So, my wife wants to move to be closer to her sister who lives in Kansas City, MO. I personally have never been to Kansas City, or MO for that matter. I don't really care where I live, but I have to have a place to hunt and shoot. Is there much for hunting there? Public land for hunting and shooting? I don't mind if I have to drive a little ways to get there.
Thanks in advance for any help.

Depends on what you are hunting....if you get in with some land owners you can have a helluva deer hunt in No. Mo. or No. KS if you are a deer hunter. Granted if you are coming from MN you might be down grading, but you still have plenty to hunt. I'm in Lincoln, NE and am 2.5 hrs from KC, but I hunt SE Nebraska and love it. Tons of predator, deer, pheasant, some quail, dove, etc.

BPete

I live in Missouri and we are often over looked when it comes to deer hunting. I think that is because we have Iowa, Illinois and Kansas all around us. I feel that we are their red headed stepchild. We as Missourian's can't just go over the boarder into one of those states and hunt deer, but they can all come here. Most of your serious states have lotteries and draws, but not here. Any yahoo with a gun can come here pay a little over $100 and go right to hunting. We do how ever have a 4 point on one side restriction on our bucks. We have some big bucks here and a lot of public land as well and I've hunted all over the country. So believe me I've seen worse.

I have hunted in the Rolla, Vida, Salem and Ft. Leonard Wood area about twenty times over the years and have to say that I would compare it to any other area I ever hunted in. Big bucks and plenty of them. I now live in west central Minnesota and if things go right I will be back down there again this season. Quite a drive from Kansas City but well worth the trip.

MO is a great place to hunt deer with a lot of hunting opportunities on both public and private land. Being in the kansas city area and do not mind traveling, There is a large conservation area near the Northern border that, if my memory is correrct, was once a strip mine for coal and is now full of both trees and fields with large bucks. On the other hand you could drive a little south and find good hunting as well. A few years ago my uncle was hunting in Bates county and took a first light shot on a buck. Broke the front shoulder with a .243 and didn't recover it. It was found the next year and was reported. Scored at 165. So we have big bucks for the trophy hunter and plenty of does for those that want meat.

Oh yeah we have some public hunting areas that for some reason get over looked by the deer hunting public, and I recieved my Missouri Conservationist magazine today. It states that MDC has 5 staffed ranges and 70 unstaffed ranges, The one in Kansas City region is near Lake City (yes thats the ammo plant)

Hey WCW, I live on the outskirts of Rolla and have more hunting land on the outskirts of Licking. Big bucks all around brother!

hows the hunting in mark twain?we are wanting to come there for gun season next year.not looking for boone &crockett bucks.we just want to camp out,hunt and have a reasonable chance at getting a deer.that is beautiful country in the southern hills.could somebody reccomend one ranger district to get started in?

Mark Twain is great. I've hunted on public land my whole life. Killed some really nice bucks. The southern part of the state is normally not noted for big bucks but they are here. Check with the ranger station in Poplar Bluff, West Plains, ozark regions. You will be suprised at the number we really have. I like it that people think southen Mo has no big bucks, more for me.

thanks.a friend went turkey hunting in april around branson,but it rained and tornado sirens were sounding the whole week he was there.he didnt get to see very much of the forest.are there many clearcuts that the deer can feed and bed in?

Don't know about the branson area but areas east of there have got lots of big timber, some clear cuts but mainly big woods. Lots of hills and hollers. Most of the big woods people don't hunt because they don't want to walk. Lots of woods and plenty of nice bucks.