Team 9
- Thread starter aholdren
- Start date
Lol, I noticed now that you mentioned it! I will also agree that you and your little ones are having a hell of year. Seems you all have put yourselves in this position. How many years did it take to get to this kind of success?
Iowa_Buckeye
Smartest person here
Our recipe for success has been a big enough farm (560'ish acres) with good borders. And a landowner with the resources (tractors, planters, sprayer, disc, cultivator, etc) to allow a few chumps (myself and a common buddy) to maintain the property and plant 30 to 35 acres of food every year. Mostly soybeans and corn. If you are managing the bucks, you also have to ALL be willing to pass the 3 year olds (no matter how big they are). You can't be worried the neighbors will shoot them. They do pick a few off, but with the food we plant, it is only a few.
The amount of deer we see in the main plots during late season muzzy is nuts. Usually 20-50 on a typical sit, but I have seen up to 100 when bone cold. Mostly does, but still fun to see. None of our neighbors plant plots, so they all end up on our farm when all other food sources are gone. I'll post some pics during this season (from just before X-mas to Jan 10).
As for how long it took, he bought the farm in the summer of 2007. It took us a few years to figure the plot thing out, but it was only a couple years before the age structure on the bucks got there. In 2010 the landowner shot a 189 and I shot a 215. So it didn't take long. Between the landowner, my buddy, and I, we usually take 2 to 4 good bucks between us during the year. We also bring friends and kids and take lots of does, probably 20-30 a year. It is a great place to take kids to get them their first deer. But it can give them a false reality of a 'typical/true' deer hunt..... I agree it is easy to get one over the plots late season, but it takes a hell of a lot of work all year long to make it 'easy'. This is also a reason we decided not to take the real good bucks till age 5 with a gun. We would much prefer the challenge of the bow.
I am pretty much living the dream with it, but am worried the landowner is thinking about selling sometime in the near future. He has a few new hobbies and it feels like he is steering away from hunting with the passion he had. So if anyone has a couple mill laying around and would like to buy an Iowa farm, I know a couple chumps who will keep it hunt ready for ya!!!
The amount of deer we see in the main plots during late season muzzy is nuts. Usually 20-50 on a typical sit, but I have seen up to 100 when bone cold. Mostly does, but still fun to see. None of our neighbors plant plots, so they all end up on our farm when all other food sources are gone. I'll post some pics during this season (from just before X-mas to Jan 10).
As for how long it took, he bought the farm in the summer of 2007. It took us a few years to figure the plot thing out, but it was only a couple years before the age structure on the bucks got there. In 2010 the landowner shot a 189 and I shot a 215. So it didn't take long. Between the landowner, my buddy, and I, we usually take 2 to 4 good bucks between us during the year. We also bring friends and kids and take lots of does, probably 20-30 a year. It is a great place to take kids to get them their first deer. But it can give them a false reality of a 'typical/true' deer hunt..... I agree it is easy to get one over the plots late season, but it takes a hell of a lot of work all year long to make it 'easy'. This is also a reason we decided not to take the real good bucks till age 5 with a gun. We would much prefer the challenge of the bow.
I am pretty much living the dream with it, but am worried the landowner is thinking about selling sometime in the near future. He has a few new hobbies and it feels like he is steering away from hunting with the passion he had. So if anyone has a couple mill laying around and would like to buy an Iowa farm, I know a couple chumps who will keep it hunt ready for ya!!!
A million here, a million there, pretty soon you're talking real money man lol.
If I had that kinda cash burning a hole in my pocket I'd love to buy a place like that and put up a tiny house and put up a big barn / workshop. Don't think I could get much happier than that. Maybe dig out a nice root cellar TOO.
Sounds like a real paradise. You're blessed to have access to it. Hope out continues on for a long time for you.
Iowa_Buckeye
Smartest person here
Iowa_Buckeye
Smartest person here
Well this isn't specifically related to our team, but it is a big dead deer.....
The good year continued at the farm this morning. I got up to get ready for work and saw a text from my buddy that he had 'smoked R9'. Well my work plans changed and I headed to the farm to give him a hand and take pics.
Note the short face on this guy. Looks like a fawn face. He is 4. He was right at 150 as a 3 year old last year (have the sheds) and we all could have killed him. He seemed to always be on his feet in daylight, so I was pretty confident someone would get him this year.
Quick tape job has him at 179. Hope you likey!!
The good year continued at the farm this morning. I got up to get ready for work and saw a text from my buddy that he had 'smoked R9'. Well my work plans changed and I headed to the farm to give him a hand and take pics.
Note the short face on this guy. Looks like a fawn face. He is 4. He was right at 150 as a 3 year old last year (have the sheds) and we all could have killed him. He seemed to always be on his feet in daylight, so I was pretty confident someone would get him this year.
Quick tape job has him at 179. Hope you likey!!
Mao
Member
cspot
Member
Got us some more points today although he probably won't score that well.
The downside is he broke off the 2nd main beam. The pics didn't turn out the best.
The downside is he broke off the 2nd main beam. The pics didn't turn out the best.
Mao
Member
Iowa_Buckeye
Smartest person here
Got us a few more points. He won't break any records. Lol. Small 8pt.
I will get him on the harvest thread once the processor is done with him.
I will get him on the harvest thread once the processor is done with him.
Iowa_Buckeye
Smartest person here
Mao
Member
Congrats again Jon! Happy for ya buddy. Well we are sitting pretty good at this point I am going to guess.
I feel like a slacker!!! Lol
I'm still holding hope for a late season buck, just hope we get some snow and temps are cold.
Congrats fellas on some great bucks!
I'm still holding hope for a late season buck, just hope we get some snow and temps are cold.
Congrats fellas on some great bucks!
Iowa_Buckeye
Smartest person here
First shotgun season opens out here tomorrow. I have 2 doe tags for it so am hoping to get out for a few hours over the weekend depending on if I can squezze it in around some family commitments. I can't wait to get back in the woods since filling my bow tags!