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RE: Preserve or free range hunt? White-tails
Michigan- I noticed in your original post you state that your looking for a " HUNT ". Stick with that!! Any canned deer " HUNT ", is deer killing , not hunting, IMHO.
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RE: Preserve or free range hunt? White-tails
ORIGINAL: teejarrardjr I have hunted all over the United states and Canada. I have shot my biggest Bucks in canada and saw the biggest buck in IOWa. .I want to tell you . Everyones life is so different . This is totally you choice to go on a Preserve hunt. I once was totally against it .But The last few years I have had alot of things happen in my life. It made me realize that life is short do only what makes you happy not some so called professional hunter on TV or any guys who only spend a few hundred dollars on Public land hunts .I have hunted alot of Public land and spent alot of time and money going all over public land hunting .When you spend a ton of time in the woods and you have some hunter bust a big buck away from you. And then your season is over .Well after all the time away from family and your JOb . No Deer. The key to having a good hunt in a preserve if doing plenty of research on the outfitter. There are some preserve hunts that are not near fair chase and then there are some that are as hard as public land deer. These are the ones you want to hunt at. Just because the outfitter is well known doesnt mean his hunt is good. I have spent several thousand dollars going on fair chase hunts and you will get a very bad hunt eventually and then even spend $4000 and come home with nothing. I have went on hunts to Canada with guys who spend $3000 on the hunt and $600 on airline tickets and spent around another $1000 on License and spending money traveling and go home with nothing. Untill you have done this dont say you want be proud of a deer you shot at a preserve. I would rather go hunt a preserve anyday than spend $5000 and have nothing to show for it. Fair chase is something most hunters dont even practice any more. Food plots in the winter months , only food source for miles ,Trail cameras 24/7 in the woods , no deer then move it and find some deer while your sleeping . The real meaning of Fair chase is not practiced anymore. See we dont know what each day will bring us . So enjoy every opertunity you get hunting . YOu might get sick an no able to get in the woods. I watched a guy who booked a hunt at a preserve while fighting Cancer. He was so happy even having treatments just waiting to go on his hunt. We finally made it and he shot a !40 to 150 inch buck .He was the happiest he has even been . He passed away 2 days after his hunt. His wife said that hunt kept him going knowing he was going to get that buck he always wanted. We should all support all type of hunting .If we dont our grandchildren will not be able to hunt. So good luck on your decision do what ever makes you happy .YOu will be proud of a buck from a preserve. .You will also see bucks there you will never see in the wild. 200 plus inches |
RE: Preserve or free range hunt? White-tails
If you want something affordable with a nice animal's look at www.huntsd.net
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RE: Preserve or free range hunt? White-tails
Everyone seems to have a strong sense of " hunting " vs. a preserve deer hunt. At the present time, we still have the opportunity to hunt whitetails where they live. However, how long will this last???
In my 30+ years of hunting, I have seen so many changes in land availability, hunter's access issues, anti's reaking political havoc on local and state level politicians, firearm discharge laws, etc.. you name it! Will hunting as we know it now, change and become a sport for the rich who can afford to travel to the wide open spaces in pursuit of their quarry? Will my sons and grandchildren have the SCI Club or NAHC to prevent land loss in smaller states like mine? Will they have to go to a preserve to hunt? All these questions enter my mind when this debate rolls around. I hate like hell to think that just maybe, in 25 years or so, unless you live in a hunter friendly state with lots of land and game, guys in my situation will be taking their annual deer hunting trip to the " Super TrophyWhack "Em Lodge " for $4000.00!!! Will I always have a choice? Will some of you discredit my love for hunting because I'm forced to participate in this type of deer hunting ? Will I be able to afford a trip to another statethat allows "fair chase deer hunting" when non- resident tags are becoming rediculously expensive ??? I guess the point I'm trying to make is, how long until the north eastern portion of the U.S.A. loses the ability to hunt deer " fairly"? If this becomes a reality, will guys who partake in this hunt lose your respect?? Something for all to reflect upon... What's down the road? As for MichiganWhitetail74... for now, go hunt that big buck on his terms. You'll love yourself all the more when you put it all together and the moment of truth becomes reality. I hope you get 'em! |
RE: Preserve or free range hunt? White-tails
ORIGINAL: MichiganWhitetails74 I want to pull out of Michigan and begin taking a (week) in Illinois each year to go for a 130 + White-Tails (Yes, I love Michigan but humor me) I have dumped some cash on Moose, Caribou & Bear and been successful.. But the whitetails.......I'm not sure of...... For my first 130 + hunt I'm looking at 2 options. I know I want to move forward with free range hunts for trophy white-tails but for my first drop of cash I'm contimplating these 2 options. Please help me here...My gut is telling me get the first monster out of my system and get him on my wall because 3 grand is alot of money. (We're all different but these are "my" feelings) Option 1) A 3 day guided hunt with shotgun in trophy country (Free Range) Illinois for $3350? Option 2) A 1000 acre ranch in Michigan 140 - 160 B&Cgauranteed Hunt for $3500? sounds like you have the money to by any size deer you want;) And who says money cant buy happieness  |
RE: Preserve or free range hunt? White-tails
I appreciate all of the feedback in regards to my post. I'm impressed by the different views. I'm seeing alot of preserve hunts on VS here and there. Am I wrong? Usually out of Texas? Something for all of us to think about.
I want the group to know that I appreciate and love hunting very much.Even whenI take a doe not a moment goes by that I don't take a moment to respect hunting and the animal. I do professional video on all my hunts and I do this because "of" the respect I haveand the importance of cherishing my memories. In 1995 - 1999 I went through a traditional phase and actually harvested deer with osage stick bows with cedar arrows wrapped with sinew and flint heads. I did this because I wanted to step back and experience the hunt with the bare minimum. It truely was the ulitmate challenge to harvest an animal off the knuckle. I'm dropping this blurb inhere just so the group can understand a little about myself and some of the things I have done along the way. This post has helped me and given me a more clear understanding on what is right. I am not perfect. And it just goes to show that even accomplished hunters have different thoughts based on their current hunting situtation or beliefs. I'm 33 now and my day will come.....Anyone up for doing some door knocking in Illinois? :)Take Care!! |
RE: Preserve or free range hunt? White-tails
I wanted to make one more quick comment to some of those that had the same statement.....
I heard people saying to do whats right for you. I still believe this isimportant even if it defies what "hunting" is all about. I am not going to do a preserve. But for one reason or another there are people out there that do nothing but. If thats what makes them happy then that is what they should do. They just better NEVER flare their wing feathers up when I walk into theirtrophy room.[8D] |
RE: Preserve or free range hunt? White-tails
There is a lot of guys who dont care about high fence hunting but take a look .Most guys has access to property that usually holds deer that score over 130 inch. If most of those guys could grow up in a area where the biggest deer you see would score 90 inch and the world record for the area is 120 . Then they dont understand .Every guy that has property that holds Quality deer dont understand how it is to go out spend 50 or more days a season in a tree stand only to see a 6 point or a little 8 the whole season .And guys who cant take several weeks to go and hunt a property out of state and come home with nothing. Im telling you if hunters dont stop arguing about how guys choose to hunt then we are all going to lose something we love. These guys dont realize once these animal rights activist find away to take just one method of our hunting heritage away from us they want quit untill we all are sitting on the couch picking our nose. animal rights activist work harder on stopping hunting than most hunters do to protect it. Look over seas I talked to a guy who wants to come here just to Bowhunt .They took away there hunting rights from Bowhunters and Canada is getting bad with stopping some hunters because of animal rights . Just wait we are next so we better stop being so judgemental on how some guys want to go on a high fence hunt. Dont talk bad about a place unless you have been treated bad. I have never hunted a high fence place and Ill take up for it. We better get a little smarter.I plan to hunt one in the next few years .
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RE: Preserve or free range hunt? White-tails
Why don't you just save the effort and buy a 130 class mount on e-bay since it seems like the score and the wall trophy is all you're out to buy?
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RE: Preserve or free range hunt? White-tails
ORIGINAL: teejarrardjr There is a lot of guys who dont care about high fence hunting but take a look .Most guys has access to property that usually holds deer that score over 130 inch. If most of those guys could grow up in a area where the biggest deer you see would score 90 inch and the world record for the area is 120 . Then they dont understand .Every guy that has property that holds Quality deer dont understand how it is to go out spend 50 or more days a season in a tree stand only to see a 6 point or a little 8 the whole season .And guys who cant take several weeks to go and hunt a property out of state and come home with nothing. Im telling you if hunters dont stop arguing about how guys choose to hunt then we are all going to lose something we love. These guys dont realize once these animal rights activist find away to take just one method of our hunting heritage away from us they want quit untill we all are sitting on the couch picking our nose. animal rights activist work harder on stopping hunting than most hunters do to protect it. Look over seas I talked to a guy who wants to come here just to Bowhunt .They took away there hunting rights from Bowhunters and Canada is getting bad with stopping some hunters because of animal rights . Just wait we are next so we better stop being so judgemental on how some guys want to go on a high fence hunt. Dont talk bad about a place unless you have been treated bad. I have never hunted a high fence place and Ill take up for it. We better get a little smarter.I plan to hunt one in the next few years . |
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