together. Good luck.
Mark Twain National Forest Advice
Hello all,
I am a new member and have been eating up all the info I can from the site. I actually have a small lease up in Kansas that has been my go to for the past 9 years, but this year for the first time I unfortunately didn't draw a tag, so I will be hunting Missouri (MTNF) for the first time this year. I came up from Oklahoma over the weekend and spent a couple days putting boots on the ground. 10.5 miles according to my GPS Saturday and 7.25 miles Sunday. This guy ain't as young as he used to be...….
I have been pouring over satellite imagery, topos and MDWC maps for weeks now, so I decided to check a couple of areas in Pulaski county, because I liked the prospect of more mature bucks due to the point restrictions. My plan was to drive down the legal forest road to where the maps show you have to stop and then try to outwalk other hunters from there. I was disappointed to find that the roads/trails were well used by ATV's well past those points and I know I cant outwalk an ATV...…….
After finding this, I decided to go check the Paddey Creek Wilderness Area out, because I had studied it hard also since it is walk-in only, even though it lacks the point restrictions. I liked what I found there, although I did find evidence of other hunters in a couple places 1.5 miles in.
If some of you don't mind, this is where I have some questions. I am used to hunting big woods in NE Ok, but what I found different is that the ridgetops were so much more open in MTNF. I found areas that were thicker halfway down the sides of the ridges, on down to the bottom and in the bottoms. Do you guys who hunt MTNF see much movement(mature buck) on top of the ridges where it is open or more on the sides? I know the bottoms can be hard to hunt due to the wind currents, but have you all found that the mature bucks run those thick narrow bottoms in the rut? How is the PCWA in terms of mature buck numbers? How is the hunting pressure(bow and gun)?
I am going back up probably around the end of Oct. to do one more boots on the ground scouting trip before hunting in Nov., since there will be fresh sign then. I don't mind staying in the tree from daylight to dark in Nov., so if any of you have any tips, tricks or advice for that type of country and don't mind sharing, I would greatly appreciate it.
I am a new member and have been eating up all the info I can from the site. I actually have a small lease up in Kansas that has been my go to for the past 9 years, but this year for the first time I unfortunately didn't draw a tag, so I will be hunting Missouri (MTNF) for the first time this year. I came up from Oklahoma over the weekend and spent a couple days putting boots on the ground. 10.5 miles according to my GPS Saturday and 7.25 miles Sunday. This guy ain't as young as he used to be...….
I have been pouring over satellite imagery, topos and MDWC maps for weeks now, so I decided to check a couple of areas in Pulaski county, because I liked the prospect of more mature bucks due to the point restrictions. My plan was to drive down the legal forest road to where the maps show you have to stop and then try to outwalk other hunters from there. I was disappointed to find that the roads/trails were well used by ATV's well past those points and I know I cant outwalk an ATV...…….
After finding this, I decided to go check the Paddey Creek Wilderness Area out, because I had studied it hard also since it is walk-in only, even though it lacks the point restrictions. I liked what I found there, although I did find evidence of other hunters in a couple places 1.5 miles in.
If some of you don't mind, this is where I have some questions. I am used to hunting big woods in NE Ok, but what I found different is that the ridgetops were so much more open in MTNF. I found areas that were thicker halfway down the sides of the ridges, on down to the bottom and in the bottoms. Do you guys who hunt MTNF see much movement(mature buck) on top of the ridges where it is open or more on the sides? I know the bottoms can be hard to hunt due to the wind currents, but have you all found that the mature bucks run those thick narrow bottoms in the rut? How is the PCWA in terms of mature buck numbers? How is the hunting pressure(bow and gun)?
I am going back up probably around the end of Oct. to do one more boots on the ground scouting trip before hunting in Nov., since there will be fresh sign then. I don't mind staying in the tree from daylight to dark in Nov., so if any of you have any tips, tricks or advice for that type of country and don't mind sharing, I would greatly appreciate it.
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