Who are you?

[wiscwhip]

Welcome aboard Rack/Jason. You will like it here.

 

[tooln]

Welcome new members and thank for taking the time to introduce yourself.

 

[Alpha Doe]

Ok...I'll play. :oops:

I'm Shelly, 50+ and a grandma. We have two grown kids that we love to spend time with, but that is tough to do at times...specially during holidays!

I have been married to my wonderful hubby for 29 years. Our parents have been best friends since I can remember, so me and hubby grew up together. In 1984 I joined the AF, in 1985 we got married, 86 we had our son, 87 we had our daughter, 88 I got out of the AF. Things finally settled down and I was a construction truck driver for several years until I retired.

We have 2 farms in Pike County Illinois. Total of about 270 acres. I think the acreage is about 1/3 crop, 1/3 timber and 1/3 NWSG. Maybe a little more timber than anything else, but about that breakdown. We have been landowners for about 8 years and hunting about the same length of time.

We enjoy doing habitat things and hunting...but that has taken a backseat to being grandparents!

Funny how life keeps changing...just when you settle into something, life throws you a curveball.

Hopefully we will be able to pass along our love of habitat and hunting to our grand kids. At this time we have one granddaughter that is 8 months old and just yesterday figured out how to stand without holding on to anything. We have granddaughter number 2 that will be joining us in early June.

Emma Grace or Emma Blue Eyes

 

[Reagan]

I live near Cincinnati but grew up and hunt in SE Ohio. I currently own 60 acres. My neighbor to the east also owns 60 and practices his version of QDM. We also lease another 240 next door. Not much crop land around, poor soil and a lot of hills and timber. Anyone who says to only hunt the wind, has never hunted my ground. It constantly swirls.

I'm 40 and have hunted since my earliest memories. Started on squirrels and rabbits and moved up to deer and turkeys. My first bow kill was around age 14. I have shot most of my deer in the last 20 years with a bow.

I have two young daughters. Both like to shoot but only one wants to hunt. At age 7 she can shoot a crossbow with a good rest but I'm going to require a squirrel kill before she can start on deer. I think this fall she will be ready to shoot instead of watch.

I occasionally hunt out west and chase elk with a bow. I also started waterfowl hunting about 15 years ago so I squeeze that in when I can. My old duck retriever was named Reagan so I used that as my handle here and at the other site.

 

[Snowball271]

Name is Joe. Live on coast of Maine. Small lobstering community. Only job I ever had pretty much is on the stern of a boat. Did not get into hunting as a child. Just picked it up 2 years ago. I'm 34 now. Have not harvested a deer yet. Can only hunt with a bow due to dumb decisions as a kid. Changed person now we all make mistakes. Live in house me and my father built and father owns barn next door where wife has a couple horses. 50 acres of mostly all wooded area outback and around 10 acre pasture for horses. Really enjoy opening up very small areas (have done 2 so far) planted 4 apple trees in each and planted clover. Love thinking of children(none yet) hunting over honey holes their dad put hard work into. Not much of a deer herd here but there is a few. Good to meet you all and glad to be here.

 

[THunter]

I'm Tommy (THE, LLC) from the other site. Civil Engineer and Real Estate Broker professionally. Currently serving as one of four district commissioners in Gwinnett County, GA, a county of nearly 1 million people northeast of Atlanta. Represent 250,000 people. Own and part-own an assemblage of 250 acres in northeast Georgia that we acquired in 2002 that we use to test and develop seed mixtures for the wildlife industry. Do most of my serious deer hunting in northwest Nebraska as my avatar shows. Been hunting there since 2001. I am 43 years old, married, with 2 children in their mid-teens.

 

[Max]

My name is Max, I'm addicted to deer hunting. I am very fortunate in the fact that I started a small business 14 years ago from scratch and it has afforded me the opportunity to purchase a few nice plots of land. In 2008 I bought a 105 acre farm here in south central PA. Last year I bought a bordering 80 acre farm to the 105 and also purchased an 88 acre hunting property in south east Ohio. I have about 14 acres of plots on the original 105 acre farm and 2 acres of plots in Ohio. I lease the 80 acre PA farm to my older brother for hunting and my Dad and myself hunt the 105. We all 3 hunt the Ohio property. I got into hunting the fall of 2008 and didn't get my first buck till 2009. I do not allow any gun hunting on any of my properties.

I am constantly on the internet trying to learn more about habitat building. For as much info as I read you'd think I'd be a walking encyclopedia but I still can't grasp how to plant, what fertilizer to add etc. I have all the implements to do my own planting but I always have the farmer that leases some tillable from me plant for me. Last year I planted 26 Dunstan Chestnuts from Walmart. I'd really like to get into planting an apple orchard but don't have a clue about those trees yet.

I am approaching my 1 year wedding anniversary and my wife and I are expecting our first child. The due date is 11/14 so I probably won't be hunting much this year but it'll be worth it.

 

[Brush Creek]

47. Live on 5 acres on the outskirts of the twin cities. Own 300 in NE KS. 80 cash rented, 60 in switchgrass, the rest wooded. Insurance agent. 11 year old son who has taken three deer with me by his side and my father took his biggest buck ever on my property at 69. Been hunting since I was 10. All archery now.

 

[Native Hunter]

Well…I might as well take a shot at this thread.

I'm now 58 and was raised on a farm in Kentucky, and have lots of farming experience – but only got into food plots two years ago. I grew up learning the fields and forests from some of the greatest old timers to ever live, and being an outdoorsman is burned into my DNA so strong that I couldn’t be anything else.

I had the greatest parents in the world (and still have them). Dad seemed to understand my passion for George Leonard Herter books (especially the Professional Guide Manual) and bought me all of them I wanted. Well…all but one. If anyone knows about those GLH books, you can probably guess which one he wouldn’t get for me…LOL. But anyway, I may have been the only 10 year old Jack Pine Savage to ever live in a place where Jack Pines don’t even grow.

I retired as VP of Engineering and Operations after working 33 years for an electric utility. I went back to work (in a new job with another company) the next day after retiring, and have worked for the last 5 years as an engineering consultant for a large firm in another state – but I work from home and only go into the actual office about 2 times a year.

I own 100 acres (that I grew up on) in an area not especially great for hunting, but through intense habitat building the last 7 years, it has become more than I dreamed it could be. I will never have deer or turkey like some areas of the country, but I’m so excited about how good it is now, I don’t care.

I married my wonderful wife many moons ago. She isn’t that much of an outdoors person but seems to like the fact that I am. We have one son who is 33 years of age and he grew up hunting and fishing. He kind of lost interest for a few years, but since he has seen the farm transformation via habitat building (and the trail cam pictures + the deer I took last year) he is getting pumped again.

I have three college degrees – none of which relate to deer hunting, but I’m happy for a few classes along the way (like physics) which helps a man hit a 2 inch spot at 400 yards if it becomes necessary. So, I guess college might at least be good for something.

I love this forum – my kind of people here – no nonsense, and schooled in the University of Hard Knocks. Keep the good posts coming.

 

[phil@thesidehill]

My name is Max, I'm addicted to deer hunting. I am very fortunate in the fact that I started a small business 14 years ago from scratch and it has afforded me the opportunity to purchase a few nice plots of land. In 2008 I bought a 105 acre farm here in south central PA. Last year I bought a bordering 80 acre farm to the 105 and also purchased an 88 acre hunting property in south east Ohio. I have about 14 acres of plots on the original 105 acre farm and 2 acres of plots in Ohio. I lease the 80 acre PA farm to my older brother for hunting and my Dad and myself hunt the 105. We all 3 hunt the Ohio property. I got into hunting the fall of 2008 and didn't get my first buck till 2009. I do not allow any gun hunting on any of my properties.

I am constantly on the internet trying to learn more about habitat building. For as much info as I read you'd think I'd be a walking encyclopedia but I still can't grasp how to plant, what fertilizer to add etc. I have all the implements to do my own planting but I always have the farmer that leases some tillable from me plant for me. Last year I planted 26 Dunstan Chestnuts from Walmart. I'd really like to get into planting an apple orchard but don't have a clue about those trees yet.

I am approaching my 1 year wedding anniversary and my wife and I are expecting our first child. The due date is 11/14 so I probably won't be hunting much this year but it'll be worth it.

My wife and I had our first born last year on 11/18/13....I tagged my best buck on 11/9/13! It came down to the wire!

 

[Riggsgwp->]

Seems like a good bunch of people here so I will share a little info as well. My name is Ryan and I'm 38 and married to a lovely gal that puts up with my outdoor passions. My son is 2 and he is my inspiration for everything I do. I will do as much as i can to make sure he can hunt and enjoy the outdoors. I run a dental lab out of a dental office in Baxter Mn so I basically make teeth for a living. This was my favorite and is currently in my mouth.

I own 40 acres and am currently looking for more preferably with a house on it. I love bowhunting out west so I elk hunt every year in various states and occasionally chase mulies and pronghorn. We always hunt public and DIY and it's a blast. Glad to be here!

 

[BluffCountry]

I grew up running wild on my Grandpa's farms in NE WI, I spent four years in the the Air Force where I learned how to climb poles and work on communications equipment and have worked for the phone company in some capacity ever since. I live in Vernon County, WI and work as an Engineer for a major Communications Company. I'm married with 4 kids who seem to do every sport imaginable to man, I also coach youth football and basketball.

I stopped gun hunting a few years ago to sit with my kids as a mentor until they each reach 12 then I may start again. I am a much more avid bow hunter, I take a week off for the rut every November and try to go elk hunting for 1 to 2 weeks every September (football is kind of putting a damper on that now). I live on 12 acres on a dead end road surrounded by two farms. I'm the only bow hunter around for about a mile in each direction:). I have a water hole, roughly 25 apple trees, plum trees, hazelnut, ninebark some elderberry and an 3/4 acre food plot which is geared mainly as a winter food source between my house and my woods. I have hinged cut and just plain cut down a lot of trees to create a nine acre jungle behind my house which is part of a strip of woods that runs for miles along the sides of the bluffs. I only bowhunt on the property I live on and never hunted it all until 2010, but I have taken 3 Bucks on it in 3 of the 4 years including 2 5 1/2 year old or older bucks.

My goal is to hunt mature bucks, total score doesn't mean much to me(you will not find me in P&Y). The buck I shot last fall is a solid 5 1/2 year old with a crappy rack and I could care less. To kill any buck over 3 1/2 is very hard to do, at least for me it is.

I have a 6 acre piece back home in NE WI and own 80 acres with my dad there as well, which is land locked with a 1/2 mile right away to access. It's mainly swamp, TSI is the only thing going on there. Also, the quality of deer is just not there as it is in this part of the state and the reasons are many.

 

[BluffCountry]

Seems like a good bunch of people here so I will share a little info as well. My name is Ryan and I'm 38 and married to a lovely gal that puts up with my outdoor passions. My son is 2 and he is my inspiration for everything I do. I will do as much as i can to make sure he can hunt and enjoy the outdoors. I run a dental lab out of a dental office in Baxter Mn so I basically make teeth for a living. This was my favorite and is currently in my mouth.

I own 40 acres and am currently looking for more preferably with a house on it. I love bowhunting out west so I elk hunt every year in various states and occasionally chase mulies and pronghorn. We always hunt public and DIY and it's a blast. Glad to be here!

Is that an elk ivory I see!

 

[bwoods11]

Kurt is the name and I live in WC MN. Love to hunt and fish! I have four boys and really enjoy the outdoors with them. They are in sports and that keeps me very busy. Have land in MN and Iowa, and my FIL owns 326 acres in Ontario near Rainy River. I love the habitat improvements. Tree planting/food plots etc....

I'm very interested in seeing our home state (MN) improve it's deer numbers and let both does and bucks get some age on them.

Have to admit that I used to plant hundreds/thousands of trees per year, now I keep that to a lower number. We have a lake cabin and I spend most of May/June fishing for walleyes and hanging with family @ cabin. Still do the food plots with help from friends, they are better at it that I am!

 

[Jeff23]

Jeff from central PA here; I am 35, married, 3 children (girl 8, boy 6 and boy 5), small business owner (tree service, some farming on the side), know a little about a lot, love bowhunting and turkey hunting best and am having fun learning new things about habitat!

 

[scott44]

My name is Scott and in a couple weeks I'll be 51, I live in Mid Mich with my wife and 2 of our 4 adult kids. We have 40 acres and my parents have 120 right next to me, I have planted food plots for about 15yrs and just started to get into the habitat 4 yrs ago, this habitat improvement is really addictive. I have always rifle and bow hunted but these days I see myself as more of a bow hunter. I want to thank all of you for your knowledge and sharing!

 

[strawhead]

Hello....I hunt in NW Wisconsin in Sawyer County. I was just there this past Thursday. A few snow banks left and standing water on the hills. No Turkey tracks seen anywhere, and looked like one fresh deer track in the LC winter rye mix. Last year was our first year starting LC mixes. We get to hunt with all the big name predators. Bear---WOLF----Bobcat-----WOLF-----Coyote----WOLF oh yeh, I almost forgot WOLF. Again hello to all.

 

[dogghr]

Interesting read. The name is Doug and known by most as Dogg. The HR I'll let you figure out. Hence my handle. But I'm pretty laid back these days. Live in WV. Lucky to come from several generations of great hunters and shooters. Grandfather took trophy deer when it was difficult to see a track, much less a deer. Grew up exposed to everything outdoors from hunting, fishing, kayaking, mountaineering, motox, you name it, I think in part because my dad was raised without a father and went out of his way to always be with me and my brother. I'm lucky to live where there are millions of acres of public land and 4 counties with bow hunting- only, where a 150 class is possible any day you hunt there. In addition, I always was fortunate to have farmers offer to let me hunt without me asking because they saw my love and respect for the whitetail. Usually I was the only one allowed on these large farms and hunting was superb. Thus I had little desire to have my own farm. But eventually, I bought my own turf and the rest is history. Despite hunting most of NA over the years, the addiction of managing your land as you see fit now keeps me not wanting to go anywhere else. I have two degrees, one in Biology, which is a help with animal and plant management. I don't know much, but I do know just when I think I have deer figured out, they put me in my place.

 

[bryant]

Bryan from little rock. Don't own any land yet but have my eye on a 60 that borders a buddy's place. I help him and his oldest son with habitat work since they also are running a little over 100 cattle on the farm as a side business/hobby. My wife and I have one year old heifer and a ten week old chessie pup.

 

[Jordan Selsor]

Name is as it appears in my avatar. Im 30. Married my high school sweetheart 6 yrs ago. We have 3 boys Kellen, Henry & Jevin (4,3 an 1) and another on the way:). These long winters get me every time:D. I need a TV in my bed rm. I also got a 8 yr ol lab that is my shed hunting buddy anf gaurd dog while im away from my family! Im a full time Paramedic/FF. I work approx 10 days/month which enables me to run my own landscaping biz as well. My landscaping biz and hard working wife is what helped me achieve my life long goal of land ownership. 1 yr ago I purchased (with my in-laws) 287 acres in east central MO. My farm is 1 mile from my dads 214 acre hunting farm that I grew up chasing anything legal to shoot or trap. Thus far I have approx 2 acres in food plots on my place. I have planted many chestnuts, oaks and now 14 fruit trees. I have spent the last yr learning so much from many of you and would call several of you my friends. Tks for that! Look forward to making more friends