phade

There's alot of us that probably hear the same gun shots.

He's alot closer to you than you'd guess, lol. We are lucky to hunt a couple parcels that border non-hunting areas. It is a curse and a blessing. That said, the number of shots are way down for me overall. However, one day, me and Moog were sneaking in to hunt a group of buck beds we found that were hot, hot, hot. I mean, we were just as excited as could be. Imagine our surprise when the neighbor had 15 people doing a drive next door to us. 75+ shots in 45 minutes. We couldn't even get to the bedding area because of the drive's design - we'd have been going into fire. Bad luck, I guess. I was impressed with the drive. It was well conducted. Sightings have disappeared there and the bordering property that is non-hunting is thriving with daytime bedding activity.

This is a hard subject. What we judge is independent, as is our decision as to how we hunt. Nobody is the same. I had some really great experiences this hunting season. Stuff that continues to amaze me and great experiences with my friends and getting deer (and missing them and turkeys, too). Moog took his daughter out hunting and wanted to try to ensure she got an experience and asked that someone shoot a doe (or a good buck, lol) so she could help track, make the experience memorable. I shot two doe, just to be sure, ha. I also repaid a hunting favor for a friend/mentor, with him getting a deer. That said, this season was pretty darn mediocre for me, and I shot a decent buck and three does. I had a string of multiple encounters with good bucks, including one collosal screwup that I will still anguish over when I am no longer able to hunt. I do think this is somewhat of a generational or age thing as I feel the need to justify my time and money spent with results. You are long in the tooth compared to me, no offense, and maybe I'll get there someday, but going home empty-handed with good experiences is still coming home empty-handed (or without meeting goals). Sure, I learn. Sure I get to see stuff most people don't. But, at the end of the day, the stupid amount of hours I put into hunting needs to have some relevancy in payoff for me. I will say, I could have had the same degree of success with the buck and three does, and if my friends also got bucks to their liking or satisfaction, I would have rated my season as being much more successful. That's a quandry, isn't it?

Joining any clubs or leases?

I think people can differentiate the two...the factors they can control and the ones they can't or can only control minimally. I whole heartedly agree on the hunter skill and tactics, but there are also factors beyond control or minimally so. You can have a bad season on the macro level and still have a successful season given the limits of the macro situation. That's where I and my friends fell this season. Not a whole heck of a lot of target bucks, slightly lower to noticeably lower doe numbers. Our kills reflect that to a degree. That said, mistakes were also made that would have turned this season from so-so, to pretty darn good. Leaving a stand 15 minutes early, accidentally releasing an arrow while at full draw, and chosing the wrong stand location out of the two that were the logical choices, only to have the target show up at the other. These are things that happened this year that we could control, but also things that you just have to chalk up to bad luck at times...the what ifs can really eat away at the enjoyment of this sport.

Southern hunting is so hit or miss for me. Part of me has no desire to hunt that way or that landscape and part of me enjoys it. Congrats on the doe, and hope you get a crack at a buck.

Local observations are just that, local. The problem is drawing statewide or macro-area conclusions based on the current system. We simply didn't have as many good bucks (3 year old +) running around as the year prior; doe numbers were slightly down or noticeably down on varying properties. It certainly wasn't the worst year ever, but next year brings into question whether the doe numbers will be similar and whether the pipeline of bucks made it through to be 3 or older.

Id probably move there if I were single. Assuming he is a nonresident? Congrats.

I wouldn't be discouraged in the fact you can't kill what isn't there. I do sympathize in the lack of opportunity...alot of work to not have it pay off in some regard (whether it is seeing or shooting does or a big buck).

Any more daytime shots in season? Seems a little light in that area. You are feeding them for the neighbors to shoot it appears.

Every drive we could do it, wed have a trailer following behind about 100 yds and they would almost still hunt. That person got a few deer over the years that circled back into harms way. When I had permission on a farm with others who drove...I never hunted with them but id follow them to each lot. Id wait thirty minutes and check their boot tracks in the snow. Oftentimes I found deer tracks inside their bootprint. Id still hunt that lot and killed a few deer that way. I was younger and inexperienced at that time and messed up on a couple good bucks, not putting enough time in at the range and shooting offhand. The tactic works though. If a deer gets away easily, they often return to the area on the first couple bumps. That position worked for them to stay safe. Eventually they'll head to better safety with enough pressure but its not like you drop a deer vaporizer on them during the first drive and they never come back.

I can't believe Culver said the young ones should watch instead of drive in the thick stuff, lol. Pretty sure thick stuff meant the kids were the only ones going in when I was young and we were doing drives. I hate thinking I am on the other side of that deal now where I am in the stander/watcher class.

Case in point, I am Moog's trainer. I kill the deer and he drags them. I provide the motivation.

recovery rights should be addressed anyhow, so contacting the nearby owners is a responsibility at this point. Can't hurt to ask for permission to hunt and if not, then retrieve.

That thinking is so flawed I don't really know what to say or how to respond. If someone asked me whether I would want 2oz of #4 or #5 or #6 in the face or .06 in the face at those distances...my answer would clearly be....neither.

There's never a concrete answer, but my general thought is that is too much work for a 7 acre parcel of that shape/situation. You'll overhunt that parcel pretty quickly with a hunt or two. I'd take a stab at it once or twice in early season, then try to see if there are transitional trails that get used heavily in the rut period and hunt them. Assuming there's going to be one or two you find since the property goes deep. You might be able to get a few quality hunts out of it during that time. Late season...worth a shot based on the crop rotations and deer travel patterns. Who knows...maybe there are alot of oaks in there. That could be a factor. As I said, never a concrete answer. Just need to scout it, learn the property, and the way the deer utilize it. If this land is flat...I'd consder tree stands. I know you hunt from the ground, but this seems like it'd be suited to a few preset stands.

You make no sense. I'm really ambivolent to your industry or private deer despite your take on CWD, which I think is misguided due to your personal welfare. I just think your threads and posts are nothing but "pot stirring, look at me, please give me attention, I'm a rich man and better than you, so please pay attention to me," efforts. Your threads and posts of this nature require chest waders to navigate the poo. Everyone carves out a career and success. Some here are blue-collar tradesmen and women. Some are business people. Some are lawyers and doctors. Just because you raise deer behind a fence doesn't mean you are better than anyone else here.

This thread is just attention whoring at its finest. Haven't raised a stink about the private deer industry or CWD lately? You can count on a "look at me" post from FSW.

Deer will be bedding at the back of that property along the swamp edges and islands in it. Might get some action on those 7 acres, transitional possibly. Not bad for a 7 acre piece. Just tough to hunt them often and tougher to know that the best party is next door.

hunt it...and then hunt it. and then hunt it. Late season corn harvest...hunt it. Might need to look at backing off field a bit if they are waiting until dark/near dark to feed, but it generally attracts a crowd if there is spillage. Chopping is different than cutting however. Chopping looks like a vacuum went over the field and little/no spillage.

Pretty much summed up any reply that could follow on this thread.

Thought the same thing as soon as I saw that.

Case in point: Simmons Rockewell - Full Size: c14-798 2014 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 LT Crew Cab 4x4 4dr Z71 All Star Automatic Black $44,835 $35,999 See Details Colorado: c15-134 2015 Chevrolet Colorado 4x4 Z71 Crew Cab 4dr LongBox Automatic Rainforest green metallic $36,535 $34,999 See Details Seriously...that is silly. No wonder it won truck of the year...dump the same or more development money into half the truck with lower overall sales...

The cost of the colorado is way too high. A nice decked out one is sitting near a dealership by me for $35k. I could get a full size for that. That is the problem with the small/mid truck segment historically, costs nearly as much or as much as a full size with alot less capabilities, and negligible gas mileage gains. The Colorado was supposed to fix this, but the price point is silly. I can go grab an F-150 or a Silverado for that price with similar amenities, or very close to it. There's a reason why Ford dropped the Ranger and Dodge/Ram dropped the Dakota. Only Toyota has been capable of keeping the Tacoma alive. While that model had frame issues at one point, its pretty rugged and they last a long time. They cost more than the full-sizes when I was looking at them, however. The Frontier is just another basic truck and Nissan has historically let models live on past their use.

I have the crossfire in 8x42 and prefer it for for over the 10x.