Mason and I went to the Mrex ranch yesterday. Mike had a location in mind for Mason to hunt, so we moved an old buddy stand of his to the area. I think he picked out a great location as it's a natural pinch point with plenty of white oaks. Mason will likely run out of arrows.
After setting up the stand we ran around looking at different areas around Strouds, including the campground where we will be staying. The group camping area will provide a really nice environment for this hunt! There is plenty of room if anyone is planning to bring campers, the facilities will be more than adequate! The two "camper cabins" are also clean and more than suitable for the weekend stay.
At some point we saw a few deer and it was evident to Mike how much Mason enjoys seeing them - I told him we rarely see them around home anymore, so Mike said he'd show us some. We drove around for a time with Mike pointing out different properties and some local history. Mason started keeping track of the deer numbers at some point. He came up with a final tally of 79! There is no shortage of deer in Athens Co! Two of the deer we spotted were really nice. One of them Mike said was 150's after looking him over through binoculars, and then we saw another briefly on the same property that I felt was substantially larger than the first. Can't say for sure as it was a short look without glasses, but it was impressive.
Mrex's schedule will not allow him to be a "guide" for the entire group next month fellas, so plan ahead if you can and look things over before you arrive. My impression of the area is that we will see deer most anywhere - there are plenty around! Also, I know some of you have mentioned using canoes to access back regions of the lake. Mike has a fleet of them, and has offered them for your use. A very generous offer again, and if I were so inclined to cross the lake I'd take him up on it!
We have all the makings of a great time at Strouds. After having looked around a little, I'm looking forward to it even more!
Mrex, thanks again for the tour and hospitality!