Dang lease

[johnf]

I spent $400 this year to get in a deer lease. I know that's not a lot for some of you guys, but it was enough to get my wife pretty irritated at me. It's 23,000 acres and has 400 members. I saw about a 50-70lb doe on the first day of ML season and that is the only legal deer I've seen since Oct. 1. I've been out every Saturday pretty much all day, Sundays between church services and usually 2-3 times during the week. I even took two days off during the rut and hunted from daylight till dark and I've not seen a single legal buck (5+pts).

I think I'm going back to public land hunting where I can not see deer for free.

[wtnhunt]

That is too bad John, but at least you are only out $400. Have other hunters on the lease had the same type of luck? To have 400 hunters on 23,000 acres it would not seem like it would be overhunted, that is just shy of 60 acres per hunter if my math is right. Maybe there is a low deer density in that area?

[fly]

Sorry to hear that John.

I wonder what the other 399 have to say about the land?

Public land can produce, but I have found that you have to go to areas where other hunters will not in order to get big deer.

[Dawg]

I know how you feel. Two years ago I was on a lease and saw two deer the WHOLE season. And that was on opening day of gun season. Needless to say I was off of it the following year.

Hope things turn around for you.

[johnf]

I found out the hard way that they pretty much run dogs year round and the deer go nocturnal around the first of September. Just across the road is national forrest land and it's only 2 miles from where we're planning on building. I think a lot of deer from our lease run across the road to the WMA when they start running dogs more.

Edited December 3, 2008 by johnf

[bghunter777]

I spent $400 this year to get in a deer lease. I know that's not a lot for some of you guys, but it was enough to get my wife pretty irritated at me. It's 23,000 acres and has 400 members. I saw about a 50-70lb doe on the first day of ML season and that is the only legal deer I've seen since Oct. 1. I've been out every Saturday pretty much all day, Sundays between church services and usually 2-3 times during the week. I even took two days off during the rut and hunted from daylight till dark and I've not seen a single legal buck (5+pts).

I think I'm going back to public land hunting where I can not see deer for free.

Look into these areas if any of them are close to you. some of them are permit only if you could secure a permit you would probably be in better hunting than your lease remember if you can wear out your boots a little the hunting ussually gets better. http://littlerock.about.com/od/huntandfish/tp/aadeerhunt.htm

[johnf]

Winona WMA is right across the highway from the land that we just bought (which is adjacent to the lease:cool:) It only about a 4 mile drive to a really nice oak flat with a pond in the middle. There are some really big deer in there and I can hunt it without a permit. (except for doe) I've also got a friend who owns some land about 25 miles from me that is in the middle of the Ouchita national Forrest and his driveway is the only entry road for about 4 miles and it's about 4 miles long, so he's out in the middle of nothing. He said I could hunt that any time I wanted. I'm going to put in about a 1/2 acre food plot on my lot that's adjacent to the lease and hunt there a little too.

At least I didn't get skunked this year. I shot a doe off my buddy's land.

[Rhino]

Wow...400 members is a lot a hunters even for 23,000 acreas. I figure with members and their guest there's a whole lot of hunting pressure on that place. I'll bet the majority of those members always take their hunting buddies with them. Probably a lot of ATV's running around all the time too. That would be my guess anyway for your poor luck with deer sightings.

With the time you've put in to see hardly anything, I'd definately find another place to hunt too.

[johnf]

Wow...400 members is a lot a hunters even for 23,000 acreas. I figure with members and their guest there's a whole lot of hunting pressure on that place. I'll bet the majority of those members always take their hunting buddies with them. Probably a lot of ATV's running around all the time too. That would be my guess anyway for your poor luck with deer sightings.

With the time you've put in to see hardly anything, I'd definately find another place to hunt too.

Really not as much as you would think. I've been out several times just riding around and have never seen another ATV. I attribute most of it to the running of dogs and the fact that there is national forest land right across the highway that doesn't allow dogs to run. If I wanted to walk, I could go a quarter of a mile from the lot that we bought and be in the national Forrest. The closest road is about 2 miles up the highway though. I shot a really nice 10pt in there last year when I wasn't on the lease. I'll just need to do a little more scouting over there and won't be able to ride my atv into the woods to recover a deer like I can on my lease.

[hungry hunter]

John, All i have hunted until a couple of years ago is WMA'S in central florida where they run dogs. The seceret is to find the heavy cover and get next to it. The deer will stay in the area until the dogs are out of the area. You will spend a lot of time in the stand and watch for the low profiles and sneak mode. good luck.

[arrow32]

Sorry to hear about your luck on your lease. That stinks! I'd say running of dogs tho had mostly to do with why you didn't see deer. Sucks tho that you paid good money for nothing in a sence.

Anyway good luck on hunting the public land next year. Public hunting is good you just got to be willing to walk for it.