What is unique to your hunting area?

[Gravel Road]

Baker, that sounds like paradise. Love the writing too.

 

[Sampson]

Thanks for sharing gents. I have truly enjoyed reading about some of your hunting experiences and the things that you enjoy. Baker, I would like to have been part of the caravan and traveling piano wagon, good stuff right there.
J bird, your pretty typical sounds interesting to me as I have never hunted in your area and my hunting experiences have all been different then what you have described. As for those who are hunting/working the family farm, I am jealous. Your children and grand children will benefit from your work.


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[Mennoniteman]

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.

Just curious, what's your state regs on hunting from a pickup? In Pennsylvania you can't shoot within twenty-five feet of anything self-propelled with a drive motor in it. And the game wardens go to desperate measures to fine people in PA. A naive friend of mine got his nice archery bear taken last week because he allowed them on his property and they found trace minerals in the ground from a mineral block that was legally removed before the season.

 

[bigbluetruck]

Wow that's ridiculous! We cant put out feed or anything for at least 10 days before the season opens which is Sept 1.

As far as hunting from a vehicle, Ive never found anything that says we cant, but we cant shoot from the road or the right of way.

 

[Mennoniteman]

Wow that's ridiculous! We cant put out feed or anything for at least 10 days before the season opens which is Sept 1.

As far as hunting from a vehicle, Ive never found anything that says we cant, but we cant shoot from the road or the right of way.

We can't shoot within twenty-five feet of a road, but it's legal to shoot across a road as long as it is a safe line of fire.

 

[Triple C]

I really enjoy following along on so many of the property threads on here and experience thru pics and words the diversity of habitat that each property contains. I imagine what it would be like to hunt near Native Hunter's barn, Geo's rocky mountain highs, dogghr's ridges, Baker's wide-open spaces along the Rio Grande, Chainsaw's and Elkaddict's upstate NY woods, Okie's big woods and many more that I've failed to mention. I just spent the past few days at my farm with boys, grandson and our annual guest from NE. All were gone by Saturday at lunch except for Brooks and myself. I woke up yesterday morning to 45 degree temps, overcast skies and a very light breeze out of the northeast and decided to still hunt with recurve in hand a hardwood drainage that runs from the swamp to up near the northern end of the property. I encountered a doe and her fawn feeding on browse within 15 yds of me as I slipped quietly into the hardwood draw. They were oblivious to my presence except that they were quartering into my downwind side and I knew it would be just a minute or so before they smelled me. I watched as they eased along toward my downwind side and sure enough, they alerted the area with white flags and blows as they bounded back into the safety of the swamp. A light mist, slight rain began to fall to quieten my steps...not enough to really soak me but just enough to know it was raining. I spent more than an hour slipping up the hardwood draw and didn't encounter any more deer.

It was a soulful hunt in perfect conditions. As I took a step and stopped to observe, the thought kept running through my mind that I was fortunate enough to have acquired this property. Kind of a surreal experience when conditions are right. The thought that I actually own this land and the good Lord willing...will pass it along to my children and grandchildren to enjoy brought about a sense that all was right in my world.

Anything we do day in and day out often times comes to be viewed as average and ordinary. Sometimes I feel that way about our place. I feel like I know every tree on the 287 acres and now have to fight to not take it for granted. It seems smaller than when I first purchased it due to my familiarity with all of it. But, as I leave each time for the drive back home, I'm reminded of the solitude and quietness of the country as I encounter the bustle of the city on the drive home. I love the sound of a breeze whistling through the pines. It's not a rustle like wind blowing through hardwoods, but more of a soft whistle. In the end, the think I like most about our area and the property is the diversity of habitat...beavers ponds, sloughs, wetlands, pines, hardwoods and fields. And...I look forward to the day that I can spend most of my days enjoying the ever changing landscape that nature producers.

 

[dogghr]

I really enjoy following along on so many of the property threads on here and experience thru pics and words the diversity of habitat that each property contains. I imagine what it would be like to hunt near Native Hunter's barn, Geo's rocky mountain highs, dogghr's ridges, Baker's wide-open spaces along the Rio Grande, Chainsaw's and Elkaddict's upstate NY woods, Okie's big woods and many more that I've failed to mention. I just spent the past few days at my farm with boys, grandson and our annual guest from NE. All were gone by Saturday at lunch except for Brooks and myself. I woke up yesterday morning to 45 degree temps, overcast skies and a very light breeze out of the northeast and decided to still hunt with recurve in hand a hardwood drainage that runs from the swamp to up near the northern end of the property. I encountered a doe and her fawn feeding on browse within 15 yds of me as I slipped quietly into the hardwood draw. They were oblivious to my presence except that they were quartering into my downwind side and I knew it would be just a minute or so before they smelled me. I watched as they eased along toward my downwind side and sure enough, they alerted the area with white flags and blows as they bounded back into the safety of the swamp. A light mist, slight rain began to fall to quieten my steps...not enough to really soak me but just enough to know it was raining. I spent more than an hour slipping up the hardwood draw and didn't encounter any more deer.

It was a soulful hunt in perfect conditions. As I took a step and stopped to observe, the thought kept running through my mind that I was fortunate enough to have acquired this property. Kind of a surreal experience when conditions are right. The thought that I actually own this land and the good Lord willing...will pass it along to my children and grandchildren to enjoy brought about a sense that all was right in my world.

Anything we do day in and day out often times comes to be viewed as average and ordinary. Sometimes I feel that way about our place. I feel like I know every tree on the 287 acres and now have to fight to not take it for granted. It seems smaller than when I first purchased it due to my familiarity with all of it. But, as I leave each time for the drive back home, I'm reminded of the solitude and quietness of the country as I encounter the bustle of the city on the drive home. I love the sound of a breeze whistling through the pines. It's not a rustle like wind blowing through hardwoods, but more of a soft whistle. In the end, the think I like most about our area and the property is the diversity of habitat...beavers ponds, sloughs, wetlands, pines, hardwoods and fields. And...I look forward to the day that I can spend most of my days enjoying the ever changing landscape that nature producers.

Still hunt?? Don't you know that is blasphemy to the deer gods of deer management?? I did like you this past week, it had rained, and leaves were dead quite. Snuck up on several but no shots taken. Still my fav way to hunt. Loved it.

 

[Baker]

Few things I enjoy more than tip toeing thru the woods on a crisp morning with enough moisture to conceal the noise of my big feet. A nice breeze in my face. The sun at my back. Spotting deer, any deer, moving thru the timber sends chills up my spine. At this stage of my life I enjoy watching them more than shooting them. Once you shoot one , especially a trophy you have watched for years, then he is gone not to be seen roaming the woods ever again.

Thats not to say that if the right one crosses my path at the wrong time...

 

[Brokenbear]

Very nice descriptions fellows of land you are obviously proud of ....my 240AC in S.E. Missouri which I have owned for about 16 years mirrors most ...hardwood hills and fertile river bottoms ....with one exception ...we are lousy with deer ...HOWEVER ..over the years I'm a thinking I've harvested all the stupid deer and now my herd ...excuse me(not my herd) ...now the deer that frequent my land are smarter than me ....oh well ...so much for improving the herd genetics!!!

Happy Holidays to all and fun hunting too
Bear

 

[Chainsaw]

I really enjoy following along on so many of the property threads on here and experience thru pics and words the diversity of habitat that each property contains. I imagine what it would be like to hunt near Native Hunter's barn, Geo's rocky mountain highs, dogghr's ridges, Baker's wide-open spaces along the Rio Grande, Chainsaw's and Elkaddict's upstate NY woods, Okie's big woods and many more that I've failed to mention. I just spent the past few days at my farm with boys, grandson and our annual guest from NE. All were gone by Saturday at lunch except for Brooks and myself. I woke up yesterday morning to 45 degree temps, overcast skies and a very light breeze out of the northeast and decided to still hunt with recurve in hand a hardwood drainage that runs from the swamp to up near the northern end of the property. I encountered a doe and her fawn feeding on browse within 15 yds of me as I slipped quietly into the hardwood draw. They were oblivious to my presence except that they were quartering into my downwind side and I knew it would be just a minute or so before they smelled me. I watched as they eased along toward my downwind side and sure enough, they alerted the area with white flags and blows as they bounded back into the safety of the swamp. A light mist, slight rain began to fall to quieten my steps...not enough to really soak me but just enough to know it was raining. I spent more than an hour slipping up the hardwood draw and didn't encounter any more deer.

It was a soulful hunt in perfect conditions. As I took a step and stopped to observe, the thought kept running through my mind that I was fortunate enough to have acquired this property. Kind of a surreal experience when conditions are right. The thought that I actually own this land and the good Lord willing...will pass it along to my children and grandchildren to enjoy brought about a sense that all was right in my world.

Anything we do day in and day out often times comes to be viewed as average and ordinary. Sometimes I feel that way about our place. I feel like I know every tree on the 287 acres and now have to fight to not take it for granted. It seems smaller than when I first purchased it due to my familiarity with all of it. But, as I leave each time for the drive back home, I'm reminded of the solitude and quietness of the country as I encounter the bustle of the city on the drive home. I love the sound of a breeze whistling through the pines. It's not a rustle like wind blowing through hardwoods, but more of a soft whistle. In the end, the think I like most about our area and the property is the diversity of habitat...beavers ponds, sloughs, wetlands, pines, hardwoods and fields. And...I look forward to the day that I can spend most of my days enjoying the ever changing landscape that nature producers.

TRipleC, A reply in addition to a like because a "like" is not enough; your post captures well what we all feel. You have a real talent for positive expression my (forum) friend.