New land owner question...
 

A friend of mine is considering 250 acres here in central Missouri as a retirement place to hunt deer and turkey and still be close enough to his kids in St. Louis. How does a newbie go about establishing the number of game that actually inhabit a piece of land? Thanks...

Look for poop. I'd see if the current owner would let you walk it and just do some scouting. look for trails, old rubs, etc. you can always plant food plots afterwards..

I'd buy several trail cameras.

game surveys are expensive. go to near by lots and ask them, i bet they have pics and stuff and would be happy to share if you tell them you are interested in the adjacent land and you wanted to say hello.

Go by the local stores and try to start general conversation about the hunting in the area, just don't say anything about the potential land sale. The game cameras with a few sacks of corn are excellent for info.

Looking at game trials, game cameras, and spotlight surveys are all good options.

Garyo,
Have your friend contact or visit the departments of fish in game. Either the feds or the state folks may have some information as they usually conduct studies and surveys.

Use maps, Aerial maps are great to find thick cover and food sources (corn fields),Topo Maps are great for finding fingers, funnels, and saddles and then....

Scout the land, and look for signs. Then.....

Trail Cameras, I dont know if there is a forumla for Cameras per acre. But I would start with 2, then move up from there.

Once you know where the deer activity is at then you can think about planting food plots, mineral blocks, and feeders.

Find the local poacher
 

who knows the land inside and out, so you wouldn't be wasting your time and money.

You can invite him to hunt the land any time for his service. He might save a couple of years finding a good tree stand location.