Early, Miller and Seminole counties Ga

Son

Gone But Not Forgotten
This coming season there will be two properties hunted next to us that hasn't been hunted by another club in several years. We can only hope they have management in mind. Ten or twelve years ago, a club leased next to us and shot everything they saw. Every weekend, they had guest shooting the same. In two seasons we didn't have enough deer to hunt, that club left. Now that property is cow pasture. It took three years before we began seeing enough deer to take two bucks each, and most of us didn't. All it takes is one group to ruin an area, and there's nothing you can do about it. Usually when they quit seeing deer, they leave and go for a lease elsewhere to do the same thing.
 

Son

Gone But Not Forgotten
Twenty years ago, there was a club hunting the 250 I mentioned above. They had ten members and allowed guest. No need telling how that worked out, but eventually the land manager for that property sent them packing. He then leased to us.
 

Son

Gone But Not Forgotten
We're lucky, there's nothing big enough in our place yet. It will be another 6 or 7 years before they can do a thinning of the first planting. About half the place. Other half is only about head high now.
 

Son

Gone But Not Forgotten
Checking our plots considering when we want to mow and plant the winter plots were shocking. I've never seen crab grass grow to such heights. Suppose to be high in protein, but what will eat it besides cows? Guess we can contribute the growth to all the rain we've been having. Last few days have been dry, noticed some of the swamp water is receding. Farmers are getting in corn, they don't want rain right now. Looking forward to some cooler weather.
 

Bear10

Senior Member
Hopefully SW GA doesn’t get to much wind and rain from these storms coming, It’s still to hot to work all day long in the woods cleaning roads and plots.
 

Son

Gone But Not Forgotten
I have several cameras out, mostly to monitor what's using our hunting land roads. Seems we have a coyote problem on our west end. Camera there shows several coyotes running deer off a food plot day and night. Cameras also let me know when members come and go, or if anyone trespasses. And that does happen. After regular gun season opens, two cameras will be moved near where two blinds are, but not at the blinds. If you run cameras you may have noticed deer do pay attention to cameras, especially mature deer. I believe having a camera at my blinds may cause some old bucks to shy away from the area once they notice a camera. Turkeys even look at cameras when they go off. Cameras don't seem to bother the hogs.
 

Bear10

Senior Member
I got my first coyote pic of the year this week, they are definitely starting to move around with hunters showing up on neighboring properties and the woods full of water.
 

Son

Gone But Not Forgotten
The coyote photo's Im getting appears to be a pair of adults with some almost grown pups. I need to do them in. The plot where they show up did have plenty deer visiting. Now there's only 2 deer showing up. Need to get those yotes before they move on another group of deer. Noticed when the yotes began showing up. The turkeys left.
 

Bear10

Senior Member
The cooler weather didn't last very long, hopefully it will be back soon and stay for a while, the skeeters are vicious this year.
 

Son

Gone But Not Forgotten
I'm ready for cooler weather, drier too, but not to the extreme. This hot muggy weather isn't friendly to my arthritis. Not good for fishing, working on plots etc.. Seems to be working great for the hogs though. And the snakes are on the move, especially cottonmouths.
 

Son

Gone But Not Forgotten
I have some members who have come alive after being missing all summer. Yep, they're showing up dumping corn they think are reserved for deer only. Camera's show it's the coons and hogs that are enjoying that free food. Dumping may be a food attractant, but the immediate increase of human activity is a negative. As always, I will watch, wait and see where the most human activity sets up for the season. Then I will hunt where the lazy wont go. Works every year. My vehicle is in our woods often, year long and the animals relate to the sound. In fact they can get comfortable with the sound of an engine they hear often. Let other vehicles begin coming in, and they notice. Like the family dog, they know what's familiar and what isn't.
 

Son

Gone But Not Forgotten
Hopefully some of your members will kill some hogs this weekend over the corn.
If they don't it will be because they don't shoot at them, or they miss. I probably wont hunt the first weekend.
I plan on going up tomorrow to see if I can get a tractor to clear some dog fennels that's in front of one off my blinds.
 

Son

Gone But Not Forgotten
Coming back from the hunting woods. Noticed Lake Seminole is very high. Water up to the bottom of the dock at Cypress Pond.
 

Son

Gone But Not Forgotten
Seminole remains high, but our woods in Miller and Early counties are drying a bit. In fact, even though the low areas continue to hold water, our food plots need a rain.
 

Bear10

Senior Member
Hopefully the cooler weather that is coming will help with the skeeters during the morning hunts. I’ve still got a couple areas that are holding water that I need to put a stand back up, had to take them down for the loggers recently.
 
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