They are correct in stating you can only take 1 buck with a bow prior to rifle season, doesn't matter if it was a farm tag or not.
But, there are many conservation areas around columbia, or within a short 30-60 minute drive. A lot of areas along the river have excellent deer populations. I'm not sure on pressure as I have only been on some of them during the ML portion, and haven't done that in a few years. Even if you can't kill a buck, it would be a great time to scout/doe hunt the areas to determine where the groceries are so you will know where to focus after the rut.
Take a look at the Conservation website and find areas. Here is the link to the areas.
http://mdc4.mdc.mo.gov/applications/...st&txtAreaNm=s
If you look around there is a link to download the KMZ file for Google Earth that has the maps of the areas.
Good luck.