Originally Posted by hh4whiskey
Originally Posted by travelingman1
Yes it exists and I am lucky enough to be part of it. Only 3 of us hunt most of the time and once a year, 10 guys come together for a special weekend. Absolutely lucked into it and continue to pinch myself every year, to remind myself just how lucky I am. Of course I put in a day or two most weeks working on the place, just to try and be worthy of what I do have. Wish everyone had the same.


I've actually had a couple of those, way back when.....landowners got greedy or other hunters with deeper pockets coveted land that 5-10 good lease members had cared for, sweated for, improved upon, and invested in. These days, it seems you need deeper pockets than the next guy, willing to join a 47-114 member 'club' of half, half-wits, or married/born into a large land owning family, to get access to larger parcels. I still get by on reputation, integrity, old loyalties, and an honest name....to hunt small parcels here and there....but those things mean less and less every year, compared to a quick dollar or competitiveness. It's a shame, but times do change.


Experienced the "deeper pocket" syndrome a couple years ago. Six member group on a 220 acre lease, with deer, geese, turkey. Good bunch of guys, on different work and travel schedules that rarely conflicted, we shared stands and locations pretty well. One member's Dad had his eye on one distinctive buck, we were asked to let it walk for him. Didn't bother me, and I don't believe anybody else had an issue with it. We knew the Dad was fighting against long term illness, and mature enough to know it could be us next year. Unfortunately, the illness won out in the end.

Anyway, the property owner was approached by another group interested in leasing, and offered a larger amount of money for the same lease. We were asked for an increase about double of what we had been paying. I didn't feel a lot of loyalty from the land owner for our group, and decided to opt out. I don't what the rest of the group did.

I hunt in the County Park deer management program now, closer and easier to get to than anything else. Plenty of friction from the rack hunters, the meat hunters, and the ones that don't know any better. Some guys hunt only horns, and pass does. Some set stands on top of other stands, some walk through the bedding areas to get to a stand. I've had deer field dressed under my stand, and hunters walking into "my area" a smoke in hand. End of the day, you figure out who the guys/gals are that you want to hunt with, and try to avoid the ones you don't.