Just need to vent
 

Right next to my place is a 4-5 acre thicket which is just crawling with deer. It's a honey-hole and I've hunted it for over 20 years because my grandmother owned it until she died. There are 15 - 20 or more deer bedding in there at times. I've been watching a decent 8 point for a month that comes out of it to feed in the alfalfa field that surrounds 2/3 of it.

Here's the problem:

My cousin now owns the place and has given permission to 3 other guys to hunt there since he bought it. They've been hunting there now for 4 or 5 years and they really suck at it. In that time, they've wounded, and lost, one deer and killed a tiny doe fawn last year. They hang their stands in the only funnel in the area (that I used to use) and clear every living plant with-in 15 yards of them. They then have 5 "volcano-like" heaps of corn placed with-in the cleared area as bait. I've seen then walk in to hunt - arriving just before sunset and making a HUGE racket climbing into the already hung stand! They leave equipment all around the stand which tips off the deer to the presence of hunters. I've adjusted my methods and tried to use their foolishness to my advantage and managed to take quite a few deer from the area every year despite them.

This year is different.

I just went over there to check it out and found the huge mountains of corn surrounding their stand that now hangs in the exact same spot. As I was walking out, I smelled a slight rotting smell -- like a decaying animal. Without looking, I suspect a gut-pile or worse - a lost animal.

I also just found out that my cousin is planning on running a bulldozer through there clearing much of the brush so that he can run horses and cattle there. He's fencing in the entire area and replacing the alfalfa with pasture grass. He's already in the beginning stages of this and plans to pick it up just as the pre-rut starts kicking in. [:@][:@][:@]

Trying to talk to him about any of these things only seems to make him more determined to do this. He only allows me to hunt there because my grandmother forced the issue before she died.

So this will be the last year that the area will be like it is and the other "hunters" probably have already scared the resident herd and may have shot the buck that I've had my eyes on. He was predictable and may have bought an arrow.

I know this may not matter to the rest of you all, but I've had one farm "leased" out from under me this year and my other place just went from 140 acres down to less than 6 because of different management. My lands are dwindling and I came here to cry and whine about it!

Got any cheese?

RE: Just need to vent
 

Hey Dave,
So sorry to hear about you loosing so much land! Sharing things with family can be curse then a blessing alot of time.
Well I am sure some new land will come to you soon!
Good luck this year!

RE: Just need to vent
 

Is there any way you could buy it off him?

RE: Just need to vent
 

dave

i got a huntin buddy that goes farm house to farm house and offers to dolabor in his spare timein exchange for permission to hunt, plant trees,cut ditches...whatever he can think of.He now has permission to hunt 12 farms.Hes only doing6-12 hours of work at each place during the spring & summer, has made new freinds while doing it.Andhas plentyopportunity to shoot theDeer of a lifetime. He works 50 hours a week at his regular job.

RE: Just need to vent
 

I thought about that. Nope, he wouldn't have any of that . . . it would be something that suits me. I don't even think he would have been so anxious to "ruin" the place for bowhunting except he knows how much I have enjoyed it. He's one of those guys who is always on a power trip and gets his kicks having power over people's wishes.

RE: Just need to vent
 

Sounds like your cousin needs a good ass-whoopin

RE: Just need to vent
 

Sorry to hear that. Do you own any ground there, or is it just next to your home? If you have any ground, add some food plots or cover to try and keep them around. That just sucks.

RE: Just need to vent
 

I own 14 acres right next to him. It's not a bad spot, and I do intend to utilize it a lot more after he "develops" his land. His land was where the alfalfa was and the super thick bedding area with a stream running through it. All of that will be out of play very soon. I'm hopeful that some of the deer will relocate to my place, but there are farms in the opposite direction which feature soybeans, alfalfa and corn along with water sources and cover. My place may not seem as attractive as thoses areas. In the past, I have planted some clover and oats , neither of which came up very well, but my land is fairly rolling with some steep slopes and with the way it's laid out, it's not as well suited to food plots.

RE: Just need to vent
 

Bummer! I get the feeling this is just a temporary set back and you will soon be "sitting pretty" again!:D

Good hunting!

RE: Just need to vent
 

Kinda know how you feel here in N.H. hunting land is much harder landowners arent all that crazy about hunting and now we've been hunting some land in a remote place you have to drive 40 min to get in on a snowmobile trail well land in there is being sold and people are POSTING land they've baught and gonna build people are in and out all the time I've hunted this so much I know when and where and all maybe lost the more goes on 3yrs of all that work gone rrrrrrr I know the feeling
Sorry that does su** and I hope your land will flurish and be plentiful never know they could be heading there now.

RE: Just need to vent
 

Dave H.

I am sorry for your heavy heart. Please do not let him know how badly this hurts you. That is probably what he wants and would thrive on the knowledge. Mean people don't care who they hurt. But Please give your hurt over to the Lord. He may not change the circumstances, but He will take away the pain and frustration. And to those who ask and are faithful He will give much. The Lord can bless you more than you can imagine. I know when I have gone through many similiar circumstances, if I gave it to Him, it didn't hurt near as bad, and somehow I would always seem to benefit sooner or later. So don't let your heart be heavy. If you ask and are faithful He will give much.

God Bless

RE: Just need to vent
 

Though I probably would not say it quite this way - I agree with kenman!!! :)

RE: Just need to vent
 

This is the reason many of you need to forget the new switchbacks , quads & new trucks .Hunting is a way of life and if you don't have a place to hunt its over.
Go buy land !Get your friends to buy land! All hunters should own land!
We have to many people destroying areas that wildlife has been forever.
Land is the best return you will ever get on your money and you can use it any time you want.Do you have much fun with your 401kI DON'T THINK SO!

RE: Just need to vent
 

Kenman,my thoughts exactly. I like the way you think ;)

Dave, that sucks! Sorry to hear that. Some prayer can't hurt, thats for sure! Also, there are deer crawling all over central MD. Keep yournose to the grindstone, and do a little research. There are so many people who need a deer hunter to come "get these damm tick-ridden deer" off there plush property. You just need an "in."

Most of the properties I hunt in Montgomery county are from friends who were working at somebody's house and the owner has land and is going nuts over deer taking over their property.

Good Luck!

RE: Just need to vent
 

Seems we hear more and more about guys loosing land to hunt and not gaining. I wonder if that is the way things are to come and another downfall for hunters.

I wonder about my honey hole at times. I love this spot, I've hunted it since before I was of age. I grew up there and I know at any time it could be taken away from me. I know I could take game on my own land but it would be difficult and a chance in the wind. That is one reason I tried to buy an adjoining 37 acres I know I could have taken game on easily and have taken or been repondsible for taking 4 gobblers there this past spring. Deer are abundant as well as bear. I can hunt it now even tho I missed by a couple hundred dollars and my elderly neighbor ended up with it to keep it the same. That's fine with me until he passes on, then what. I've already talked with him about it and we have terms to discuss.

Good Luck DaveH, seems things tend to work themselves out and what goes around, comes around. Keep the chin up and good luck this season.

RE: Just need to vent
 

Well Dave sorry to hear that but at least you can walk out your door and be hunting. I havn't even bought a license in Md or Delyet because of no place to goexceptpublic and I advoid that like the plagueand little time to look. I just know you will still manage to take at least one deer in every month of the season as you did last year.

RE: Just need to vent
 

Dave, you have my sympathy. I know how that feels as well, I used to hunt this one area that had a nice field where I would see 20 deer in it some times and now it's a parking lot for a Genuardie's. It seems everywhere land is getting plowed over in the name of "progress" and it does suck!
I agree with kenman, although that really won't help.[:@]

RE: Just need to vent
 

Dave just take a rake and an old deer antler and make a fake rub line away from your funnel,then make a huge phony scrape . sounds to me like these guys would set right up on it. sounds kind of funny, but has worked for me.

RE: Just need to vent
 

Not to be a smart arse or anything and yes it does suck you lost your hunting ground but, if i owned land, i think i'd do what i want with it. I'm pretty sure you wouldnt change your mind if it was your land and you wanted to put cattle on it. sorry but that's just my opinion

RE: Just need to vent
 

that does stink but your not gonna get any sympathy from me. i hunt public land in new jersey [:'(] but have made the best of it. you say you got 14 acres next to the piece so if your cousin rapes the land all those deer are gonna go your wa if you make it appealing to them.maybe plant some cover for them to bed in and youll be the winner.