The illness that is being a bowhunter is an amazing thing. I have not hunted for myself since I shot my buck on the 8th; yet my mind and soul have never left the woods. This year was an eye opener for me and with some major changes coming for me next year; I knew I had to start planning for next year now if I wanted to ensure any level of success during the 2011-2012 season. The last two weeks have lead to a complete plan falling together for the coming off season, one that will kick off as soon as muzzleloader is out!
Greg and I share permission on a beautiful 270 acre farm not far from his house, but it’s a 25 minute drive me for. Being heavily invested out there this year was time consuming and hard on a vehicle. Some changes in my employment will mean I need to be more conscious of my road time when it comes to hunting and scouting. So I’ve started looking for something within 10 minutes of my house in anticipation of losing the farm Greg and I currently hunt. (The sad truth is that this place will be leased. It’s not when, but if.) It just so happens that I live 2 miles as the crow flies from where I spent the first 10 years of my life. I know the general area really well and the bowhunting pressure is light. In addition to that, there are always rumors of big bucks flying in this area. Looking over the county maps at lunch, a light bulb went off! I had 40.33 acres right under my nose this entire time!!!
My dad has worked with this gentleman for 30 years. I grew up with his oldest daughter and graduated high school with her. My wife was good friends and graduated with his youngest daughter. And he owns 40 acres within a 5 minute drive of my place! I started looking around and I laid out a potential 287 acres that adjoin his land, and does it ever look promising!!!
I got his attention and we started talking about his acreage. The first words out of his mouth when he saw the map was: “I saw the biggest buck of my life coming from right there two weeks ago.” Granted, this guy doesn’t hunt, but he’s lived in the country his entire life and he knows a big buck when he sees one. I trust that this is a deer I would want to kill and right now, he’s bedding on this untouched ground. I picked out a potential food plot site knowing he has a Kubota and tiller, and he was down with me putting a plot in this secluded 75’ x 200’ strip of pasture that tucks back into some pines. He timbered this acreage in 2002, so it is thick as hell right now. Thankfully, there is a mowed pipeline right-of-way that acts at the southern border that makes perfect access and a logging road on the north edge to access the back creek bottom.
If I use these 40 acres as my base, I can access four additional properties ranging from 14 acres to 120+ all by walking the pipeline or logging road in from the parking area. (There is a garage and parking area on the edge of the property adjacent to the pipeline.) So the next step is to start to the north on the 20 acres and work my way to the south. I highly doubt I can get access on all of it, but I’m guaranteed to get on 40 acres of it, so that’s fine with me! At the very least, I have a place I can control, plant plots, run cams, feed, etc. all within 5 minutes of my house. In fact, the two giant 8 points that I have on camera at my house on the Live Cam, could be on this 287 acre total conglomeration by walking less than a mile. It’s not a stretch to think I could kill something on this that I had on camera at my house. :smiley_carnaval:
I’m stoked and had to share! In addition to this, I’ll be planting 2 acres of food plots on our farm this year and should have close to 10 stand set-ups ready for next year. Behind my parents place is always my go to and next year, the food plot will be bigger and better. I plan on spending more time getting the blind to blend in and I’ll hang two set-ups in places I should have had stands for the last decade! My first decade of bowhunting is coming to an end and I feel like I’m about to start what could very well be the best hunting of my life. It’s hard not to be giddy about it when you stop and think it over!!! ickle:
There will be lots to come this year. I got out of writing articles on OS because of all the bullshit. Like it or not, I'm headed for another year filled with boring stories and bad pictures! :smiley_bril:
Greg and I share permission on a beautiful 270 acre farm not far from his house, but it’s a 25 minute drive me for. Being heavily invested out there this year was time consuming and hard on a vehicle. Some changes in my employment will mean I need to be more conscious of my road time when it comes to hunting and scouting. So I’ve started looking for something within 10 minutes of my house in anticipation of losing the farm Greg and I currently hunt. (The sad truth is that this place will be leased. It’s not when, but if.) It just so happens that I live 2 miles as the crow flies from where I spent the first 10 years of my life. I know the general area really well and the bowhunting pressure is light. In addition to that, there are always rumors of big bucks flying in this area. Looking over the county maps at lunch, a light bulb went off! I had 40.33 acres right under my nose this entire time!!!
My dad has worked with this gentleman for 30 years. I grew up with his oldest daughter and graduated high school with her. My wife was good friends and graduated with his youngest daughter. And he owns 40 acres within a 5 minute drive of my place! I started looking around and I laid out a potential 287 acres that adjoin his land, and does it ever look promising!!!
I got his attention and we started talking about his acreage. The first words out of his mouth when he saw the map was: “I saw the biggest buck of my life coming from right there two weeks ago.” Granted, this guy doesn’t hunt, but he’s lived in the country his entire life and he knows a big buck when he sees one. I trust that this is a deer I would want to kill and right now, he’s bedding on this untouched ground. I picked out a potential food plot site knowing he has a Kubota and tiller, and he was down with me putting a plot in this secluded 75’ x 200’ strip of pasture that tucks back into some pines. He timbered this acreage in 2002, so it is thick as hell right now. Thankfully, there is a mowed pipeline right-of-way that acts at the southern border that makes perfect access and a logging road on the north edge to access the back creek bottom.
If I use these 40 acres as my base, I can access four additional properties ranging from 14 acres to 120+ all by walking the pipeline or logging road in from the parking area. (There is a garage and parking area on the edge of the property adjacent to the pipeline.) So the next step is to start to the north on the 20 acres and work my way to the south. I highly doubt I can get access on all of it, but I’m guaranteed to get on 40 acres of it, so that’s fine with me! At the very least, I have a place I can control, plant plots, run cams, feed, etc. all within 5 minutes of my house. In fact, the two giant 8 points that I have on camera at my house on the Live Cam, could be on this 287 acre total conglomeration by walking less than a mile. It’s not a stretch to think I could kill something on this that I had on camera at my house. :smiley_carnaval:
I’m stoked and had to share! In addition to this, I’ll be planting 2 acres of food plots on our farm this year and should have close to 10 stand set-ups ready for next year. Behind my parents place is always my go to and next year, the food plot will be bigger and better. I plan on spending more time getting the blind to blend in and I’ll hang two set-ups in places I should have had stands for the last decade! My first decade of bowhunting is coming to an end and I feel like I’m about to start what could very well be the best hunting of my life. It’s hard not to be giddy about it when you stop and think it over!!! ickle:
There will be lots to come this year. I got out of writing articles on OS because of all the bullshit. Like it or not, I'm headed for another year filled with boring stories and bad pictures! :smiley_bril: