To cheer up Redcloud

[hickslawns]

Adam- You are not alone. I will attempt a brief recap of last year. Neighbor kids trespassing. Neighbor lady walking dog every night. Guys hunting my stands/trespassing/shooting does and leaving for dead. Shall I continue? Okay, 140+ hours in stand and no bucks worthy of an arrow. Truly baby bucks. It was a lot of work just to fill two tags.

Fast forward to this year. Promising year with the two new properties I picked up to hunt. I am pumped. Scouting is (was) paying off. Sightings galore, but never in legal shooting light, or just out of range. I have seen 3 shooters this year on the hoof. Conservative guess they are all 130+", and definitely 2/3 were 140". Then it started happening with more frequency. Trespassers. Poacher (possibly). The one property myself and one other guy had permission to hunt (have never seen the other guy) suddenly has 4 more guys hunting it. This doesn't even include the guys I have on camera trespassing.

I am frustrated. I am pissed. I am not giving up though. I am simply refocusing and implementing a new game plan.

Step one was forwarding the pictures of the No Trespassing signs which had been spray painted or ripped down to the owners. Then to the local detectives. Then the newest batch of trespassers were forwarded to the property owners and detective. Done. Hope they catch the bastards that stole my camera too.

Step two is to hang a couple permanent stands in some areas I have not hunted, and at least one in the main area I have been hunting. I have just been too noisy getting setup in the mornings.

Step three is to focus a bit more on the other property and learn it better.

Step four is to remember why I hunt and just enjoy it. Step three is going to help with step four. My buddy's new property is doe central! I just need to put some brown on the ground.

Attached are some of my latest trail camera finds. I think you can see why all my big boys are MIA. Granted, some may be out on the prowl and will return, below you will see the main reason they are MIA.

 

[hickslawns]

How about a few more? Okay, in all fairness two of these are from earlier in the year. Still frustrating though. Not to mention the two different days with "bow hunters" thinking they are not on the camera or just clueless as to it's existence.

 

[RedCloud]

I feel ya Hicks. I had 4 people back in the spring walk right past a cam. I'm not sure if they was looking for turks or some place to grow some weed lol. I have had the guy who leases the fields brushhogging and bailing while I was in my stand only 60 yards away. I had him mow down a secondary bedding area up by the pond even after I told him about it. He later brought in the combine to harvest the corn field and instead of going around the headrows and then up and down the field like a normal person he decided to take off all the back half of the field right in front of me ( I got that on the cell phone video so not real good footage) Had the guy drive right past Dante and my trucks through the field to the woodline. He left and came back 15min. later with a chainsaw and started dropping trees and cutting them up. The moron across the road who rides his quad all over the place bringing all his kids and sometimes the family dog. Dante seen a guy standing at the back of the property one evening wanting to come into our woods to hunt but seen Dante and turned and walk back out. I still say the guy across the road and his relative that farms the property try and screw us every time they get the chance to do so.

The thing about the 2 properties is the landowners let any and everybody hunt it so I have no idea who is and isn't allowed to be there. We also butt up against city property that is only open to the public on certain weekends to drop off lawn waste so when it is closed people think they can just park at the gates and hunt it. The bedding areas for the deer we hunt is on that property and I believe people poached deer back there last year. I have our GW keeping as close an eye out as he can but as we all know there isn't enough time in the day for the GW to catch them all.

It's just frustrating as hell as you well know. It is bad enough to try and outwit a mature whitetail on his/her terms but toss in a bunch of retards and it becomes almost impossible. Mature deer living in conditions such as this year after year they learn quick and didn't get mature by being stupid. I guess if and when it happens it will be just that much better knowing I WON!!!

 

[RedCloud]

BTW. In that second batch of pics doesn't the kid in the 3rd pic giving the I Love You sign look a lot like Kaiser :smiley_crocodile:

 

[hickslawns]

Just letting you know, you are not alone Adam. We all deal with it at one time or another. I thought it would be better on the two new properties this year. It is "better", but it is still there. I really thought 1/2mile off the road would get me away from some of this. Guess I was wrong. It's all good. I will fill my freezer. Just going to be a little more difficult now with the increased traffic.

 

[RedCloud]

Thanks Hicks.

I know we all deal with things like this every year some better some worse. It just seems like this year is at the hight of the BS meter lol. I have seen it slowly increase with the suck ass economy though too. This section of woods is like yours..about 1/2 mile back a field to the woods but they just use the quads to get back there and if they had to walk I don't think half of them would waste the time on it.

I like you will just have to work harder and smarter to get it done this year. It will be a sweet victory when I get something on the ground. Hell I might even have to do a little dance too :smiley_crazy:

 

[hickslawns]

Some of these pictures just go to show me why my deer sightings have dwindled to small bucks and yearlings. Some of it has to do with temperatures during the days. Some of it has to do with the rut. Part of it, however, is certainly due to the increased human presence in the woods. I am glad you have a renewed attitude. I would love to see you get on the board. Suck it up and drive on brother! You will get it done!

 

[RedCloud]

I will be dropping the boy off at school in about 20min. and heading to the woods to hang my new stand setup for this weekend. I might just spend an hour or 2 in it just to see what I can see lol. That is if my back allows me to do so since I did something to it on Tuesday taking the stand down on the boardering property. It's still locking up and giving me fits. Oh well..theres deer to be killed out there .

Good Luck Phil.

Lets go get um !!!!

 

[RedCloud]

Ok. I'm not heading out. Going to give the back a little more rest first lol. Will do it tomorrow maybe.

 

[Riverdude]

Hang in there Adam.

Email CJD and ask him to send ya the photo's he found on his camera.

 

[RedCloud]

Hang in there Adam.

Email CJD and ask him to send ya the photo's he found on his camera.

Do I have to drive up there and house and woods sit do I ? lol.

At least in your woods I would know who is and isn't allowed in there. I wouldn't have a problem tossing some low life trespasser out on his ass lol.

Is CJD home or working the rig? You know I hate calling you guys while your on the drill site.

 

[Diablo54]

Thats kaiser and 1023:smiley_crazy:

 

[cotty16]

BTW. In that second batch of pics doesn't the kid in the 3rd pic giving the I Love You sign look a lot like Kaiser :smiley_crocodile:

Dang, I thought the same thing!!!
Also, the very last pic of the dude with the large beer gut is kinda funny.

I'm in a similar boat, but mine is the property owners. They don't hunt, but man can they jog. They jog all through my set ups. They must be cross country athletes. Whatever it is, I have them on camera more than I do deer.
Since they began their fall excursions my sightings have been next to nothing.

 

[Jackalope]

Do I have to drive up there and house and woods sit do I ? lol.

At least in your woods I would know who is and isn't allowed in there. I wouldn't have a problem tossing some low life trespasser out on his ass lol.

Is CJD home or working the rig? You know I hate calling you guys while your on the drill site.

Pfffftttt.. Your wife bitched me out for first trying your home phone then calling the cell... :smiley_crocodile:

 

[RedCloud]

Pfffftttt.. Your wife bitched me out for first trying your home phone then calling the cell... :smiley_crocodile:

LOL. Sounds like her. When did you call ?

 

[Kaiser878]

Hey man! I plead the fifth! ha

This is the first year I have had to deal with other hunters to this degree also. My best spot has been ruined because of one guy and his pop up blind in the main bedding area on the property line. My house has been ruined by the neighbor putting in a hillbilly 4-wheeler riding park. The new farm I just obtained this year looked awesome before season. Had 12 P&Y bucks, one was a BBBC candidate. Once the 25th of sept. rolled around, they all vanished! Only two have returned and it was at like midnight!

To answer the latest gripping question from hunters, "Why is there so much leasing?" Well folks, just read this post, then you will see why. I can gurantee you something, next year I will have a lease with one of my buddies. It is already in negotiation. Im done dealing with idiots! Deer hunting is what motivates me, and many of you know how anal I am. I want full control of the area I hunt. If it takes spending a grand to do it, then so be it! Start saving up fellas, if you want good hunting this is what its gonig to take. There are to many idiots out there today that are ruining the good hunting!-

 

[Buckmaster]

Also, the very last pic of the dude with the large beer gut is kinda funny.

I'm sorry but that one was way to funny. :smiley_crazy:

 

[Jackalope]

LOL. Sounds like her. When did you call ?

Yesterday evening at 6:00.. No answer at home so I tried the cell...

It picked up and said.. "We're not answering the phone because we probably don't want to talk with you." I hung up thinking it was just a funny voicemail message. Then i got to thinking. It didn't go through it's automated spill beforehand. Figured she might have just picked it up and bitched me out for trying both numbers... I thought it was funny either way.. :smiley_crocodile:

 

[RedCloud]

Yesterday evening at 6:00.. No answer at home so I tried the cell...

It picked up and said.. "We're not answering the phone because we probably don't want to talk with you." I hung up thinking it was just a funny voicemail message. Then i got to thinking. It didn't go through it's automated spill beforehand. Figured she might have just picked it up and bitched me out for trying both numbers... I thought it was funny either way.. :smiley_crocodile:

That is the voicemail message we have on the cell lol. Sometimes if we have it turned off our no service it goes straight to v-mail no blah blah blah crap lol. You can call the house phone now if you need to I will be home for another hour then off to pick the boy up from school. I should be back home for the evening at around 2:45 or so after I get him picked up.

 

[Jackalope]

That is the voicemail message we have on the cell lol. Sometimes if we have it turned off our no service it goes straight to v-mail no blah blah blah crap lol. You can call the house phone now if you need to I will be home for another hour then off to pick the boy up from school. I should be back home for the evening at around 2:45 or so after I get him picked up.

Figured yall was busy gettin busy.. lol