What is unique to your hunting area?

[Sampson]

I often wonder about hunting other parts of the country and I wonder what it's like to hunt in the northeastern states or the southern tip of Alabama or Florida. I have really enjoyed some of the property threads from those areas and this got me thinking about what I get to experience here. So, I'll start off by sharing a little bit about the area I enjoy hunting and why it means so much to me.

I have hunted in just about ever corner and climate Oklahoma has to offer except for the pan handle. But I truly love western Oklahoma this time of year. It's the only part of the state that I have hunted where I can hear the turkeys gobbling just like they do in the spring time and Sandhill Cranes calling. They call for hours every morning and evening. The Sandhills become almost annoying as it seems they never stop. But I still love hearing them as I only get to hear them when It's hunting season.

Red Cardinals move in this time of year and stay through the winter. They have become my favorite bird as I have enjoyed many hours of watching them from my stand. The deer sightings are plentiful as you can see along ways here. The wheat fields are full of deer almost every evening. At least a couple of times a year, I get the chance to see, if not harvest, a truly exceptional buck.

The only smell that really permeates my area this time of year is the exfoliator they spray on the cotton fields. It only last during the week of black powder thank goodness as it in not a pleasant smell. Some people don't seem to mind it but I don't care for the smell much. However, I do enjoy the harvested Cotton smell coming from the gins when you drive by.

These are some things that let me knows it's hunting season which is my favorite time of year and they are unique to area I hunt.





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[OkieKubota]

I have hunted Western Ok and NE Ok. I really enjoyed the experience I got out in the vast wheat fields and it was a neat experience but the deer I killed seemed impersonal. I was so far away from them when I shot I didn't really know what I had till we hiked over to them...

In NE Oklahoma I hear the turkeys gobbling every morning on our place and every deer seen is up close and personal in these big woods. Squirrels all around and pileated woodpeckers are common and it is common to hear their call and the hammering they do on the trees. Oaks dropping acorns and the leaves falling and the crunch of the deer coming through the woods that you are straining to see if it is the one!

We all have our ruthers and big woods hunting is mine...

 

[Jeff H]

I've hunted deer in 7 states over the years. Having lived and hunted in Illinois for 10 years I have some fond memories of the area. The one thing that stands out to me is Northern Illinois in October. When the corn was ready to be picked the combines would run all night long. Driving to my hunting ground in the predawn hours their bright lights would illuminate every field in the county with the dust creating a fog like effect in the headlights. The sweet smell of corn dust was everywhere and meant that the bucks would no longer be able to hide in the fields. The woods would now be full of deer.
Good memories, good times.
There's nothing like the feel of a mild and humid December morning in Mississippi either. It's hard for me to describe the feeling but I do love hunting the South in winter. Setting on a stand and listening to the ducks whistle and chatter from the backwater sloughs. Or watching deer pile into a south facing pine thicket to bed up for the afternoon. I've taken a few naps in those pine thickets as well.
My part of Missouri has the oaks and the views to see them. I have one stand that could be a scenic overlook! The views in the Fall can just be spectacular.

 

[Jeff H]

I can't seem to post a pic from my computer so here is a picture of a picture via Tapatalk of my favorite Missouri iews in October

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[Turkey Creek]

The thing that attracts me to my hunting spot is that some of that ground has been in my family about 130 yrs now, as my family homesteaded it. Before them it was just the native Americans. It gets harder and harder every year to imagine what the land was like 130 years ago as man made "crap" and human encroachment continues to worsen. However, there are still times when I can still grab a moment of what it must have felt like back then and it brings a bit of peace to my overly hectic life. There used to be some great views from the tops of the rolling hills down into the creek valley, but most of those are tainted by human elements now. The deer hunting itself is so so at best.

 

[Hoosierhunting]

I hunt Northern Indiana and have hunted several other states. N. Indiana is different than other areas I've hunted in terms having outstanding habitat coupled with very high hunter numbers. The land here is a patchwork of woods and small fields, edge everywhere. It's extremely productive soil with soybeans and corn dominant crops. A 80-100 acre field is a big field here, the clean farming practices don't dominate and we still have lots of fence rows, small woodlots, etc. From a habitat perspective, I'd argue it's at least as good if not better than Iowa....the difference is our population density. All those 20-40 acre landholdings have a property owner, and if he doesn't hunt his buddy does. Growing up hunting was less popular, and though it's encouraging to see the sport growing and healthy there's something to be said about a little solace in the woods. I haven't hunted a firearms opener in years....it's an absolute shit-show around me. You used to find some solace during archery season but crossbows have changed that (I routinely see 4 guys hunting a 20.6 acre parcel of public ground near me). Recreation land is still bringing 6-7K an acre so owning a big spread is pretty out of reach for most of us. All that said, it's home and I love it. The hunting pressure is just another element that you have to adapt to and manage your property around.

 

[weekender21]

I've hunted in SC, CA, AK, WY, NM, AZ, OR, and HI. There are definitely things I love about each of the places I've been.

The sand dunes I've hunted along the central CA coast will always be a special place to me. Hunting deer and pigs within yards of the Pacific Ocean is a really unique experience. The CA mule deer along the coast do not grow P and Y antlers but they are a very cool species that I'll always be fond of.

The remoteness of AK is awesome to experience. I have very fond memories from Sitka Blacktail country along the SE coast and the Kodiak archipelago to inland moose areas in the central part of the state.

It's also hard to beat the feeling of hiking into a remote Rocky Mountain wilderness in search of screaming bull elk.

We are truly blessed to live in a country with so many opportunities.

 

[Fish]

On my 40, i love fall when those tangle of summer weeds become whitetail cover. When the brown vegetation is cut by green plots, and the woodies come in off the river to land in my pot holes. Ahhhhh. Thats when i relax and enjoy what God has given me a chance to create--- with his blessing.

 

[X-farmerdan]

What's unique? Its where a major battle of the Civil War was fought. When it's really, really dark it's really, really scary- so my mind thinks. Some nights at dusk you can still hear faint cannon fire. Or, it might be the guys next door unloading the black powder guns.

 

[Sampson]

Wow, 130 years is great. I like idea of keeping the farm in the family. It's becoming a thing of the past, I put our farm in a trust so I can be sure it will remain in the family.

Farmer Dan,
I would say that qualifies as unique. If I may ask where do you hunt? It sounds like a location I would like to visit one day.

There have been some great responses and I see why some of you really enjoy your neck of the woods. I felt like I got to experience a small part of your places and travels.


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[Mennoniteman]

We've got some nice hunting spots with big acorn crops, surrounded by spectacular fall scenery when the leaves make the woods look like they're on fire and the deer are moving. But what makes Pennsylvania hunting really special to me is the deep traditions of going to deer camp, meeting old buddies around a fire with hot coffee and big stories... Tailgate parties in the woods if you will.

 

[X-farmerdan]

Wow, 130 years is great. I like idea of keeping the farm in the family. It's becoming a thing of the past, I put our farm in a trust so I can be sure it will remain in the family.

Farmer Dan,
I would say that qualifies as unique. If I may ask where do you hunt? It sounds like a location I would like to visit one day.

The farm's adjacent to some of the Richmond National Battlefield Park

https://www.nps.gov/rich/index.htm

 

[KDdid]

The farm's adjacent to some of the Richmond National Battlefield Park

https://www.nps.gov/rich/index.htm

Very cool. I spent a week in Richmond in 2013 exploring the Petersburg, City Point, and 7 Days battlefields. I remember seeing deer everywhere when walking around Cold Harbor and Malvern Hill.


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[X-farmerdan]

The deer situation is a lot different now around Cold Harbor and Malvern Hill. Liberal either sex seasons and disease have sliced the population tremendously. The area is home to a large people-population and the number of hunters in a small space is tremendous. The 800 acres next door has a club hunting on it. On a given Saturday they may have 20 - 30 hunters. And I'm sure there's poaching, but the biggest deer killer is vehicles. There are lot of roads in the area and often not enough space for them.

I often wonder how the deer kill is different in counties (or other management areas) with higher people populations and the same supporting deer habitat.

 

[Gravel Road]

I don't think there is anything unique about my area of NE Kansas. Rolling hills with a mix of pasture, crop ground and small creek bottoms. There are no big woods here but lots of hedge tree lines and edge. It's pretty nice in its own way.
One thing that is very nice is the low pressure. Lots of people hunt, but not as many as you would imagine, and most aren't serious about it. Opening day of rifle is on a Wednesday and I'll hear between 2 and 6 shots during the day. Most weekdays you will not hear a shot at all, but the weekend is busier and you might hear a dozen shots in the distance. In the 6 years I've hunted my spot I have never heard a shot from any neighbor even though I know they do shoot a couple each year. The most hunters I've ever seen on the 12 mile drive to the farm is two.
Hearing some of the stories about a sea of orange hunters makes the hair stand up on the back of the neck!

 

[lakngolf]

I guess there is not a lot unique about my hunting spot except that it is family farm land that I am proud to own. I have attempted to transform pasture land to deer habitat, and get it ready for some grandsons, and one granddaughter, to enjoy.

 

[Sampson]

The view to the west of camp along my creek line, nice fall colors for western Oklahoma.


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[j-bird]

Nothing really special about my place. Pretty typical of most farms in the corn and soybean belt of the mid west. If it's flat enough to keep a tractor on it - it's corn or bean field. Not much pasture and because the glacier flattened most of the area the farming dominates everything and cover for wildlife tends to be in small woodlot and narrow ribbons of cover where the ground is too steep or too wet to farm. Land use in my county is roughly 65% row crops. Standing crops grossly affect deer movements here and cover is king. Limited cover means limited overall deer numbers as well. I get snow, but not by the foot in most cases. We do not have conifer forests either. Everything in my area is hardwoods. You may find the occasional pocket of cedar, but we don't have large areas of pine or spruce trees. We don't have significant predators either. No wolves or bears and no wild hogs to have to contend with either. I don't want any of those either! Like I said....pretty typical......

 

[Baker]

I've had the privilege of hunting lots of spots. I have the privilege of living on a farm which passion runs to the very marrow of my bones. It is a paradise and I spend every free moment on it. The rut is in full swing here now and hunting is a blast.A dream come true.

Unquestionably though my favorite spot to hunt is the brush country along the Rio Grande River. Where we are might be a million acres with a population of 1500. I might be off specifically but not conceptually. While hunting, there is essentially no chance of seeing or hearing another person unless he is a guest. There is only the rare airplane sound but beyond that there is almost no sight or sound that is not nature at it's finest. From the hills you can see tens of thousands of acres with no sign of man. A rare circumstance in North America.

The area wreaks of romance. Historically indians occupied the territory. Arrow heads are in abundance and its hard not to imagine a tribal chief trotting up on horseback. Now the Spanish culture predominates and I find it rich colorful and a delightful departure from most of my travels.My previous landowner used to love to hunt, cook and play music. He hunted at night as was the custom and owned 250,000 acres. He would take off with a caravan of 3 vehicles...the hunting vehicle followed by a wagon with complete kitchen and another wagon with a piano. Late at night once they got tired, they would break out the kitchen complete with chef with top hat. The piano would get pulled out along with guitars and a fire. The party would begin. This pattern could last for days. I could go on....beautiful stuff.

The wildlife is diverse, abundant, and behaves as nature programmed them before man imposed his will. Lions and bobcats and coyotes, and rattle snakes, and javelinas, and badgers , and blue indigo snakes [ largest in N.America ] bobwhite, blue quail,doves, ducks....it's like Africa west. Giant migrations of ducks, doves, sand hill cranes and all sorts of migratory birds find there way there. I've seen what look liked a million doves pile into the fields in front of my camp over just a couple days. Spend a month or two then gone overnight.

The deer herd may be one of if not the only untainted herds left anywhere. There never has been any transfer of deer from other parts here and I find them as handsome as any deer anywhere. Granted some of the mature bucks look mean....kinda like a biker, and they seem not to like you at all. I've wondered at times if they weren't gonna come after me. The ratios are as nature designed, the age structure is as nature designed, and behavior patterns are as nature designed. Quite a sight to see. I can't wait to head back down.

 

[bigbluetruck]

My county has pretty diverse landscape, from river bottoms to big open areas that look something like Gravel Roads, but with more open on the hills and the draws are full of cedars.
Depends on where youre at, you can hear turkeys, last year on opening morning I could hear what sounded like 1000 of them. Some years you hear quite a few rifle shots, others not really. It depends on how much corn has been combined, this year there hasn't been much picked yet so it should be quiet. The smells of corn dust and harvest are prevalent.

One thing that might be somewhat unique is our use of "mobile deer stands" AKA 4x4 pickup. The bucks are very mobile, so we figure we might as well be too. There are some areas to sit, usually funnels or other known deer areas. But we do a lot of pocket checking, and glassing large areas trying to catch them in the open between pockets. Some places you could sit all day and not see a single deer. The deer are used to machinery and pickups so it really doesn't bother them.