There is no camping on the area, but good access can be had on access roads throughout the tract. Hunters should be careful not to enter the refuge areas or the duck hunting areas.

As noted, Leach Memorial is broken up into two tracts. To reach the main tract, go three miles south of Elsberry on state Highway 79 and three miles east on County Route M. For an area map and more information, call the MDC’s St. Louis regional office at (636) 441-4554.

WOODSON K. WOODS MEMORIAL CA
This 5,600-acre conservation area in Crawford and Phelps counties is one of the public-use areas that switched to archery-only deer hunting methods in 2005. “We switched to archery only because we thought that our area was more suited for managing for better quality of deer,” said MDC resource forester Brian Hall. “Our hunter surveys have shown very positive attitudes with the new regulation, and that hunters are seeing more deer and bigger bucks each time they go out.”

About 85 percent of Woodson K. Woods is oak/hickory forest. There are some pine plantings, 300 acres in agriculture in the bottom-lands, a variety of stages of clearcuts, and 33 intensely managed food plots scattered throughout the area. “Our clearcuts range from one to 25 years old,” Hall said. “These areas still offer deer good cover and browse.”

Since the Woods area switched to archery only, hunting pressure has dropped by about 50 percent according to Hall. Diverse habitat and lower pressure make the Woodson K. Woods area a prime destination for bowhunters this fall.

No camping is available at the Woods area, all of which is walk-in only. The area lies southeast of St. James on state Highway 8. For a map and complete details, contact the MDC’s Ozark regional office at (417) 256-7161.

PLATTE FALLS CA
The Platte River bisects this entire 2,366-acre area in Platte County. You’ll find a lot of river bottomland habitat and river corridor along the waterway. Once away from the river, you climb into upland habitat including crops like soybeans, corn, and wheat. Food plots of milo, sunflowers and millet can also be found in the area. Still farther from the river you’ll find bluffs with oak/hickory forest, and even some native grasslands.

“I generally tell folks that the corridor following the river is a main thoroughfare for deer,” said MDC wildlife management biologist Kevin Slates. “If you can hoof it back into the thicker, brushier habitats along the Platte River, the better chances you’ll have of finding the deer.”

To avoid the crowds afield for the rut, Slates recommended, hunt either early or late in the archery season.

The area is open to archery deer hunting only as a means of harvesting whitetails. You can walk into the area on a number of levee tops and field-access roads. Primitive camping is allowed adjacent to parking lots.

“The Platte River sometimes floods which can be either a blessing or a curse for deer hunters,” Slates said. “This area gets a lot of use by folks other than deer hunters as we are close to Kansas City. The deer learn quickly how to avoid people.”

To get to Platte Falls, take I-29 to County Route HH in Platte City and then go a half-mile north on Knighton Avenue. For a map or more info, contact the MDC’s Kansas City regional office at (816) 655-6250.

SUMMARY
Aside from good numbers of deer just about everywhere in Missouri, hunters can expect to see a larger number of mature deer, especially in counties with the antler point restrictions.

So no matter where you choose to bowhunt this year, take the time to enjoy your time in the outdoors. If you get a deer, it’s just icing on the cake.