Missouri wild upland bird hunting

States

Missouri Pheasant

Missouri Quail

Kansas Upland

Iowa Upland

Of Interest

Quail not Pheasant

Missouri upland bird hunting is for wild quail and pheasant however, when discussing Missouri upland bird hunting the substantive discussion is about wild Bobwhite Quail hunting. The reason is the Missouri quail numbers are high and the pheasant numbers low making Missouri primarily the quail hunters' domain.

This article presumes the read knows that Mid-America Hunting Association is a do it yourself hunter organization that provide private lease hunting land, recommendations where to hunt and a local lodging listing. We will get the upland bird hunter to the spot where to park his truck, step out and bird hunt. After that the hunter makes his own upland bird hunt. If this is new to the reader we ask you start at the home page.

Location

Missouri's location develops in the upland bird hunter a greater understanding of ground nesting bird distribution. That distribution as discovered in the 1962 Arizona Game Bird Study showed the altitude and humidity to be the distinguishing criteria of where some ground nesting birds are able and are not able to incubate eggs successfully. Add to that altitude and humidity differences that of habitat recognizing that pheasants are large grass field birds and quail are edge or transition habitat loving birds compared to Missouri's heavy agriculture land use and it becomes even more apparent why Missouri upland bird hunting is well know for quail and typically not considered for pheasant.

Habitat & Hunts

Missouri has a lot of edge or quail habitat as it is heavily cut by rivers that make up the Lower Missouri River Basin creating a lot of tree lined rivers, creeks and streams both dry and wet.

These Missouri river valleys or the larger watershed areas are also composed of much flat land of deep dark soil and water for large grain row crops. Or, food for the quail occupying the tree lined drainages cutting through the farm fields.

MAHA Missouri lease land acreage available for self guided upland bird hunting.

We sustain over 200,000 acres of private lease land in Kansas, Missouri and Iowa for do it yourself hunts.

Not Perfect

Missouri upland bird hunting being dominated by quail hunters is due to their being a lot of quail. No surprise in this statement, however there is consequence we offer for consideration to the bird hunter to make a more informed choice of rather to hunt Missouri or elsewhere.

The consequence of Missouri quail hunting is that Missouri has a lot of quail habitat. Much more edge line habitat than could ever be measured. The consequence is that edge must be hunted to find the quail and there are only so many miles within each bird hunter on any given day to hunt. This then leads to what does more to distinguish a good quail hunt from a lesser bird hunt and that is bird dog power. Specifically, quail dog power. Missouri will show this better than most states which upland bird dog has the bird finding power better than another.

Missouri best upland bird hunting region is largely agriculture with 50-55% of the land in the north being farmed, the very SE corner and parts of the central SW regions well under the plow and the surrounding ridges covered in trees. Large grasslands favored by pheasant are lacking compared to Kansas or the open grass and brush filled drainages of southern Iowa.

Continuing this Missouri upland bird article will be enjoyed by the quail hunter, the pheasant hunter should jump to that section.

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Other Missouri upland bird hunting choices