Oldman3....Your question is a fair question and certainly one I’ve considered. As I stated in my post, limitations as far as health, etc are a good reason for one to adapt to a different style of hunting. Disabled hunters here are allowed special concessions as far as access and modes of transportation allowed so even guys that are severely disabled are still able to hunt, albeit not in the manner I described earlier. I’ve got a place up north and could boat into areas virtually untouched and hunt from the beaches (not the boat) during the right times. There’s a lot of options and I couldn’t address them all here but if I was forced to lease and hunt from a stand over a feeder I’d probably just fish full time and let my boys do the heavy lifting. 😁. That day will come eventually and I’ll have to cross that bridge when the time comes. Everyone has to decide for themselves when it’s time to hang up the backpack and boots. I certainly support the adaptations that allow disabled hunters to continue to pursue their passion and have the utmost respect for those that refuse to quit.
I am not passing judgment on anyone that has to lease ground for any number of reasons. I suppose if I wasn’t spoiled by the wilderness I’d be happy to hunt in any way that was needed to.
Several people have given the impression that every lease hunter sets in a box stand over a feeder. That's not entirely correct. I'm sure lots of people do, but lots of people dont. I have a feeder on my own property and I feed the deer and yes, there is a stand 175 yds from the feeder that I take pics from. I also will let young kids take their first deer from this stand, mostly nieces and nephews. One deer only and then you have to hunt like the rest of us. That is the only stationary stand that I own. I have 1 ladder stand, 1 loc-on stand, and 6 climbing stands. I also use a pirogue to get into the bottoms where its too far for the road hunters to walk. Spending the day in the bottom is about as good as it gets.
Just because you hunt a lease doesn't mean you dont have to hunt. I'm not sure I'd be very good at setting on a mountain side, looking thru a spotting scope, trying to spot deer or whatever over a big area.... never tried it. But put me in the woods, where you cant see 100 yds in any direction, pick out the best place(s) to hunt in 5000 acres, and then your in my kind of hunting. A few yds one way or the other can be the difference in being successful or not. There isn't any 500 or 400 or 300 yd shots, very few 200 yd shots, and most shots are 100 yd or less. You have to get up close, learn to stalk, be quiet, use the wind, etc. Not saying its any harder than the kind of hunting you do, just different.
Getting old or hurt really hampers the hunting. I'm both, but getting in the pirogue and paddling a couple miles will get me away from everyone. Then climbing a stand and setting there while waiting for a deer or hog is the way I do it, but be sure you're in a good place or you're wasting your time.
I wish I had had the opportunity to try your kind of hunting when I was younger. I know it's very different from what I do and I'm guessing its a lot of fun.
Old Turd- Deplorable- Unrepentant Murderer- Domestic Violent Extremist
