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How many deer can be taken
#5414045
11/11/14 11:54 PM
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Joined: Nov 2012
Posts: 90
klp
OP
Outdoorsman
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OP
Outdoorsman
Joined: Nov 2012
Posts: 90 |
The place is 350 acres, with 4 blinds, 5 feeders, LF. Only family hunts the place which can range up to 7 or 8 family members, however due to time constraints, majority of family try and hunt 1 weekend or 2 to get it over with. How many deer can be taken off of our place (and please refrain from it depends on....)? I personally feel 80 to 90% of the time you go out to hunt, you will see deer. So far we have had 1 doe and 3 bucks taken (1 was a spike). I feel the number and bucks should = the number of does removed from the place.
A friend of mine has a place double the size of ours and they are MLD and take 10 deer a year. Last year 5 deer were taken (on our place), the year before it was 5, then before that it was like 1 or 2 a year. Is 5 the number we should take??
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Re: How many deer can be taken
[Re: klp]
#5414111
11/12/14 12:24 AM
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Joined: Jan 2012
Posts: 411
esnow74
Bird Dog
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Bird Dog
Joined: Jan 2012
Posts: 411 |
Probably won't get an answer that doesn't have something to the effect of "depends on" since you are there, only you can know. Deer density and what you are trying to achieve for herd management come into play. It may be 80-90% of the time you see deer but multiple years of too many shot will lead to 15% of the time you see deer. I hunted about 350 acres in an area with very high deer density and there were anywhere from 7-10 deer a year shot in the 5 years I was able to hunt it and every year it seemed the herd stayed stable with everyone seeing up to 10-15 deer per sit. The years before more than 10 a year were shot. If I would have been the one making the rules on that place, probably would have wanted to take more does but limited bucks to 4.5 YO or older and totaled maybe 6-8 deer a season with only 2-3 bucks taken if old enough. Long story short, without way more info, you will have to be the judge of how many.
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Re: How many deer can be taken
[Re: klp]
#5414127
11/12/14 12:27 AM
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Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 35,891
txshntr
T-Rex Arms
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T-Rex Arms
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 35,891 |
I can't answer without saying, "it depends on", so....good luck and do what you think is best
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Re: How many deer can be taken
[Re: klp]
#5414137
11/12/14 12:33 AM
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Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 31,933
txtrophy85
THF Celebrity
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THF Celebrity
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 31,933 |
no way of knowing.....deer density varies by region, area and county. I can be on one ranch that has a certain type of habitat and has a CC of 1 deer per 15 acres and drive 5 miles down the road and its 1 deer to 5 acres.
the number of blinds, feeders and family members has absolutely no bearing on how many deer you can/should take off property
For it is not the quarry that we truly seek, but the adventure.
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Re: How many deer can be taken
[Re: klp]
#5414153
11/12/14 12:39 AM
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Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 60,296
stxranchman
Obie Juan Kenobi
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Obie Juan Kenobi
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 60,296 |
Have you done a survey? What is CC of the habitat on your ranch? What is your buck to doe ratio? What is your fawn crop like this year? Is it in an AR county? It does depend on where in the heck it is located and what the habitat is like.
Are idiots multiplying faster than normal people?
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Re: How many deer can be taken
[Re: stxranchman]
#5414157
11/12/14 12:40 AM
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Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 35,891
txshntr
T-Rex Arms
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T-Rex Arms
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 35,891 |
Have you done a survey? What is CC of the habitat on your ranch? What is your buck to doe ratio? What is your fawn crop like this year? Is it in an AR county? It does depend on where in the heck it is located and what the habitat is like. He said he didn't want a "depends on" answer
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Re: How many deer can be taken
[Re: txshntr]
#5414162
11/12/14 12:42 AM
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Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 60,296
stxranchman
Obie Juan Kenobi
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Obie Juan Kenobi
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 60,296 |
I can't answer without saying, " it depends on", so....good luck and do what you think is best I just followed your lead Have you done a survey? What is CC of the habitat on your ranch? What is your buck to doe ratio? What is your fawn crop like this year? Is it in an AR county? It does depend on where in the heck it is located and what the habitat is like. He said he didn't want a "depends on" answer
Are idiots multiplying faster than normal people?
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Re: How many deer can be taken
[Re: klp]
#5414317
11/12/14 01:39 AM
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Joined: Mar 2012
Posts: 13,612
1860.colt
emoji colt.45
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emoji colt.45
Joined: Mar 2012
Posts: 13,612 |
7-8 hunters who's gonna tell the others, they can't kill a deer. a person pays ta hunt, no one has right ta say, U can't shoot. seen too many times one person talken bout trophy deer, an then ground shrinkage. here i can take 4 deer, 2 bucks, only 1, 13+" buck a spike, & 3-4 days two does for last several years. the choice is mine what to take. that's choice Ya'll need ta make. LF, some one else might shoot em. i don't tell my neighbors don't shoot. best wishes
i'm postaddic
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Re: How many deer can be taken
[Re: 1860.colt]
#5414395
11/12/14 02:07 AM
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Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 4,200
dawaba
Extreme Tracker
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Extreme Tracker
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 4,200 |
Seven to eight hunters on 350 acres????? You are WAY too overcrowded. Come talk to us when you pare down to one or two hunters, max. Let the other 5-7 hunters lease the adjoining property and you can embark on cooperative management. Did I miss where you said your 350 acres is located? I would guess only one mature buck could come off a place that size. For years on the Shackleford-Throckmorton County line, we always figured one mature buck per thousand acres.
"For every complex problem there is an answer that is clear, simple.....and wrong." H. L. Mencken
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Re: How many deer can be taken
[Re: esnow74]
#5414403
11/12/14 02:12 AM
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Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 334
doogie
Bird Dog
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Bird Dog
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 334 |
Deer survey would give you the number you are looking for.
If the 350 acres was near my ranch in well managed areas in Rocksprings area will limit it to 1 buck per 100 acres
So you could take: 3-4 bucks (includes any spikes, trophy, cull) 4-7 does
Last edited by doogie; 11/12/14 02:17 AM.
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Re: How many deer can be taken
[Re: dawaba]
#5414438
11/12/14 02:25 AM
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Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 6,314
KG68
THF Trophy Hunter
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THF Trophy Hunter
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 6,314 |
Seven to eight hunters on 350 acres????? You are WAY too overcrowded. Not in part of Mills county. We have 8 blinds on 420 acres on one place and we are under hunted and need to harvest twice the numbers we do each year. It all depends on the area of the county your hunting.
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Re: How many deer can be taken
[Re: klp]
#5414701
11/12/14 03:54 AM
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Joined: Nov 2012
Posts: 90
klp
OP
Outdoorsman
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OP
Outdoorsman
Joined: Nov 2012
Posts: 90 |
Location is mostly west of Austin a ways (a little south) in the hill country. Non ar county. I saw some fawns this year but not a huge amount. I'm uncertain of the hunting pressure I feel its gone down since I don't hear nearly the shots I use to when I was younger. We have a lot of cedar but quiet a few oaks. Deer seem to vary sometimes I'll b there a weekend and see aton of wildlife other times I won't see anything
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Re: How many deer can be taken
[Re: 1860.colt]
#5414777
11/12/14 04:27 AM
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Joined: Mar 2012
Posts: 13,612
1860.colt
emoji colt.45
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emoji colt.45
Joined: Mar 2012
Posts: 13,612 |
7-8 hunters who's gonna tell the others, they can't kill a deer. a person pays ta hunt, no one has right ta say, U can't shoot. seen too many times one person talken bout trophy deer, an then ground shrinkage. here i can take 4 deer, 2 bucks, only 1, 13+" buck a spike, & 3-4 days two does for last several years. the choice is mine what to take. that's choice Ya'll need ta make. LF, some one else might shoot em. i don't tell my neighbors don't shoot. best wishes dang, i'm wrong again
i'm postaddic
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Re: How many deer can be taken
[Re: KG68]
#5414890
11/12/14 06:32 AM
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Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 19,498
Erathkid
THF Celebrity
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THF Celebrity
Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 19,498 |
Seven to eight hunters on 350 acres????? You are WAY too overcrowded. Not in part of Mills county. We have 8 blinds on 420 acres on one place and we are under hunted and need to harvest twice the numbers we do each year. It all depends on the area of the county your hunting. Deer density is the basis for harvest rate. Obviously, low density areas can't sustain a higher harvest and continue to produce quality hunting. If you're in a high density area you can shoot more deer. Just be careful to take the 'right' deer.
Life is too short, as is. Don't chance it. Don't text and drive.
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Re: How many deer can be taken
[Re: klp]
#5414891
11/12/14 06:36 AM
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Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 19,498
Erathkid
THF Celebrity
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THF Celebrity
Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 19,498 |
Location is mostly west of Austin a ways (a little south) in the hill country. Non ar county. I saw some fawns this year but not a huge amount. I'm uncertain of the hunting pressure I feel its gone down since I don't hear nearly the shots I use to when I was younger. We have a lot of cedar but quiet a few oaks. Deer seem to vary sometimes I'll b there a weekend and see aton of wildlife other times I won't see anything There are plenty of deer there. Liveoak acorns are the culprit. Drought conditions haven't helped. There were way too many deer in this area to begin with.
Life is too short, as is. Don't chance it. Don't text and drive.
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Re: How many deer can be taken
[Re: KG68]
#5414957
11/12/14 11:31 AM
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Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 4,200
dawaba
Extreme Tracker
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Extreme Tracker
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 4,200 |
Seven to eight hunters on 350 acres????? You are WAY too overcrowded. Not in part of Mills county. We have 8 blinds on 420 acres on one place and we are under hunted and need to harvest twice the numbers we do each year. It all depends on the area of the county your hunting. Small world, I hunted Mills County from 1979-1991, SW of Star on Bennett Creek. It was fine turkey country, hunting the pecan flats along the creek, and the deer were thick as fleas on a junkyard dog. Our lease was 460 acres, similar to KG68's, and we hunted 3 guns for most of my term there. We briefly went up to 4 guns, and I admit that the hunting didn't suffer any. The mantra back then was to shoot any hard-antlered buck followed by does until you ran out of tags in your pocket. Based on many conversations with other hunters, mainly in the little Star café, such was the M.O. in all the area. And at first light every Saturday morning, Bennett Creek sounded like Antietam Creek, with all the rifle reports. It was the perfect family lease and every weekend there was great fun. Problem was, not one of us ever laid eyes on a mature buck, much less harvested one in the dozen years I hunted there. My best deer was a smooth 10-pt that we aged at 3.5 yrs old. So I left Mills County in search of better quality, having wearied of lots of little bucks. Nowadays in 2014, Mills County deer hunters may be taking more of a scientific approach to their deer management, letting younger bucks walk and shooting nothing less than bucks 4.5 yrs old or better. If so, this is great, because there are always enough does to fill your freezer while you wait for the big guy. But I am still betting that even well managed Mills County LF leases will still have a hard time producing one mature buck per 350 acres. The OP had said that he hunts the Hill Country west of Austin where deer density is likely even higher, but I'm thinking that his lease will have a hard time producing a mature buck every year, that is unless the neighboring properties are also well managed. Getting a local game biologist to evaluate the property would be money well-spent. I could be wrong about the deer quality, and I hope I am. Lots can change over 15 years.
"For every complex problem there is an answer that is clear, simple.....and wrong." H. L. Mencken
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Re: How many deer can be taken
[Re: klp]
#5415084
11/12/14 01:41 PM
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Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 60,455
BOBO the Clown
kind of a big deal
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kind of a big deal
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 60,455 |
Best bet is just put an age limit on bucks say 5.5 or older. Period
Survey your deer and set your doe numbers via a survey
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Re: How many deer can be taken
[Re: dawaba]
#5415459
11/12/14 04:11 PM
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Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 6,314
KG68
THF Trophy Hunter
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THF Trophy Hunter
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 6,314 |
Seven to eight hunters on 350 acres????? You are WAY too overcrowded. Not in part of Mills county. We have 8 blinds on 420 acres on one place and we are under hunted and need to harvest twice the numbers we do each year. It all depends on the area of the county your hunting. Small world, I hunted Mills County from 1979-1991, SW of Star on Bennett Creek. It was fine turkey country, hunting the pecan flats along the creek, and the deer were thick as fleas on a junkyard dog. Our lease was 460 acres, similar to KG68's, and we hunted 3 guns for most of my term there. We briefly went up to 4 guns, and I admit that the hunting didn't suffer any. The mantra back then was to shoot any hard-antlered buck followed by does until you ran out of tags in your pocket. Based on many conversations with other hunters, mainly in the little Star café, such was the M.O. in all the area. And at first light every Saturday morning, Bennett Creek sounded like Antietam Creek, with all the rifle reports. It was the perfect family lease and every weekend there was great fun. Problem was, not one of us ever laid eyes on a mature buck, much less harvested one in the dozen years I hunted there. My best deer was a smooth 10-pt that we aged at 3.5 yrs old. So I left Mills County in search of better quality, having wearied of lots of little bucks. Nowadays in 2014, Mills County deer hunters may be taking more of a scientific approach to their deer management, letting younger bucks walk and shooting nothing less than bucks 4.5 yrs old or better. If so, this is great, because there are always enough does to fill your freezer while you wait for the big guy. But I am still betting that even well managed Mills County LF leases will still have a hard time producing one mature buck per 350 acres. The OP had said that he hunts the Hill Country west of Austin where deer density is likely even higher, but I'm thinking that his lease will have a hard time producing a mature buck every year, that is unless the neighboring properties are also well managed. Getting a local game biologist to evaluate the property would be money well-spent. I could be wrong about the deer quality, and I hope I am. Lots can change over 15 years. Yes deer density has changed. Growing up in Mills County in the fifties I never saw a deer in north central Mills until I was a teenager and most areas of the county was the same except areas along the Pecan Bayou and the Colorado river in western and southwestern Mills. Since that time deer densities have exploded in most areas of the county. We have properties northeast, north central, and western Mills and all are overrun with deer now. I moved to the city of Goldthwaite in 1992 and since that time deer have moved into the neighborhoods and have become a nuisance to a lot of folks. Seldom do I walk out of my home and not see deer in yards and adjoining lots. During the acorn drop they stay and bed and never leave except to find water. I love posting this pic I took in the fall of 2010 of my neighbors yard one afternoon.
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Re: How many deer can be taken
[Re: klp]
#5415544
11/12/14 04:31 PM
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Joined: Jul 2013
Posts: 7,179
therancher
THF Trophy Hunter
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THF Trophy Hunter
Joined: Jul 2013
Posts: 7,179 |
The place is 350 acres, with 4 blinds, 5 feeders, LF. Only family hunts the place which can range up to 7 or 8 family members, however due to time constraints, majority of family try and hunt 1 weekend or 2 to get it over with. How many deer can be taken off of our place (and please refrain from it depends on....)? I personally feel 80 to 90% of the time you go out to hunt, you will see deer. So far we have had 1 doe and 3 bucks taken (1 was a spike). I feel the number and bucks should = the number of does removed from the place.
A friend of mine has a place double the size of ours and they are MLD and take 10 deer a year. Last year 5 deer were taken (on our place), the year before it was 5, then before that it was like 1 or 2 a year. Is 5 the number we should take??
With 8 hunters you can shoot 30 deer. That doesn't depend on anything. I highly recommend shooting 30. And then feeding more than your neighbors. It's the way it's done today.
Crotchety old bastidge
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Re: How many deer can be taken
[Re: therancher]
#5415563
11/12/14 04:35 PM
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Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 14,950
don k
THF Celebrity
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THF Celebrity
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 14,950 |
The place is 350 acres, with 4 blinds, 5 feeders, LF. Only family hunts the place which can range up to 7 or 8 family members, however due to time constraints, majority of family try and hunt 1 weekend or 2 to get it over with. How many deer can be taken off of our place (and please refrain from it depends on....)? I personally feel 80 to 90% of the time you go out to hunt, you will see deer. So far we have had 1 doe and 3 bucks taken (1 was a spike). I feel the number and bucks should = the number of does removed from the place.
A friend of mine has a place double the size of ours and they are MLD and take 10 deer a year. Last year 5 deer were taken (on our place), the year before it was 5, then before that it was like 1 or 2 a year. Is 5 the number we should take??
With 8 hunters you can shoot 30 deer. That doesn't depend on anything. I highly recommend shooting 30. And then feeding more than your neighbors. It's the way it's done today. You hit the nail on the head Rancher.
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Re: How many deer can be taken
[Re: don k]
#5415696
11/12/14 05:27 PM
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Joined: Jul 2013
Posts: 7,179
therancher
THF Trophy Hunter
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THF Trophy Hunter
Joined: Jul 2013
Posts: 7,179 |
The place is 350 acres, with 4 blinds, 5 feeders, LF. Only family hunts the place which can range up to 7 or 8 family members, however due to time constraints, majority of family try and hunt 1 weekend or 2 to get it over with. How many deer can be taken off of our place (and please refrain from it depends on....)? I personally feel 80 to 90% of the time you go out to hunt, you will see deer. So far we have had 1 doe and 3 bucks taken (1 was a spike). I feel the number and bucks should = the number of does removed from the place.
A friend of mine has a place double the size of ours and they are MLD and take 10 deer a year. Last year 5 deer were taken (on our place), the year before it was 5, then before that it was like 1 or 2 a year. Is 5 the number we should take??
With 8 hunters you can shoot 30 deer. That doesn't depend on anything. I highly recommend shooting 30. And then feeding more than your neighbors. It's the way it's done today. You hit the nail on the head Rancher. Between you and I we got a lot of experience betwixt us!
Crotchety old bastidge
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Re: How many deer can be taken
[Re: KG68]
#5415712
11/12/14 05:36 PM
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Joined: Mar 2012
Posts: 13,612
1860.colt
emoji colt.45
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emoji colt.45
Joined: Mar 2012
Posts: 13,612 |
a deer yard, were the deer can go out an play. were seldom is heard for years was in 1buck county, tried ta get 1 doe permit. experts said no. not enough deer. hmmm, hogs, 24-7-365, the other wild game . they change ta 4deer. got month of archery, WOW, two months rifle. ain't never gonna see a deer pool like one in pic. shoot, i can't even find a hog for en & chillen. i got cheep posts . best wishes
i'm postaddic
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