A viewer from Wisconsin recently wrote asking for advice on where to hunt in Missouri: “My three friends and I are planning a hunting trip to Missouri in November of 2020 as a change of pace from hunting in Wisconsin.  We’re looking to come down November 9th-13th. I was wondering if you’d be willing to share any thoughts on what phase of the rut we can expect during the 9th-13th.”

Deer in a Northern Missouri Ag Field

Grant’s advice for this hunter:

I suspect you’ll be hunting in northern, Missouri!  I live in the southwestern corner, near Branson in the Ozark Mountains. There are very few nonresident hunters in this area because the vast majority of habitat is composed of high graded forest. There’s no row crops anywhere near where I live and therefore few bottlenecks.  This type of habitat makes patterning and/or observing deer more difficult.

I work frequently in northern, MO.  If larger bucks are the goal, in general, the further north the better!  It’s better hunting (more fragmented habitat) and better soils!

The best rut behavior is usually around November 1st through the 8th + -.  This is because the majority of does become receptive somewhere close to the 8th annually.  Bucks move more distance and time daily during the late pre-rut than during any other time of year.  Once 30% or more does are receptive many bucks will be tending a doe and therefore not moving as much as when they were seeking.

With this said, any given day and location during November can be good or bad pending on if a receptive doe moves in front of where you are hunting.  The odds are better when more bucks are moving during daylight hours seeking receptive does.

Missouri’s firearm’s season will November 14-24.

Enjoy creation,

Grant