I am a transplant to the area I now live in SE Ohio. Grew up an hour north. Moved here in 2012 and I only have 3 acres. I was able to get on two 100 acre pieces from connections at church. Other than my old stomping grounds in Monroe Co and my in laws in northern Ohio, those two properties have been my main places to go. And it’s taken me a while to figure them out and understand how deer are moving and where to find turkeys. I feel like the pieces of the puzzle have came together recently and I’m excited about the potential there for the future.
But another thing I really enjoy is taking out new guys or buddies. It gives me a thrill to get new guys on deer and turkey. This past season I put 5 new hunters on deer and gave them the opportunity. But that comes with a trade off...I’m bringing them with me to some of my best spots. It may have cost me a nice buck on at least two occasions this past year. I don’t regret that but it did prompt me to try something.
Two weeks ago I identified 39 properties within 30 minutes of my house that looked good on OnX. Some were big farms and others were smaller pieces. I wrote a letter telling folks who I am, that I’d love to turkey hunt and possibly bowhunt deer, talked about my ethics as a hunter, eating and preparing the meet, my family (figured cute pics of my kids wouldn’t hurt) and that I’d respect any rules they had for me. I included a permission form.
Within 4 days I received my first no. Very respectful person who already had hunters on them. Then another one of those. And then a lady called and said she leased out her land...but she liked my letter and knew of someone who may let me hunt and she already went ahead and asked on my behalf. A little later she texts me that it’s a go and all I have to do is call them. And she was right. 50 acres that I can deer and turkey hunt. But it’s about 40 minutes away. Two buddies said they’d come and scout it with me so I decided to see if I could extend that piece. A quick look on OnX, a search for an old phone book, and two calls later I landed a relative with 30 acres that touched the 50 acres to the south, and then 100 acre farm directly connected to the north. Boom...180 acres! Our scouting revealed that the 50 acre piece had hardly any sign and already had quite a bit of pressure (found a tree stand and two blinds). But the 100+ acre farm proved to be a gem. We only had time to scout 25 acres but found a big bucks main travel route, scrapes, rubs, and then his bedroom....and a nice shed! I was stoked!
I figured enough time had passed that none of my letters would be answered. Until yesterday. Got a call from a guy 10 minutes from the house who said he’d talked it over to the family and they were ok with me hunting there as long as I called a couple days in advance before I come. I wasn’t sure which farm this was exactly as I was talking to him on the phone. We agreed to meet up today and I hung up the phone and pulled out OnX. It’s a 150 acre farm. And other than a couple gun hunters...it’s untouched. I can turkey hunt
I met the nicest landowners today. Very friendly and accommodating. The landowner had a four wheeler waiting for me and showed me the property over the course of 30 minutes. It’s an amazing property with a ton of potential.
So in two weeks I added over 300 acres. I’m still kind of shocked that it worked out. It definitely gives me some extra options. All but the piece I added today I’m able to take new guys or buddy’s to...and I’m thinking in time the piece I added today may be open to it. Hopefully can share some success stories on this post as the next few months/years roll by.
But another thing I really enjoy is taking out new guys or buddies. It gives me a thrill to get new guys on deer and turkey. This past season I put 5 new hunters on deer and gave them the opportunity. But that comes with a trade off...I’m bringing them with me to some of my best spots. It may have cost me a nice buck on at least two occasions this past year. I don’t regret that but it did prompt me to try something.
Two weeks ago I identified 39 properties within 30 minutes of my house that looked good on OnX. Some were big farms and others were smaller pieces. I wrote a letter telling folks who I am, that I’d love to turkey hunt and possibly bowhunt deer, talked about my ethics as a hunter, eating and preparing the meet, my family (figured cute pics of my kids wouldn’t hurt) and that I’d respect any rules they had for me. I included a permission form.
Within 4 days I received my first no. Very respectful person who already had hunters on them. Then another one of those. And then a lady called and said she leased out her land...but she liked my letter and knew of someone who may let me hunt and she already went ahead and asked on my behalf. A little later she texts me that it’s a go and all I have to do is call them. And she was right. 50 acres that I can deer and turkey hunt. But it’s about 40 minutes away. Two buddies said they’d come and scout it with me so I decided to see if I could extend that piece. A quick look on OnX, a search for an old phone book, and two calls later I landed a relative with 30 acres that touched the 50 acres to the south, and then 100 acre farm directly connected to the north. Boom...180 acres! Our scouting revealed that the 50 acre piece had hardly any sign and already had quite a bit of pressure (found a tree stand and two blinds). But the 100+ acre farm proved to be a gem. We only had time to scout 25 acres but found a big bucks main travel route, scrapes, rubs, and then his bedroom....and a nice shed! I was stoked!
I figured enough time had passed that none of my letters would be answered. Until yesterday. Got a call from a guy 10 minutes from the house who said he’d talked it over to the family and they were ok with me hunting there as long as I called a couple days in advance before I come. I wasn’t sure which farm this was exactly as I was talking to him on the phone. We agreed to meet up today and I hung up the phone and pulled out OnX. It’s a 150 acre farm. And other than a couple gun hunters...it’s untouched. I can turkey hunt
I met the nicest landowners today. Very friendly and accommodating. The landowner had a four wheeler waiting for me and showed me the property over the course of 30 minutes. It’s an amazing property with a ton of potential.
So in two weeks I added over 300 acres. I’m still kind of shocked that it worked out. It definitely gives me some extra options. All but the piece I added today I’m able to take new guys or buddy’s to...and I’m thinking in time the piece I added today may be open to it. Hopefully can share some success stories on this post as the next few months/years roll by.
. Worth a shot.
