Firearms Deer
Firearms Deer Hunts
Great deer hunting trip when the entire party harvests a buck of their desire and do so during pleasant weather. These hunters never been in the central mid-west until applying for and being accepted as MAHA members. They are very good hunters that were only lacking the right place to hunt. We provided that, they had the skill and the trophy whitetail deer opportunity was available. They put it all together on their own. Success such as this when there are multiple trophy whitetails is more indicative of the gun deer season.
Unlike a guide service we are not at the point of harvest with an expensive camera and logo setup. We rely on the courtesy of our do it yourself hunters to send in their pictures and letters. This has been highly successful as our hunters show by their pictures we work as hard as we can to provide them the best possible experience and they return that effort with pictures. Each and every picture and letter means a lot to us. We also maintain anonymity of hunter's name and location of harvest. The only indication this was a firearms harvest is the vest.
Rifle, shotgun and muzzleloader deer hunting covers the firearms whitetail deer hunting options between the three states of Kansas, Missouri and Iowa where MAHA maintains leases for deer hunting.
For firearms hunts the available seasons between the three states and by either modern or muzzleloader provides a wide range of seasons allowing for maximum ease of vacation day scheduling as well as expanding the total number of firearms season days possible in the field by simply crossing state lines.
Kansas muzzleloader deer season starts in September in with the early Kansas muzzleloader only firearms deer hunting that is a season before the rut and involves the bachelor group bucks.
An entirely different kind of firearms deer hunting than what most have experienced while pursuing trophy whitetails within the rut. And, the only firearms deer season that has a direct payoff for late summer scouting as the Kansas bucks found in August are still there in September having no reason to move. They are where they are due to food and cover. The rut being far enough away that breeding is not a behavioral motivator.
Missouri deer (modern rifle) firearms is next in November as October is an off month for firearms hunters with the next available firearms deer season being in November in Missouri for their rifle season. This Missouri season is during peak rut.
With tags available over the counter Missouri's opening weekend of the firearms season sees many dedicated hunters as well as a lot more one weekend a year deer hunters that are all buck hunters on Saturday and by noon on Sunday are waiting for the first doe to come buy so they may tag something and go home. If it rains that weekend half of the one weekend a year firearms deer hunters will not show and regardless of the weather come Monday of opening week Missouri reverts to ghost town status for the deer hunter.
Iowa shotgun deer season overlaps Kansas rifle season. Iowa for shotgun season is a post peak rut hunt in early December. While the Iowa deer season overlaps Kansas rifle deer season, the Kansas season typically opens and closes just a few days ahead of Iowa.
The application period for tags for both Kansas and Iowa is May. A strategy many hunters take each season is to apply for both a Kansas and Iowa tag hoping just to get one and these same hunters plan to hunt Missouri as well. This gives them 4 weeks each year to hunt and is twice the amount of time available if only planning a hunt in one of the states.
Missouri muzzleloader deer season starts later in December . The Missouri muzzleloader deer hunting season begins. For those wanting to firearms hunt just one state for example and have 4 weeks in the field the Missouri's firearms seasons offers just that option. The Association hunter may rifle hunt Missouri in November and come back in December and muzzleloader season as well. And, do so for the same membership cost.
Iowa muzzleloader offers the whitetail deer hunter another firearms deer hunting opportunity to hunt outside of the rut.
This late Iowa firearms season in December running into January is outside the rut and after breeding where the bucks and doe return to herds and winter up in the cover of the larger wood patches and creek bottoms. These whitetail deer, just as in September in Kansas muzzleloader season, are predictable and can be maneuvered in on by the hunter that seeks to apply more deer hunting skill and require less luck in his self guided hunts.
Unguided Deer Hunting
Pick your buck.
"...No big bucks on the trail cam this year. Here are some survivors I passed on..saw them and more...thanks for all you do, no way I can get around asking landowners for permission...."
MAHA Approach
We receive feedback that deer hunters who read this web site believe what we offer is too good to be true.
Part of that analysis is the volume of information available on this web site numbering in excess of 500 pages. The intent behind the amount of information we present is to describe as thoroughly as possible what it is that we provide as many that find us unique to all of their previous experiences. Many comment what a great concept it is and ask why they have not heard of us before. All this added up in our early web site advertising days as having hour long telephone conversations as a routine and many times longer. Our response was to continue to add to this web site every answer to every question we received.
Today the web site does cover every question at least once and frequently more. The telephone conversation length quickly shortened and the time spent was far more productive as hunters did their research. What we then offer was a chance to vet any last questions, provide a basis of further analysis and in the end most agree the risk factor minimal compared to the information available and potential for success.
We also learned that anyone that tries to dig too deep on believed faults to be quickly screened away and we do reject applicants every year. We have come to learn if that current person talking to us is not willing to give us a try, to end the conversation as the next hunter that calls will fill any slot.
MAHA Hunts
The end result is in this Association's approach to private land lease deer hunting access we allow for more hunting days in the field for lower cost than any other deer hunt option we have yet to find when it comes to self guided hunts.
Probably the best part of all, the deer hunter selects the season he wants to hunt, the hunter gets to hunt on his own, employing his own skill without anyone leading him by the hand telling him where to hunt and when to shoot. This is as true for our deer hunts as for turkey, upland and waterfowl and all for the same cost.
