# Bartow Dixie Update 9-28-04



## PAPALAPIN (Sep 28, 2004)

I was not around camp much this weekend, but I understand that one of the guys got a 5 point.  Congratulations.  Lori Freeman hit a doe but could not find it.

There seems to be an abundance of food in teh woods.  Everywhere I look there are acorns on the ground, crpabapple trees are puting out like my highschool sweetheart, and muscidines are everywhere.  I have a corn feeder behind the house and the deer seem to have abandoned it.  Where I used to have at least four - five deer every evening, now I have one that might visit once or twice a week.  I think that food is everywhere so they don't have to go looking for it.  I have muscidine all over the ground behind the feeder and the deer are not touching them.

Find the food source, find the deer.  Problem is there is too much food everywhere so you can never tell where the deer will be. 

We have had a good bit of hunting activity at the club already, so as early as it is in the season, I think that hunting pressure is already effecting their patterns.  It will be interesting to see how it pans out.  :


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## Jim Thompson (Sep 28, 2004)

A whole lotta food.  Once the browse dies off the acorns and plots will be key.

Jim


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## PAPALAPIN (Sep 28, 2004)

*Jim - I Agree*

But when I say acorns are everywhere, I mean everywhere.  Now the lease itself has lots of pine woods so the plqace to concentrate is in teh hardwoods.  However, the WMA adjacent to the lease is a mix of pines and hardwoods.  Everywhere you go on the WMA has acorns.  

I set out a mix of corn, some kind of peas all mixed up with molassas.  I put it out two weeks ago and it has not been touched.  At several gun hunting spots     I threw out a few handfulls of corn just to see how long it would take the deer to find it, figuring it would disappear long before gun season.  I sneak in to check the spots and it is obvious that they have not been touched.  This has been for about two weeks.  FREAKY!!


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## highcountry (Sep 28, 2004)

I wished that both clubs did QDM since we are on Cobbs. The people on dixie should be more selective.


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## highcountry (Sep 28, 2004)

There have been two does killed on Cobbs side/ one the 21st and one the 27th. There have been a lot of deer being seen.


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## Jim Thompson (Sep 28, 2004)

Highcountry, it would be nice if everyone was QDM (managed of some sort), but at least theya re abiding by their club's rules.

Papa...same in Heard, acorns everywhere we walk.  The bottoms are loaded and theya re not touching our plots yet.

Jim


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## highcountry (Sep 28, 2004)

i do agree as long as they abide by the rules. Just because a deer walks up you don't have to kill it. Kill the does let the little bucks grow up. I am all for killing the deer just like to be selective. Just my personal veiws and don't expect anyone or eveyone to agree with me. Just wish the little guys with horns would be passe don. I passed on a legal eight opening weekend out there he just wasn't what I was looking for especially the opening weekend.


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## PAPALAPIN (Sep 29, 2004)

*Last Year - After Only Seeing Button Bucks An Spotted Does*

I had an eight point sneak in on me at about 15 yards.  I made the shot and dropped it in its tracks.  When I climbed down to check it out, I realized that it was about a 1-1/2 year old buck.  If I had let it walk, it would have been a great 2-1/2 year old next year, if it survived the season.  Although it was an 8 pt., I estimate that it would have scored about 55.  

If I had realized that in time, I may not have taken him.  However, it is a lot to expect someone to pass up when they have not even seen a decent doe while hunting.

I will obey all of DIXIE's rules.  I disagree with some in COBBS LEGION.  Their QDM policy prevents me from taking a big ole cow horn spike.  Something that should be taken out of the gene pool.  I don't consider it QUALITY deer management if we are letting an inferior deer stay in the woods to breed any doe that he can.

Steve is a great club manager for both clubs, but there are a few things that I would do different.

On DIXIE, we are allowed to shoot anything we see, as long as it is legal.  I got to admit that this means to some members "IF IT'S BROWN IT'S DOWN" and I don't agree with that philosophy.  However, some of our members hunted all last season and never  got an opportunity for a shot.  I can understand the frustration of seeing NOTHING, and when you finally do, take the shot.   Also, it happens that someone sees a doe sneaking through at 200 yds, has an opportunity to make the shot, takes it, only to find out that is was a fawn just out of spots.  It is hard to judge the size of a single deer at 200 yards with nothing close by to quage the size.  Some of us can do it, but them some of us can't.

The hunting on DIXIE and COBBS LEGION may not be as good as some trophy clubs in the Piedmont, or S. GA.  However, I feel that Steve has done a great job in devloping the quality of hunting on both clubs, and all of us should considere it as our obligation to support his efforts and do anything that we can toward that end.


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## highcountry (Sep 29, 2004)

I completely agree with the cow horn theory the only problem is that if you put it out to everyone to shoot an inferior buck then all bucks become inferior. Not everyone is that experiance to know the difference. As for the people that hunted last year and saw nothing that is on them. Steve is doing a great job and I appreciate everything he does. He has a two great clubs that has more deer on it that what a lot of people think. I have walked about every bit of woods on the property and Steve will confirm this. I have been seeing all kinds of deer. I have seen some more than one in the 130-140 class. I still think that the rules should be the same since the clubs are merely seperated by a dirt road. I also think that the club members on both sides should carry a trash bag everytime they hunt and on the way out make an effort to pick up any trash they see. Remember if your not part of the solution then you could be part of the problem.... Good luck this year. Hopefully those that did not see a deer last year will llisten to the experianced hunters and learn. You have to do your homework to be successful!!!!


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## dixie (Sep 29, 2004)

*Highc*

Shhhhh!!!!!!! If jack ever learns how to scout, he might be dangerous!!!!!


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## PAPALAPIN (Sep 30, 2004)

*Highcountry*

I don't necessarily disagree with you on the QDM and the quality of the population.

HOWEVER - We are in total agreement on the trash bag theory.  Most of the litter on the lease is NOT left by the members, but by tresspassers.  The property on both clubs is so easily accessed by the general public, it is too easy to get to.  On occasion, I have gone down the dirt road where I hunt and found over a case of empty beer cans, and other miscelaneous party trash.  Teenagers?  Probably.

When Jim Willoughby makes has rounds of the property and finds things like this, the reflection can be on the membership, even if it is off season.  It goes a long way with the landowners if we are doing what we can to keep the property clean, even if we are not the guilty parties in the littering.  You cannot go wrong with keeping the landowner happy.  

Although it was none of us, someone dumped a lot of scrap from a cabinet replacement job right at Jim's cable on Gibson road.  He was not  a happy camper.  Someone else dumped a load of junk and shingles on COBBS LEGION.  Steve cleaned that up himself.  This in an effort to keep the property clean for us to hunt, and also to keep the landowner happy.  

I got a feeling that most of the membership do not have a clue to what Steve does all year long in maintaing the clubs.  I really feel that he should have a mandatory work day for cleanup where every member is required to participate.  Those that cannot make the cleanup day can either come out on another day to do their part, or pay an extra $100.00/yr.  There are no other clubs that I know of that you can pay yopur dues and then do nothing else but hunt.  Every club that I have been in had required work days.  Our gang is too spoiled.  I think that Steve shoud start requiring this, and if someone does not like it, they are more than welcome to join another club

Just my thoughts.

I take it that you are in COBBS LEGION


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## highcountry (Sep 30, 2004)

I agree with the work day as well. I believe and the way we did it in the club I ran was we had 3 work days a year. Each member had to make two of the three work days. That way schedules could be arranged as to meet them. And yes I am on Cobbs and could not be happier with 99.9% of the way things are going. Hope to see ya out there just not in the woods. Best of luck to you and all the guys and gals on Dixie. Keep us updated on the harvest. Hopefully I will have some good pics from IL next week.


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## BassWorm (Oct 6, 2004)

Folks are just at different stages of their hunting experience and most will change as they grow older and have more deer under their belts. But some will always kill as many as are legal. Everybody has different standards they hunt by and as long as they are legal no ones ideas are any better than the other guys. It is hard to let smaller ones walk and then see them get shot by someone that doesn't necessarily need a deer. Live and let live as long as they abide by the law and the club rules.


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