RE: OK... How about a little strategy talk....
 

OK, Scott... unless I missed it (and please don't make me go back and read through all 14 pages again!), you said you were going to address the topic of "destination hunts" at a later date... Curious to see what you're opinion of that/those are, too. I've got some ideas, but I'll keep quiet until you broach the subject.

I was driving back from one of my farthest hospitals this afternoon across Southern Illinois thisafternoon and looking the fields over en route to home and got to thinking about this thread a bit. A couple thoughts which obviously mirror some of the others' on here; I'll list them in order of importance as it relates to this discussion:

1) I work hard at gaining access to private farms, and then KEEPING that privilege (i.e. giving the landowner meat, helping him work on his farms, etc.). I still hunt a LOT of public land, though.

2) I need to take does. It goes beyond herd management; I know, because we've run dangerously short a couple years, that it takes four mature Illinois deer to feed our family. (I say Illinois because I need them to be large body-wise, and we've honestly found Illinois deer taste better than Missouri deer; I think it's the grain-fed thing. At least that's my hypothesis.) Given that fact, I'm looking to take a few out before November rolls around and SOMEONE educates the herd to the point that they're walking around on pins and needles. It might not be me, but guaranteed it will be someone. Because of this need, I predominantly hunt different farms in that pursuit than where I plan on concentrating putting my name in the record books again.

This will be after a few hunts where I've stationed myself between the bucks' core area and his food source when I'm trying to catch them before they leave their summer feeding patterns; I've got a very short window here, and I try to maximize that the first week and a half of the season. I caught a solid 140-class doing exactly that on opening night last season. During this week and a half, I WILL NOT let a doe know I'm around unless she sees me shoot another wall-hanger.

3) I hunt the fringes of what I know the buck's core areas to be, and move in only when the time of the year starts lending itself to them getting back to bed late or leaving a bit too early. Otherwise, I'm simply bumping them off my farms.

4) I've got stands... or actually, and more specifically, TREES -- because I'll go in and only hang the stand the day I hunt it for the first time -- or take a climber in with me. Two reasons I do this: One, I'm a firm believer in the "first time is the best time" theory, and Two, I still hunt a lot of public land and I don't want to educate other hunters as to where the good areas are. If they happen to walk through one of my core areas, I don't want to tip them off by having a stand hung there. Anyway, I've got stands ... that I don't hunt until the first week of November. I stay comletely clear of these areas. Completely.

RE: OK... How about a little strategy talk....
 

Man thats alot of reading in here, im wore to a frazzle from reading [X(]Good post Scott, i enjoyed absorbing the info.

RE: OK... How about a little strategy talk....
 

Good post Greg....

It certainly is very difficult to gain permssion.... One of the most overlooked aspect of having a quality hunt. I normally do not lose permission unless land has been transfered.... (knock on wood).

RE: OK... How about a little strategy talk....
 

Fortunately forme, I have my own property. And, I have permission to hunt my neighbors property.

Here's a little tidbit I thought I'd share. I hunted my stand on the light line on wednesday afternoon. It rained and changed the deer's pattern... and unfortunately changed my hunt.

Looking across the light line, about 40 yards, is the other wood line. About 50 yards in the woods is a heavily used trail with plenty of natural grass, wild grapes and acorns. (All in about a 20 yard area).

Anyway, I was in my stand. It had been a good 3 hours, the light was getting low, and I was running out of hope. I look up, and all I see is this massive 8 point, crossing about 150 yards down the light line. I had my rifle and could have easily taken this shot. BUT, at about 100 yards down our property ends. So this buck was about 50 yards onto the neighboring property. This is a hunting club, but because my family knows these people, I'm going to try to get connections to hunt that property. So, if they say yes, then I can sit my stand and still make that shot. But since I will be bowhunting the rut, I might wait to take this fella with my bow on that trial I found. Drop a lil code blue and he's finished!