cwhite

Joe, it would depend on the access to the area and the type of ground but most likely plows and disks. I have a large assorment of farm equipment to use. I would also look at buying a set ATV harrows and a 6' rototiller if I jump into it. Wdswtr, The estimate that you came up with is roughly what I was thinking except for the time factor. The machines used to clear the land would be a 16,500 pound excavator (I have the ability to move it) and an assortment of tractors with loaders. I'm hoping that an acre would be a lot less than a 50 hour work week. Still exploring the idea and seeing what type of market there is. This is why I asked the question. Different minds give different idea's to take into consideration. Thanks for the input guys.

I guess I'm trying to get ideas on how to charge. I'm most likely going to look to clear woods or reclaim existing fields for plots. I'm thinking it would have to be an estimate and try not to screw myself or the customer too much. Planting would be a service that I would provide but obviously not be able to guarantee. However, I've never had a plot fail. (This year I planted 10 of them). The seed would ultimately be up to the land owner but I would make suggestions. I fully understand how to work and build soil. I would rely on a combined 100+ years of farming experience to have the best opportunity for success. Can't control Mother Nature so you can't guarantee the crop, look at last summer for instance. I'm not talking about putting in a tree stand. Nothing that would be put in the air. That would be up to the land owner. I would described it as an enclosed stand built on skids for placement by the property owner. Guess I'm wondering if you guys thought this would be a service that people would be interested in and willing to pay for?

I'm most likely starting a new business of making and planting food plots for people including stand building. Trying to get a figure on what hunters would think a fair price to pay would be? I am talking clearing out the land to planting. I already have a good idea what the going rates are for simple field planting from Cornell Co-op.

My advise would be to do a soil sample before your lime. Too much lime at one time can shock your soil and your results will be poor. If your soil needs heavy lime, don't try to get your PH up all at once. You can do it over a couple seasons. The plants will still grow; just won't do as well as they would with a balanced soil. It’s always best to lime when you can disc it in. Lime only neutralizes soil it comes into contact with and doesn't wash down with the rain all that well. (top dressing lime isn't a great option) If you find that you need to add more than 3 tons per acre then you might be better off doing 2 tons this year, disking in and going with a winter rye blend or some other annual like a brassica or turnip. Next year add another 2 tons per acre and plant your perennials. Sounds like you have a good game plan.

It may be a bit late but there is a website that you can upload a picture and then place Santa in your picture. Try googling a "capture the magic" or "catch Santa". You do have to pay for the pics but the quality is good.

Makes it easier for a criminal to target a home looking for handguns to steal.

I missed this post when I posted. From what I was told the law is being re-written and the current ban is no longer being enforced. This came directly from an ECO. What he said is the initial law was found to be unconstitutional. Not sure when this occurred but being that 1/2 of the people that post on this site are legal scholars and 2/3 of those are Encon law experts, I'm sure that more than Growalot and I have heard of this.

Spoke with an ECO who said that the feeding ban is under challenge because it violates the constitution. He said the law is being re-written and the current law is no longer enforced. I checked the web and can't confirm this. Has anyone else heard of this challenge?

There isn't a real good reason for a patrol vehicle to be left running when the officer is out of it for extended periods of time and it should be shut off. The only exception to this would be K9 vehicles when its warmer than 65 or colder than 30 outside. Short stops like running into a store, out at a call, on a vehicle stop etc... the vehicle is left running for the convenience of being able to jump in and go and in reality the extra gas usage is minimal in these instances. You almost always see cruisers running when the officer is in them. The radio and other electronics draw incredible amounts of power. Solar panels and backup batteries are good ideas but also added costs and extra things that will most likely malfunction at one time or another taking the vehicle out of service and creating another repair bill. Besides if the vehicle is turned on and off as they should they aren't really necessary. Long story short, the vehicle at the post office probably should have been shut off while the officer watching the soccer game should have remained running.

Guess its what you value. Do you value the rack or the challenge of taking a mature buck? I think I would pass on the antlerless bucks. If I'm going to chew on a venison flavored rubber boot I better have a set of antlers to look at.

No, I was simply quoting the number Biz originally posted. The largest high fence preserve that I can find is a little over the 10,000 acre mark. Still an area that is about 17 square miles. I like Doc's explanation on it. Not all high fence operations are canned hunts. Some of them are about keeping a purely wild herd with a perfect ratio of bucks to does combined with the proper population for the carrying capacity for their property. It's not fair to lump these places in with the operations that operate like what Doc described.

My original post was pointing out the hypocrasy that is on this site from time to time. Anyone who participates in one controversial method of "hunting" such as a high fence should be immediately ashamed of themselves but another form of hunting that is considered by many to be just as controversial- driving along miles and miles of roads until you cut a track then put dogs on the track to tree the animal, go up, take pictures and shoot the animal out of the tree- is perfectly ok. Somehow it has been twisted and evolved into name calling (I'm a joke) and almost sounding like I endorse high fenced "pick your buck from a brochure" hunts which I don't. I endorse if you want to do it and it is legal, have at it hunting. If you go to the midwest there are numerous places that have 2-5000 acre areas fenced with no human contact with the animals ever. The ranches are fenced to prevent poaching and allow the ranch owners to better manage the herds (maintain proper buck/doe ratio's) without having to abide by state restrictions. Those places I don't feel should be lumped with a place that has a 100 acre kill pen. Just as a point of interest the initial number mentioned was a 30,000 acre pen. That would equate to almost 47 square miles, one hell of a pen. But if you were to fence all of Texas in, someone would call it a pen.

Biz, when I was humping the mountains I was on the trail of drug smugglers and assure you was hunting a creature much tougher and more dangerous to hunt than your lion ever thought of being. But what do I know I'm a joke. Like I said, know what your hunt consisted of and if you think it's any more fair than a 30,000 acre preserve then keep telling yourself that.

Don't know how you are getting that I'm throwing lease land into an argument. I was making a point that a several thousand acre area is huge and even unfenced deer under pressure aren't likely to move thousands of acres away from their home core area. I wasn't trying to sound like I was against leases. I have a small lease of my own. I repeat that I am not a fan of "pick your buck out of a brochure" hunts. But I don't think it is fair to lump in the huge preserves like the ones that are throughout a lot of Texas with that type of "hunting".

I lived and worked in AZ for 7 years. My job had me humping the mountains you are talking about everyday. Only difference, I was alone in the dark with a flashlight on 18-20 mile walks at times. Because of my work and time spent in the middle of no where, I was frequently consulted with by a local outfitter, mostly asking about muley's and coues but also the occasional question about cats and pronghorn. He would ask me because he knew I was a hunter and paid attention to the wildlife. I tell you this so you know that I understand the hunt you went on and know the exaggerations you are making. I'm of the same opinion that 4 Season is when it comes to hunting. If you want to go after a lion with dogs have at it. I may even consider that hunt someday too. But tearing up the guy that goes into a several thousand acre hunting preserve is purely hypocritical. In both cases the animals stand very little chance. Basically my opinion on a fenced hunt is shooting pens suck. Several thousand acre preserves are a different animal. Yeah they can't leave the preserve like they can your 200 acre hunting lease. Chances are no matter how much pressure they get the deer on your 200 acre lease aren't going to move thousands of acres away.

The hyprocrasy on this site amazes me at times. It is ok to go ride around until you find Lion track, put a pack of dogs on the track, chase it until it runs up a tree, walk up to the tree and gawk at the defensless animal before shooting it... for what? Its hide. That makes you a proud hunter? But hunting a 30,000 acre piece of fenced property that you couldn't walk from one end to the other in 1 day is unethical? Give me a break.... Hope you enjoy that lion mount. You should be proud.

Some of the most skilled hunters I know get together at the end of season and kill monster bucks off of drives. In order to be successful on a routine basis you need to have intimate knowledge of the woods and deer patterns. Just because its a drive it doesn't always mean it is a bunch of half ass hunters doing it. But I agree it seems some of the biggest deer are killed by accident on pushes.

Can you post the link to NY's page. I searched it and only found a 15 point from Wayne County but I'm pretty certain it isn't the same deer.

Not sure where you get the most officer statistic from because all the officers I know fire there weapons several hundred times a year. This includes long guns. How often do you think the average die hard hunter fires theirs? I shoot my rifle anywhere from 8-10 times a year. Police are taught center mass (center of largest target available to shoot at) because that is the most effective at stopping a threat. I have taken upper neck shots on a deer at less than 25 yards. Mostly because they were too close and I wasn't able to dial down my scope. I couldn't tell where I was exactly on the body so the only accurate shot I had was the upper neck and head. I prefer 3-4 ribs behind the shoulder on a doe. Dead within 100 yards and nothing ruined at all.

Read the reviews on the Leupold cameras. I actually set up a Bushnell HD 10' from the Leupold for a comparison. In the course of 5 days, the Leupold had 22 pictures compared to 160+ with the Bushnell. Leupold works when it feel like it. Go with the Bushnell HD and a small digital camera for a viewer. That would be about the same money as the Leupold package.

You will never hear a word from anyone for letting your child blow a call. I think NYS is one of the worst states in the nation when it comes to youth hunting.

I only use the WGI camera's on field edges and what not, not on many trails anymore. I have several camera's out (Moultrie, Leupold, 2 Bushnell HD's and a cheap Bushnell, Reconyx, and Cuddeback) I'm a big fan of the Bushnell's and Reconyx. The Leupold and Cuddeback aren't worth a nickel to me. The Leupold is the most unreliable camera I have ever had and the Cuddeback is constantly having software issues. At least the WGI's are reliable camera's in area's where the animals are moving at a slower clip. Probably make great cameras for bait piles.... (that's for WNY)

The replacement has worked good so far. Not a fan of the trigger speed and if the animal is too close to the camera the infrared flash makes the entire screen white and drowns the animal out but otherwise I'm happy.

I had the same problem. Sent the camera in no questions asked and got a brand new camera within 10 days. I'm not a huge fan of their camera's but really like their customer service.

I'm thinking skin infection. Kind of like your dog when it gets a hot spot that goes untreated, they pull all the hair out around it and it looks like hell. Then it gets air and heals up and the hair grows back. That deer looks healthy otherwise and find it hard to believe that a coyote would waste its time and energy on him.