I'm the "new kid on the block" in my community - a remote road with occasional houses. Earlier this year I was approached by fellow hunters (on seperate occasions) and gave permission to hunt my land and, * gasp * even allowed permission to cross my property with ATV's. I have only 20 acres but am strategically placed and with a fjord spot of a creek so that my property allows access to a utility right-of-way that opens to square miles of huntable woods. Anyway, a few days ago one hunter asked if I wanted some venison. I said "sure" and he presented me with the skinned hind half of a buck! Today, while I was out with my m/l, another neighbor stopped by and asked my wife if she could use some venison. She said "sure" and he left us a whole (good sized) doe!
Pays to be nice to your neighbors. The people beside me post their 40 acres and are notorious for refusing to allow a young hunter to collect his wounded deer that expired on their property, requiring the intervention of the sheriff and generating much hard feelings. She is vocally anti-gun & anti-hunting but I'm working on him and feel there is hope to get him shooting one of my m/l before too long. :grin: Not bad people, just misguided ex-"city" folk. When we first moved in Carp came over and we were blasting away with flintlocks down on the creek (300 yards from the house, 500yds from hers) and the neighbor lady came over. She'd jump theatrically with each shot and said to my wife "I'll never get used to that shooting. How long does he keep it up?" THE ADMIRAL (God bless her) said "As long as I've known him . . . 30 years." :rotf: It's good to BE the neighbors from hell instead of have the neighbors from hell. :hatsoff:
The locals all seem to drive ATV's to their treestands on the surrounding ridges and take 150 yard plus shots with saboted Hornady SST bullets from scoped slug shotguns (I mean EVERYONE here hunts this way - and in full or mostly camo - one guy laughed at me in my head-to-toe blaze orange last weekend).
But now I'm freezer full but in a hunting quandry (we butchered 19 chickens this summer & fall - 15 still in the freezer, too). I don't really need more meat, but never since we've been married have I been in a position where I haven't connected with a deer myself to accomplish it (though I have had two "dry" years since 1980). Hmmmmm. Still have next weekend of regular season and the following weekend for m/l. I'm seeing deer, but beyond my comfort range. While I was out on the back hill this morning my wife watched two antlerless crossing back and forth six times across the road in our neighbor's front "yard" (a small meadow/field, really) and then a six point walked across our back yard within 20 yards of our back deck! :haha: God, I love whitetails.
I saw a goshawk take a grey squirrel and gnaw away on it as I sat 60 yards away on a downed beech, so my day in the woods was complete. (It ate the neck, lungs, liver, most of each shoulder/upper arm and left the rest(?) - I had to check out the carcass). I may chalk this up as a successful season with no shots fired. :hmm:
Pays to be nice to your neighbors. The people beside me post their 40 acres and are notorious for refusing to allow a young hunter to collect his wounded deer that expired on their property, requiring the intervention of the sheriff and generating much hard feelings. She is vocally anti-gun & anti-hunting but I'm working on him and feel there is hope to get him shooting one of my m/l before too long. :grin: Not bad people, just misguided ex-"city" folk. When we first moved in Carp came over and we were blasting away with flintlocks down on the creek (300 yards from the house, 500yds from hers) and the neighbor lady came over. She'd jump theatrically with each shot and said to my wife "I'll never get used to that shooting. How long does he keep it up?" THE ADMIRAL (God bless her) said "As long as I've known him . . . 30 years." :rotf: It's good to BE the neighbors from hell instead of have the neighbors from hell. :hatsoff:
The locals all seem to drive ATV's to their treestands on the surrounding ridges and take 150 yard plus shots with saboted Hornady SST bullets from scoped slug shotguns (I mean EVERYONE here hunts this way - and in full or mostly camo - one guy laughed at me in my head-to-toe blaze orange last weekend).
But now I'm freezer full but in a hunting quandry (we butchered 19 chickens this summer & fall - 15 still in the freezer, too). I don't really need more meat, but never since we've been married have I been in a position where I haven't connected with a deer myself to accomplish it (though I have had two "dry" years since 1980). Hmmmmm. Still have next weekend of regular season and the following weekend for m/l. I'm seeing deer, but beyond my comfort range. While I was out on the back hill this morning my wife watched two antlerless crossing back and forth six times across the road in our neighbor's front "yard" (a small meadow/field, really) and then a six point walked across our back yard within 20 yards of our back deck! :haha: God, I love whitetails.
I saw a goshawk take a grey squirrel and gnaw away on it as I sat 60 yards away on a downed beech, so my day in the woods was complete. (It ate the neck, lungs, liver, most of each shoulder/upper arm and left the rest(?) - I had to check out the carcass). I may chalk this up as a successful season with no shots fired. :hmm:
