Bullmark
Well-Known Member
Well I never thought I would be advertising for someone to go with me on a hunting trip, but the world is a different place today than just 10-12 yrs ago. Read on and and I'll try to not go too long.
I have a good friend who is a successful recreational real estate agent and budding outfitter in Pike County, Mo.......just across the river on the Mo-Illinois line. I've owned land in S. Iowa for a long time and years ago this friend, Joe, was working as a cameraman for another friend and landowner neighbor, who hunted on video and TV quite a bit. My We got to be good buddies and I even let him hunt and film on my Iowa farm. The friend he was filming for is an agent for Whitetail Properties and has done quite well.
So Joe decides to move back home to Missouri and sell land. Along the way he acquired a partner and they have been hugely successful. Being an avid whitetail hunter, Joe started leasing land for his hobby. That area is quite unique as there are very few small tract owners. 2-4K acres is very common and the typical owner would rather watch the deer than hunt them....so the hunting pressure is relatively light. Joe couldn't say no when the opportunity would present itself, and he soon had way more land than he could ever hunt.
That's when he decided to start taking a few hunters each yr. and recover some of his lease costs. I can understand his situation and agree that after you've killed a bunch of big deer, it can be just as enjoyable and rewarding to help someone else get one.
Initially he was only allowing industry guys (and gals), but at the end of the season he realized he had over 3k acres that was totally un-hunted.
Over the past 4-5 seasons he has established a good rotation of small bowhunting groups and 2 different weeks of rifle hunters.
Before I bought my land in Iowa I went on too many outfitted deer trips to count. I've met some nice people along with some crooks. After buying in Iowa I just knew I would never pay another outfitter to hunt deer. But I was wrong.
Joe has roughly 13k acres and it's not like 13k acres in the west where u can see for 20 miles and may be able to count one tree. This is big steep and thick hardwood ridges with lush agriculture flowing below. It hunts big.
His way of doing it is ideal. If he has a guy that just wants to shoot a good buck, that guy will hunt a property in an area where there is a more lenient management standard.....for ex, a 4.5 yr old would be in play.
He has other farms where it's strictly 5.5 or older. Those farms are only hunted by guys that he knows will have the self discipline to pass a buck that may score 160", but isn't full grown. Then he has a few thousand that very few ever get to see.
I had been trying to convince him to let me have the entire amount of acreage for a week of rifle hunting. He kinda owes me a little and we put this trip together. The cost for the week is $30,000, and it includes ground that he never, ever allows "clients" to hunt.
He could literally have 25 guys hunting at one time and it still would not be crowded.
My hunting buddy and I decided on 6 spots at $5k per spot. Of course, he and I make 2. His Dad is #3. As a side note, his Dad was a QB in the NFL and Canadian League for many years and is one tough old S$mbit@h. and a lot of fun to be around.
I had the entire group committed and crap just started happening. Two of my friends have had to cancel. That's why I'm looking for a replacement(s). I don't wanna split 30k four ways and neither does anyone else.
The arrival day is Nov 18 and we will hunt 19th-23rd. All lodging and meals are taken care of. The accommodations are excellent. They recently did a complete renovation on an old farmhouse that sits on one the properties. It's much nicer than I'm accustomed to.
The hunting will be mostly out of very nice Banks blinds overlooking standing and mowed corn, standing beans, various green food plots......it's a postcard setup. They plant hundreds of acres of grain and every type of food plot u can think of.
We've been working on this for a long time and I went out last yr for a few days of bow hunting during the end of Oct.
I chased a 170" typical 10pt the entire time and, as is often the case, he outfoxed me. But I did see the ground and boy is there a lot of it.
Believe me when I say there are very few places that I would consider going to hunt whitetails....Iowa has spoiled me. But this place is very unique and I can get out my rifle and engage from long range.
There is such little hunting pressure in this very high-rent farm district, there are more bucks dying from old age than anywhere else I've seen. I saw a good number of fully mature "cull" or "management" bucks that were absolute Bulls, but just didn't have the headgear to match.
Anyway, I've gone on too long and I'm sorry.
If anyone is interested I am happy to give more details and even put u in touch with Joe.
I will include this disclaimer: it's not S Iowa...my experience has shown that there is no better fair chase, free roaming, place on earth than my area of Iowa for 180"+ bucks.
But for a hunt where you'll see a ton of deer, be hunting the prettiest place I've seen, and have plenty of chances at a mature buck, this place is outstanding. Joe has taken 200"+ bucks, but there isn't one behind every tree.
Thanks for enduring my message.
I have a good friend who is a successful recreational real estate agent and budding outfitter in Pike County, Mo.......just across the river on the Mo-Illinois line. I've owned land in S. Iowa for a long time and years ago this friend, Joe, was working as a cameraman for another friend and landowner neighbor, who hunted on video and TV quite a bit. My We got to be good buddies and I even let him hunt and film on my Iowa farm. The friend he was filming for is an agent for Whitetail Properties and has done quite well.
So Joe decides to move back home to Missouri and sell land. Along the way he acquired a partner and they have been hugely successful. Being an avid whitetail hunter, Joe started leasing land for his hobby. That area is quite unique as there are very few small tract owners. 2-4K acres is very common and the typical owner would rather watch the deer than hunt them....so the hunting pressure is relatively light. Joe couldn't say no when the opportunity would present itself, and he soon had way more land than he could ever hunt.
That's when he decided to start taking a few hunters each yr. and recover some of his lease costs. I can understand his situation and agree that after you've killed a bunch of big deer, it can be just as enjoyable and rewarding to help someone else get one.
Initially he was only allowing industry guys (and gals), but at the end of the season he realized he had over 3k acres that was totally un-hunted.
Over the past 4-5 seasons he has established a good rotation of small bowhunting groups and 2 different weeks of rifle hunters.
Before I bought my land in Iowa I went on too many outfitted deer trips to count. I've met some nice people along with some crooks. After buying in Iowa I just knew I would never pay another outfitter to hunt deer. But I was wrong.
Joe has roughly 13k acres and it's not like 13k acres in the west where u can see for 20 miles and may be able to count one tree. This is big steep and thick hardwood ridges with lush agriculture flowing below. It hunts big.
His way of doing it is ideal. If he has a guy that just wants to shoot a good buck, that guy will hunt a property in an area where there is a more lenient management standard.....for ex, a 4.5 yr old would be in play.
He has other farms where it's strictly 5.5 or older. Those farms are only hunted by guys that he knows will have the self discipline to pass a buck that may score 160", but isn't full grown. Then he has a few thousand that very few ever get to see.
I had been trying to convince him to let me have the entire amount of acreage for a week of rifle hunting. He kinda owes me a little and we put this trip together. The cost for the week is $30,000, and it includes ground that he never, ever allows "clients" to hunt.
He could literally have 25 guys hunting at one time and it still would not be crowded.
My hunting buddy and I decided on 6 spots at $5k per spot. Of course, he and I make 2. His Dad is #3. As a side note, his Dad was a QB in the NFL and Canadian League for many years and is one tough old S$mbit@h. and a lot of fun to be around.
I had the entire group committed and crap just started happening. Two of my friends have had to cancel. That's why I'm looking for a replacement(s). I don't wanna split 30k four ways and neither does anyone else.
The arrival day is Nov 18 and we will hunt 19th-23rd. All lodging and meals are taken care of. The accommodations are excellent. They recently did a complete renovation on an old farmhouse that sits on one the properties. It's much nicer than I'm accustomed to.
The hunting will be mostly out of very nice Banks blinds overlooking standing and mowed corn, standing beans, various green food plots......it's a postcard setup. They plant hundreds of acres of grain and every type of food plot u can think of.
We've been working on this for a long time and I went out last yr for a few days of bow hunting during the end of Oct.
I chased a 170" typical 10pt the entire time and, as is often the case, he outfoxed me. But I did see the ground and boy is there a lot of it.
Believe me when I say there are very few places that I would consider going to hunt whitetails....Iowa has spoiled me. But this place is very unique and I can get out my rifle and engage from long range.
There is such little hunting pressure in this very high-rent farm district, there are more bucks dying from old age than anywhere else I've seen. I saw a good number of fully mature "cull" or "management" bucks that were absolute Bulls, but just didn't have the headgear to match.
Anyway, I've gone on too long and I'm sorry.
If anyone is interested I am happy to give more details and even put u in touch with Joe.
I will include this disclaimer: it's not S Iowa...my experience has shown that there is no better fair chase, free roaming, place on earth than my area of Iowa for 180"+ bucks.
But for a hunt where you'll see a ton of deer, be hunting the prettiest place I've seen, and have plenty of chances at a mature buck, this place is outstanding. Joe has taken 200"+ bucks, but there isn't one behind every tree.
Thanks for enduring my message.
