Fellas -

I'm looking to setup a 'free lance' hunt this year either to Arkansas or Missouri somewheres on public (or private) land. Both of my leases and avid hunting grounds this year will most likely closed off due to the oil spill. Anyway, by free lance I mean, we are not interested in setting up a guided trip. More interested in setting up a campsite and hunting for a few days.

Do you guys know any good Management/public areas worth researching for this type of trip?

Go to Missouri. You won't regret it. Go after Thanksgiving. Randy

Stop and get me on way and I have a few arkansas friends but they are in NWA.

For a true freelancers delight go to North Dakota. Fly in to Bismark,rent a car,go buy two dozen mallard decoys,line and weight them up, drive a short distance north south east or west,find birds set up and way lay them, find mom and pop motel in small town, eat ducks go pheasant hunting, do over each day. Fedex decoys home and fly back. Very simple and two guys can do it on the cheap. All needed is waders,gun and some cloths.
Or drive up with gear and waylay and stay mobile and enjoy some really great hunting,people and view.
Randy

or if you have access to a private plane let me know and I will tell you where to fly into. Randy

If your near mississippi we can give you a free timber hunt you will never forget we hunt all public lands around here and we kill a butt load of ducks nothing to it really alot of these places are setup to bring in more and more waterfowl ever year

Check out the Mark Twain National Forrest in Missouri. Over 1 million acres total. All Public.

Randy - we are looking hard at N Dakota. We would drive. I don't know if I would surive if my wife found out I bought more gear...

Miss & Fish - I appreciate the input. I will check into that national forest and I'm very interested in hunting in Miss.

You can also check out Woodson K Woods Conservation Area on the Merimac River.

In mississippi im not sure what kinda hunting your looking for howard millar is all fields stuff all the other ones i listed are in your face timber hunting

J get out a map and look at Garrison,ND. ND is very good the last week of Oct and the first week of Nov. We always went up the last day of Oct and hunted for ten days in Nov. We did those days so we could get back for our open firearms season for deer in Ind/Ky. Early Nov is the best but you got to remember that when Mother Nature closes her door up there she slams it shut. Alot of mig's are humping through then and makes for some really fresh and fast shooting. If you need more let me know. I am a freelancing machine and have hunted everywhere in ND and did for ten years. Really good late hunting in ND but severe weather can dampen traveling around.
Now I go to Canada.
Randy

They are going to have more places open for hunting down here than you think.

A road trip would be awsome,if you figure something out let me know I may take a ride if work allows. We will be starting a new unit towards the end of the year so I may be working alot more OT.

I hope you're right. I mainly hunt Venice and what I'm hearing right now it won't be open. Especially Pass a Loutre and that's where my camp is. We also hunt Biloxi Marsh - I think that should be fine oil wise, but the amount of ducks might be scarce.

Yea Venice will be a differant story all together

I went out to Venice this weekend and saw a good bit of blooms in the large bays, but not much, if any oil in the marsh. Right by the camp, it's clean, but if there are work crews down there, they won't let us hunt. No telling...