WaterfowlEvery year from mid-October to mid-December, nearly 300,000 snow geese and 100,000 ducks move down to the marshes of Squaw Creek National Wildlife Refuge at Mound City in Holt County, Missouri. The 7400-acre refuge, with 6700 acres of marsh provides food, water, and shelter for the ducks and geese on their migration from North America and the Arctic to their wintering grounds on the Gulf of Mexico.
Squaw Creek Snow Goose HuntingDo it yourself MAHA goose hunters have access to thousands of acres of private leased land close to and surrounding the Squaw Creek National Wildlife Refuge in northwest Missouri. The farms vary in size from 60 to 1000+ acre crop stubble fields. The majority of the fields are set up for the hunter with his own decoy spread that prefers to hunt own his own without a blind or guide. Many of MAHA fields are underutilized during the fall and spring seasons because snow goose hunting requires more effort than the average hunter is willing contribute. For the avid snow goose hunter these MAHA crop stubble fields are a dream comes true, and lots of them.
WetlandsMAHA’s most popular private farm in the Squaw Creek region is 1-˝ miles south of the refuge, just north of the Bob Brown Wildlife Area. This farm or ranch is comprised of 1400 contiguous acres with 90 acres of crop stubble that is pumped each fall. Four permanent blinds are covered each year and available for our members to share by reservation. The marsh is primarily for duck hunting, but the surrounding crop fields are A+ habitat for both Canada and snow goose hunting. The majority of Squaw Creek snow goose hunting is done close to the refuge because the sight and sound of the birds on the refuge is astonishing to the average hunter. But, over the years some of our best snow goose success has taken place on our private lease property 5 to 20 miles away from the refuge, where the birds are easier to decoy due to lack of pressure.
Goose ScoutingSnow goose hunting is definitely a hit or miss hunt. A little scouting pays off as the snow goose flocks numbering into the thousands are readily visible on the open crop stubble they prefer. If MAHA members encounter a miss day on land leased around the Squaw Creek Refuge they have a variety of options to hunt private land nearby for quail, pheasant, deer and turkey. Lease LandSquaw Creek private land access is difficult to acquire since the majority of the private land in the area is owned or leased by hunters. The bulk of private land leased by MAHA in this region of Missouri is north, south and east of the refuge. The pheasant and quail population is cyclical like every region in the state of Missouri, but the northwest region around Squaw Creek is normally one of the top producers. Squaw Creek Deer HuntingHolt County Missouri is one of the least timbered counties in the state of Missouri, but Squaw Creek deer hunting is nationally recognized for the big bucks that roam the 7400-acre refuge. Much of our snow goose lease land has trophy whitetail deer hunting opportunity that is overlooked by our hunters because they prefer deer hunting land with more timber. If a serious trophy whitetail deer hunter is looking for a sleeper area in the state of Missouri, Squaw Creek deer hunting with MAHA should be on top of the list. |
Our wetlands manager, builder, guy, worker, whatever you may chose to call him he is Bruce Johnson pictured here covering one of our blinds with rippy grass on a corn field before harvest and pumping in the water. A task much easier to do without the water and the mud.
