OK now im really POed

[44-40]

I would be willing to bet that here in Wyoming the resident to out-of-state hunter ratio is at least 1 to 1, selling hunting rights here is VERY big business, I have several close friends who have leased their land to outfitters for plenty of $$, I don't blame them, one friend lost 3 animals this last snow storm, they are not tax deductable as they where born on the place. At least half the people I work with are from S.D., they tell me their folks are getting $100+ a day per gun for pheasant, can't blame them if people show up throwing $ at them. Every morning I have a few antelope in my back pasture, if I had somebody pull up in a new motorhome towing a new jeep and wanted to give me lots of money to shoot one what do you think I would do? Is it the landowners fault ,or the guys who have to much $ and time off wrecking it for the rest of us?????

[slow944]

Same thing happened to me and my brother after we'd planted Oats, melons,and peas for the deer. You said your Dad has some land but it's not good for hunting. Can you improve the land so it will be?? It may take you a couple of years but in the long run it'll be worth it. Here in Texas if the land owner finds out your from the "Big City" all they see is Dollar $ign$. So I'm looking to buy my own place and not have to worry about hunting on someone else's land.

[silicon wolverine]

Ive talked to dad about improving the place for deer hunting but as he still operates it for a living this isnt an option. Plus he has freinds from the eastern part of the state that come ever year and hunt. I cant blame the farmers for wanting to make some extra bucks with thier land, they dont get enough for thier products as it is. As much hassle and time as ive wasted this year trying to find a place to hunt i may just decide to quit hunting deer and spend my money elsewhere.

SW

[UniversalFrost]

plant some corn in a small patch somewhere on the land and then build a stand and leave the corn out past harvest to draw them in. SD has anti baiting laws, but this is a work around to the law (buddy of mine is a game warden for yankton county and he looked through the regs for me and as long as I don't put a drip or salt block out there it is completely legal). I bought 10 acres (and will buy another 20 when the guy dies and his wife sells the rest ) of land in Yankton county and even though the land is near a busy highway a major deer trail runs through it to get to a stock pond and an alfalfa field. I planted about 2 acres of corn last year (just rough raked it by hand and planted it the old fashioned way by throwing it out) and then built a stand alone elevated stand. I put a trail cam in it and saw the deer traffic increase like crazy!!! They are even coming back from the stock pond and alfalfa fields on the other guys land and bedding down near the corn. They no longer run through, now they stop eat a little then move on only to come back later and bed down!! Turned a mediorce spot into prime deer land with only 10 acres of land bought cheap and near a busy higway (I shoot away from the highway into a side of a wooded hilly area). The best thing is that the highway causes a lot of noises and you can smell the exhaust so I don't need to be too worried about scent (wind direction) and noise.

[Art Eatman]

Back when we were still farming, my grandfather never plowed past about ten feet from a fence. That gave strips of habitat. He'd leave larger trees in a field, with some brush around them. More hidey-holes for critters. We never over-grazed a pasture; we controlled the brush but didn't try to eradicate it.

This was way back before people paid money for hunting, but we had the mix of farming, ranching and wild critters.

Art

[Jseime]

Boy oh boy i hate to brag but you guys have it rough. I live in the middle of no where and know anyonw within 20 miles of us. when i first started hunting people told me that i didnt even need to ask just as long as i closed the gates up and didnt shoot any cattle.

Hunting is no problem for me i only know one person who has posted all of his land and thats simply because he is greedy and wanted all the hunting on there for himself.

[UniversalFrost]

are the deer really as big as they say they are up there in Canada? Also, what's with the no handgun laws? Can't you carry a back up big bore revolver (like they do in Alaska) in case of bear attacks when you don't have your rifle (i.e. bow hunting in alaska is mandatory to carry or to have a second person with a large bore along).

Just wondering. Used to be stationed in North Dakota near the border and the muleys and white tail up there were the same as the muleys and whitetail down in southern south dakota, only much easier shot up there. 200 - 300 yards flat open range and ticket was filled within minutes of opening day 3 years in a row.

[Art Eatman]

As a generality, as you go north from the southern U.S., all game species' members are larger. Whitetail in Texas can not grow to the size of those in Maine, for instance. For that matter, it holds for black bear and cougars and coyotes.

The southern desert mule deer are smaller than those in the more northern Rockies. Cottontail rabbits as well.

Why? You'll have to ask a biologist...

Art

[kingudaroad]

I guess Texas is the exception to that rule Art, as these little deer in the hill country don't even compare to those in South Texas and Northern Mexico.

[Jseime]

are the deer really as big as they say they are up there in Canada? Also, what's with the no handgun laws? Can't you carry a back up big bore revolver (like they do in Alaska) in case of bear attacks when you don't have your rifle (i.e. bow hunting in alaska is mandatory to carry or to have a second person with a large bore along).

The deer really as big as they say up here I live about half an hour from where Milo Hansen shot the world record whitetail and Ive seen mule deer with main beams like fence posts.

As for the revolvers they are considered a restricted weapon (until stephen harper gets his sh...stuff together and abolishes some of out gun laws) and you cant hunt game with a restricted weapon. I live in central saskatchewan so bears and the like arent an issue the biggest predators we have around here are yotes although some claim theyve seen wolves around.

[Art Eatman]

Well, king, as I said, "generality". Plus, the Texas hill country has long been way overloaded with too many deer for the habitat. I saw that when I first came home to Texas in 1963, and it hasn't gotten better as the larger ranches have broken up with deaths or developments.

1963 was a drouth year. The hunter kill in Llano, Mason and Brady counties was some 15,000 deer. The winter kill from thirst and starvation was some 17,000, per TP&WD. Even so, removal of 32,000 deer in just one year didn't bother the total population for long enough to notice.

Trophy management bucks in south Texas rarely field dress to 200 pounds. In Maine, a friend of mine killed a whitetail that dressed out around 300. People post pictures here of midwest deer that look to me to be on the young side, but are dressing out around 150 and up.

In the last 30-some years down here in the desert, I've seen two mule deer that would dress out over 200. I've seen many, many pictures of larger mule deer in the northern ranges.

A big male cougar down here would be anything above maybe 120 pounds. From reading, that's 20 to 50 pounds lighter than what are killed up in the Rockies.

You can't look at just CenTex vs. SouTex. You gotta compare Gull Coast critters as well, as you move northward on a nationwide basis.

, Art

[UniversalFrost]

Yeah, thank god that Canada finally got rid of their crappy politicians and got some new blood into the capital. If they ever do repeal that stupid handgun regulations I would have to consider moving back up north. When I was back, I mean my mom's side of the family is from the Quebec area and I still have relatives up that way. Always loved Canada's lack of people (just like Montana and western dakotas openness). Plus the canadians got better beer and whiskey than down south. Combine that with the deer and wildlife population and it's sportsmans paridise, plus I won't miss a Red Green episode as Red says "Quando Omni Flunkus Moritati" (when all else fails play dead).