“What I would recommend bowhunters do is to haul in a deer cart into the south end of the area and look for a natural funnel to hunt,” George said. “For whatever reason, most of the hunters flock to the north end of the area. By hunting the south end you will enjoy a much more serene hunt, and the deer traffic is just as good there.”

Reform CA is nine miles east of Fulton on County Route O. For a map or more information, contact the MDC’s central regional office at (573) 884-6861.

WHETSTONE CREEK CA
Lying in Callaway County, this 5,147-acre conservation area was the first public use area to implement deer management for older age-class bucks. Today, Whetstone Creek boasts a deer population of upwards of 60 deer per square mile.

“We’ve taken 200 deer off the area for the last two years in a row,” said MDC resource assistant Gene Tuma. “We also have good numbers of 3.5- and 4.5-year-old bucks here because of our management efforts.”

Whetstone Creek is open for managed hunts only. The application period is July 1 through Aug. 15. Apply online at www.missouriconservation.org/hunt/deer or by phone between 4 a.m. and midnight at 1-800-829-2956. Those hunters chosen randomly by lottery must purchase a managed deer-hunting permit.

Primitive camping is permitted on the area at Big Lake and the shooting range. Gravel roads throughout the area are limited to walk-in only, but offer good access points throughout the area.

“A lot of guys use bicycles to get deeper into the area,” Tuma said. “But a good stiff 30-minute walk from any of our parking lots will get you into some good hunting.”

To get to Whetstone, take County Route D (Williamsburg exit off I-70) north to the stop sign; turn west, continue on D to County Road 1003, and continue north on 1003 two miles to the entrance.

Several managed deer hunting opportunities are available at Whetstone Creek. Contact the MDC’s central office at (573) 884-6861 for an area map and complete details.

LEACH MEMORIAL CA
This 4,314-acre archery-only tract bordering the Mississippi River in Lincoln County is managed for wetland waterfowl. Archers can access most of the area from Sept. 15 through Oct. 15 before the waterfowl season kicks in. In years past, deer hunting was closed after that, but a new regulation taking effect this fall will for the first time allow archery deer hunters only to hunt on a designated 400 acres during duck season. This should be an incredible bowhunting hotspot this fall, and for at least a few more seasons in the future.

The 400-acre section that will be open to archery deer hunting during duck season is broken up into two tracts. Locals know the sections as the Sherman tract and the northwest portion of the River Slough tract. If you’re not familiar with the area, a new map will be available this fall that clearly marks these areas.

Hunters will find about 100 acres of beautiful bottomland hardwood timber on the area, and a lot of young willows and ash trees. Some croplands are also on site but the area is mostly a wetland.

“In the past, the entire area has been closed to all other activities during duck season,” said MDC biologist Brian Loges. “However, beginning in 2007, we started a new regulation that allows archery deer hunters to hunt on a specified 400-acre tract during the duck season.”

Spotlight surveys reveal an extremely high density of deer on the area with a skewed buck-to-doe ratio, which was one reason to implement the archery hunting regulation. “The private lands around us get a lot of deer hunting pressure and once the firearms deer season kicks in, the deer from all the surrounding properties pile into the Leach Memorial area,” Loges said. “There are very good deer hunting opportunities here, but we do get a lot of deer hunters too.”