Berrien County report

[Whitetailer]

One member arrived at the prperty last Sunday(31st) He hunted a food plot his first morning and out walked a six point. He took the deer to be prosessed and has not seen another deer as of Wednesday! Says it is too hot to hunt the afternoons and is glad he has his Therma Cell!

Cooler weather coming will be coming soon for him, and a little rain for the plots.

Whitetailer

[creekhunter]

How has your hunting been? I think you said you would be hunting most of this week?

[georgiaboy]

I am heading down to Nashville Friday.

[J Pritchard III]

I worked all weekend but I did get to hunt Mon. and Tues. On both days I saw two small bucks (one 4pt and one 5pt) and many doe and yearlig. One of the four members on our lease killed a 10pt Monday morning. The neck was swollen, he stunk to high heaven, and had a pair on him that would plum embarrass you. Hunting in Nashville has picked up the past week or so and I we be off Fri-Sun and due to night shift I will be able to hunt Mon-Fri mornings next week. I have also seen a good number of scrapes and rubs.

[Whitetailer]

Had a member at the property from the 19th to the 26th. Paul said he saw no deer while on stand and was very depressed, (he said he jumped deer two times while mid day scouting) until the last morning, he sat until 10:00 am and was ready to climb down and saw legs way out in the slough. The deer was steady walking and had headgear. Paul made a good shot at the base of the neck and the eight point went down. It was the only deer he saw while on stand. Said he grunted at the deer to stop him, but the deer did not respond.

Hey creekhunter, I am leaving at 4:00 am tomorrow (monday)morning to drive up to hunt til friday. Hope there is some activity!

Whitetailer :fine:

[creekhunter]

Whitetailer:

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but the Withlacoochee River is out of it's banks again after the heavy rain we had yesterday (Saturday). I have not been near the Alapaha, but I'd bet it too is out of it's banks. :(

We haven't been seeing much activity with the full moon (with the exception of turkeys). Of course, I haven't been hunting in the middle of the day either.

Call me if you get lucky!

[Whitetailer]

Oh noy, here I come anyway. Yeah, My guy told me it rained last week and got soggy! I did not realize it rained yesterday. It looks like it will not be very cold this week. Was it a front that went through?

Whitetailer

[creekhunter]

Yes, it was a front. Heavy rain for a few hours. The ground is still soaked from all of the hurricanes and a rain last week. We have to wear rubber boots to most of our stands.

Did you see the photo of the 8-point my oldest son killed under Lowndes County reports?

It's supposed to get down to around 43 tonight. It's about 46 now. The temps tomorrow are 71°/53°.

Good luck! :shoot:

[Whitetailer]

Ok, I have the boots. The property was very dry last time I was up. I am suprised it got so wet! Yeah, I saw the photo of the deer yuour son shot. Super nice... That is what perserverence and Patience gets ya!!!
Well its 3:30 am and I'm starting my drive, be there by noon. My landowner gave me another 400 ac to hunt cause my property was so flooded this year, maybe I'll have a look at that!

Russ

[Whitetailer]

Got home from the "lake" I mean lease last night. A virtually dry slough that we use to get to the lower property was 50 feet wide and had a raging current. That made me use a disk road I made through the pines to get to the lower propety. It was 16" deep also. The next day that slough was 60 feet wide, so I could not get to the lower property after that. The remaining 150 acres of high ground is run by the neighbor farmers dogs. Dog prints on top of splayed out deer tracks*#/*#!!! Earlier in the year my landlord gave me a 400 acre property to hunt that he did not lease this year. It has two plots amongst nothing but pines. I sat on one plot in a ground blind I put up months ago. Saw nothing, but a deer was on the other plot as I drove out at dark. l took my buddy over two evenings later. He sat on the upper plot, I sat in the ground blind. At 4:45 pm I heard a "snap" behind me. 30 seconds later the deer bolted and snorted about 8 times then ran fartherback into the pines. Well, you know that feeling. I stayed in the blind passing every scenario through my head. Move the blind? Leave? Stay put? etc... I stayed put with about an hour of light left. At 5:50 pm I heard slow walking behind me. The deer got to within probably 15 yards and snorted and bolted back into the pines and continued to snort as I walked up the trail to my truck. Can you say insult to injury? Had to come home to fish the weekend!!!

Whitetailer ::huh:

[creekhunter]

Wow! Talk about bad luck, you are covered-up in it! Based on what you said, it sounds like you got winded both times? ::huh:

I also have property that is normally very dry, but is now covered in standing water. I can't walk silently for the squishing sounds my boots make when air gets trapped between the boots and the mud.

Got into the stand late yesterday morning about 8:00 a.m. and sat until 11:00. Didn't see any deer or turkeys. Very disappointing. I checked a scrape on the edge of the food plot that has been worked for the last several weeks. It is still being worked, but a coyote or bobcat had left fresh scat directly in front of the scrape! :eek: I scooped it up in a bucket and carried it off.

I then walked thru some property that usually doesn't hold water, but now it does. The deer apparently don't like it either. Very few fresh tracks in an area that is normally covered in tracks.

Will probably hunt this afternoon. I'll let you know if I see anything. Hope your fishing trip was more productful! Stay in touch.

[Whitetailer]

In packing for my next hunt, after washing everything in no-scent laundry wash, I packed the boots and all clothes in boxes with pine branches thrown in. (from the Christmas tree trimmings)


Whiteailer :D :bounce:

[Whitetailer]

and a bottle of Beano........................


Whitertailer

[creekhunter]

Whitetailer:

Give us a report of your latest trip to Berrian County. We're seeing mostly turkeys on our farm. I'll admit we haven't been hunting very much though.

[Whitetailer]

My son and I got to the property on Wed night@ 8:30 pm. It was 29 degrees. We sat briefly in the morning due to the temp and we were tired from the day before! Our landlord gave me another 400 acres to hunt due to the fact my property was so flooded. We hunted it that evening and I saw a real nice buck! I was watching a plot and he came out beyond the plot in the thin pines. He was there for a few minutes. It was late (dim) at about 130 yards. I was not about to make a low percentage shot! I found out later he had made a new scrape... Rusty and I hunted those plots four times (saw nothing) and then started hunting the logging paths and one clear runway in the pines. We saw between us nine deer. The next to last evening we walked out together and jumped doe on the two plots late, about 5:45 pm. So, for the last evening we thought we would sit on the plots one last time! Son did not have a deer come out, I did!! At 5:40 pm a set of horns sauntered through the brown grass to the lush field of Oats I was watching. He leaned down to chew up his first mouthful of grass when my 150 gr psp from my 600 Rem zipped through his neck from about 70 yards. He dropped in his tracks!!! Phew, it was a long trying season. Wish the son could have taken the deer, but we had a great time together and every experience was shared equally.

Whitetailer

By the way, we saw several fresh scrapes. We parked the truck just off the road and walked from 200 to 600 yards in to hunt. Twice we walked back to the truck and saw newly worked scrapes within 15 yards of the truck.

[creekhunter]

Wow, ya got me all excited, then didn't tell us what size your buck was! How many points and what did it weigh? PLEASE SEND MORE DETAILS!!!!! :clap: :clap:

Congratulations! We're going hunting in the a.m. Got my son's 8-point back from taxidermist the other day. He's going to love it! It's part of his Christmas.

Mery Christmas and Have a Happy New Year! :yeah:

[OconeeJim]

....am looking forward to hunting a couple of days. I haven't been there this season...Dec. can be good!

[J Pritchard III]

I hunted Monday and Tuesday in Nashville. Morning I saw 15-20 turkeys, then two does, two nubbing bucks, a spike, and a three point. Afternoon I was planning to take a doe but changed my mind b/c I had somethings to do that night. Anyways I saw 8 doe and yearling all at once, within a minute I had a buck with only a little bit of horns on both sides...good size body but they were broken. I guess something had been whipping up on him? ::huh:

[Whitetailer]

I guess I did intentionally not tell you that the buck I took was not the big one I saw earlier in the hunt! This deer was a six point with a 3" kicker point low on the outside of the right beam. He weighed 129 lbs.

Allen, hope you and yours have a happy holiday season and thanks for your friendship through this forum.

Best wishes to all at Woodys and thanks for providing me with a little slice of Georgia "country" way down here in the Keys!


Whitetailer....................

[creekhunter]

Whitetailer:

Ditto to you! This is a great way to share success and failures, as well as learning about new ideas and techniques.

We'll, we didn't hunt over the Christmas holidays. I got a sinus infection last week and it's just now beginning to break. The weather was nasty too.

Are you coming back before the season ends?

[CuznDave]

Merry Christmas to all you Berrien County folk. I am now married into a Berrien County family (have been six yeras now) and have done and am planning to do some hunting there. We will be down to my in-laws to do "Christmas: The Sequel" on Thursday. I will hunt on their farm and maybe some other family land while I am there. The farm is on the Lenox Hwy and the family land is just outside of Nashville.
Best of luck to you in the New Year and maybe we can meet for lunch at the Dinner Bell or over in Alapaha.
CuznDave

[Whitetailer]

I'm done hunting for this year!
Man, it makes me sad to say that...... :banginghe

I have to concentrate on the fishing business now. The wind is blowing 20-25 kts.which means most of our Christmas week will be a washout as far as taking any charters out. I usually come up after the first of the year, but I am not going to this year. I have closed up the camp winterized etc. and have a couple of charters lined up that week.

What room is that new mount hanging in? My son has not gotten a good rack buck yet. Hopefullly next season!

Whitetailer..............

Cuzndave, Have a good hunt.

[creekhunter]

Whitetailer:

I can't believe the season is winding down. Two weeks from today and the fat lady will sing. I hunted the last hour today without seeing anything other than doves, geese, squirrels, and a rabbit.

My wife gave me a new 4-wheeler for Christmas, so I'll be able to get to explore some of the places on my farm I haven't wanted to walk through (after hunting season is over).

I keep thinking I'll get down your way one day to fish with you.

CuzNDave, maybe we can meet one day for lunch. My farm is near Ray City, not too far from Nashville. There's some nice folks around Nashville.

Take care!

[J Pritchard III]

When are you gonna be around the Dinner Bell? I frequent the Dinner Bell and the Cadillac Ranch...some good food. Ya'll PM me and we can get together and eat sometime in Nashville.

[creekhunter]

J Pritchard III:

I haven't eaten at either place. I'm not sure when I'll be up that way again, but I'll email you when I know.

[J Pritchard III]

Thursday nights are good at The Cadillac Ranch if you like wings...they are $.35 on those nights. I usually go to The Dinner Bell before I get in the woods. My wife and I just bought a new house that wa built on the main street in town just a ways pass the 3rd light by the Dinner Bell. Just let me know and we will get together some time.

[creekhunter]

J Pritchard III:

I'll sure let you know when I'm gonna be up that way.

Are you seeing any deer? We sure aren't. I think the full moon has em locked down tight during daylight hours. ::huh:

Good luck!

[J Pritchard III]

My pa in law has seen a couple of bucks (8pts) in the afternoon this past week, but I ran a few deer off of a stand around 12:30 Monday. I have seen a buck running does hard on Friday morning and her dad saw one of the 8pts running does hard on Sunday afternoon. I get off at 2am tonight so I will hunt mid morning tomorrow. I think the reason I have seen deer in the morning this weekend was due to the rain all night the night before?

[creekhunter]

That's encouraging. Maybe I won't give up! :shoot:

[OconeeJim]

...just too rough for me. Rained all night, so Sunday was a complete washout! I hunt Northeast Berrien, between Alapaha and Lax. Saw some good track activity in the fields, but didn't see a deer on Friday afternoon or Sat. morning.

[billy336]

I love the Cadillac Ranch. Every time I'm up there I stop in to see Joey. Food is really good. We used to hit Ray's Mill Pond but it seems to have lost something in the past couple of years. Good to hear some deer are being seen. I hunt in Teeterville and it has been a tough go this year. Two more weeks to get one. Good luck to all fellow Berrien hunters.

[creekhunter]

Would someone give me directions to the Cadillac Ranch. Say I'm in front of the J. H. Harvey Company headquarters. Which way?

[J Pritchard III]

Harvey's Co. is on your left, then go down and take a right on the road besides Hardees (before Hardees). There will immediately be a 4 way stop, go through it, cross some old railroad tracks then you will come up on a curve to your right. As soon as you go around the curve it will be on your right. It is a wooden building, no sign, and the only place in sight. I'm not sure, but I think they are closed this week...maybe in Belouxi. Cindy and Joey play golf with us on Thurs. out @ Circlestone w/ the crowd from Harvey's Co. Oh, and after talking about the Dinner Bell yesterday I had to go there for lunch today.

[creekhunter]

Thanks for the directions J Pritchard III.

I got to my stand yesterday about 5:00 p.m. I had to climb quietly, as 14-turkeys were watching me from the clover food plot (about 75-yards from the stand). I watched them feed and play until 5:20, when a young doe came into the food plot. The doe was intrigued by the turkeys and wagged it's tail in approval of their presence.

The doe walked over to the area with the turkeys and tried to feed near them. Then I saw something I've never seen before. The turkeys, led by a long beard, attacked the doe! They ran after her with their wings spread and neck strectched-out, as if they were going to bite her. The doe ran for a little ways, shocked by the turkey's rude behavior. She tried to feed again, but the turkeys repeated their attack twice more, until the doe had to leave the food plot.

If it hadn't been so funny, I would have been mad that the turkeys ran off my chances of seeing a buck follow the doe into the plot. I didn't see any other deer and the turkeys fed until 5:45 p.m., before going to roost in the nearby trees in the creek.

[CuznDave]

Sorry I haven't gotten in touch with anyone; I haven't had access to a computer like I thought I might. We had a good Christmas and I did a little hunting with no luck exceptr for a surprise last night.
The deal was that I could hunt the morning and my wife and mom-in-law would shop the afternoon (leaving me to take care of two year old - we had fun riding tractors and playing). They got back a little after 4 and my son was still sleeping so I decided to head out to the back part of the farm. I did not even put on "hunting clothes" (all my gear was in guest room where my son was sleeping - and woe be to the one that wakes him from his nap. I had my jacket and vest, fanny pack, and rifle in the truck and my boots on the bench by the back door. I went and sat in an old 2X4 stand about 6' ft high in some planted pines. The deer usually come out of the scrub through the pines to some of the food plots on the edge between the pines and cotton fields. No luck. At dark I eased out of the stand for the walk back to the house. I knew that there would be a chance to see something on the edge of the cottonfileds since there was some moonlight and fading daylight left. As I turned up the road between two cotton fiels there was a deer about 40 yds ahead of me facing away. I put the scope on her but all I had was backend and head. I waited for her to turn broadside and eased the safety off. She stepped to the left, broadside ..... and thuddump, :eek: thuddump, thuddump... eight more deer came bounding out of the lower cotton field, across the road and into the upper field. I was so surprised I forgot to shoot. It was quite an experieence to have that many deer bounding by so close. They kept going through th e cotton stalks, crashing and tearing until they were out of site. With it being so dark, after about the first jump into the upper field all I saw was a group of white flags appearring and disaapearing through the darkness. Oh well, so ends another season. ::huh:
Happy New Year to all. We will be back visiting before too long, maybe get together with some of you then. CuznDave

[Whitetailer]

Well, I'm starting to think about the "water situation" . Will probably get up to the property after July 4th weekend! Creekhunter or anyone.....Are the rivers down and is it dry enough to plant along the Alapaha river???

Had two guys up to Turkey hunt, and they said it was still flooded bad a few weeks ago.

Whitetailer..................

[creekhunter]

Whitetailer:

My creekbed is beginning to dry-up. Showers are expected this afternoon. Had a small shower yesterday, but not enough to wet the ground. The fields are dry. I'm downstream from your lease, so you are probably drying-out as well. I planted some squash yesterday, about 2-months late!

[Whitetailer]

The creek beds are getting dry??? As in real low water??? Oh my, that is good news to me! I want to come up in 5 or 6 weeks and mow and or disk and maybe spread some lime. I just got a new Silverado, and need to get a roadtrip under my belt!!!

Thanks, Whitetailer...........................