Hunting in Missouri: Top Spots for Hunting in the Show Me State

Hunting in Missouri offers acres of conservation lands, forests and wildlife refuges available for outdoors enthusiasts to pursue their favorite sport. Most Missourians are within an hour's drive of one of these areas, according to the University of Missouri.

Here are some of those top spots for hunting in the Missouri.

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1. Mark Twain National Forest
This national forest has more than 300 species of birds, 125 species of amphibians and reptiles, and 75 species of mammals, according to Missouri Hunting and Fishing. Among the game that reside in the forest, located about 2.5 hours south of St. Louis and covering 1.5 million acres, are whitetail deer, turkey, quail, ducks, geese, rabbits, raccoons, squirrels, bobcats and coyotes. Hunting and fishing with a valid Missouri license is permitted on National Forest lands unless otherwise posted.

2. Missouri Confluence Area
For those who like to duck hunt, a narrow corridor just north of St. Louis that is formed by the Illinois, Mississippi, and Missouri rivers allows for the passage of about 14 million ducks from late October to early December. According to Ducks Unlimited, more than 200 duck clubs — some of which began in the early 1800s — exist along the corridor, which is spread over 40,000 acres across four counties.

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3. Grand Trace Conservation Area
According to Outdoor Life, this 1,500-acre area in northwest Missouri, about 100 miles north of Kansas City, provides excellent turkey and deer hunting. In addition to that, there are two fishing ponds stocked with crappie and bass.

The Missouri Department of Conservation purchased the area in 1979 and describes it as "tucked away in what was once an expansive sea of prairie. The area was rich with wildlife, such as deer, buffalo, turkey and prairie chickens." Today the area is about half woodland with the remainder being open fields.

This article is for information only. Please check current regulations before hunting.

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