Meat Hunt(s)

[TakeABreakAndTouchGrass]

This was kind of inspired by the "Donating the Meat. . ." thread. But it's also a little self serving because who wouldn't want to fill their freezer easily as well?

Ignoring all other aspects (chasing specific species, hunting specific areas, dream hunts, etc.), except cost and convenience, what do you consider the easiest/cheapest way to fill your freezer? We often talk about chasing mule deer through the rolling hills/mountains or drawing a great elk tag somewhere, but I want to know about the hunts you can and/or do go on that you just know you'll knock down a deer or two over a weekend hunt. Is it hunting your buddies farm? Does anyone have a lease that they use to stock the freezer? Maybe it's whitetail does on a piece of public property that is just out of balance in buck/doe ratios. Does anyone travel out of state just for the purpose of filling their freezer on an easy hunt?

A friend of mine has family property in West Virginia, about 160 acres. It's terribly managed and his uncles have given everyone they meet permission to hunt for the slightest of reasons. I'd never expect to kill a decent buck there, but I could comfortably plan to kill at least one doe during rifle season on every trip I went. And, if I drive and stay at the property, I can do the trip for about $400-500. The 18 hour drive each way is probably the hardest part of the hunt and it's a lot of fun to do with a group of guys.

 

[bushman13]

For Florida folks, and I've been one, private deer leases in S Georgia are the easiest way to fill the freezer.

Now that I've moved to CO, I now hunt for the experience.

 

[npaden]

I would say that my son and I both shooting whitetail bucks from the balcony of our house last year using our lifetime hunting licenses would be pretty hard to top on cost and convenience.

Here's his.

Eli’s 2018 Whitetail by naathan2, on Flickr

Mine was his twin but I shot him closer to dark and didn't get any good pictures.

We could shoot up to 3 does each, but I still think the population could grow some more so I haven't been shooting any does.

 

[TakeABreakAndTouchGrass]

For Florida folks, and I've been one, private deer leases in S Georgia are the easiest way to fill the freezer.

Now that I've moved to CO, I now hunt for the experience.

I've never looked into the GA leases. I know that FL leases are crazy expensive. The cost of one near me could pay for my Idaho trip this year four times over.

 

[bushman13]

They are not too bad, I had one for 20 years. Leased directly from a former President.

 

[2rocky]

I think the South East could win the volume award. Alabama is 8 in some places? Texas is another Stack 'em up state as Npaden has shown.

Out west I think a late season cow elk hunt in a hayfield would be a worthwhile meat gathering trip for volume and quality.

 

[Scott85]

What county in WV? If you don't mind me asking.

 

[bushman13]

Georgia is 12 and Alabama is a deer a day unless something has changed.

I think the South East could win the volume award. Alabama is 8 in some places? Texas is another Stack 'em up state as Npaden has shown.

Out west I think a late season cow elk hunt in a hayfield would be a worthwhile meat gathering trip for volume and quality.

 

[madtom]

Wyoming doe antelope. I can pull out of my driveway and go fill a tag faster than I can go buy meat at the grocery store.

 

[TakeABreakAndTouchGrass]

What county in WV? If you don't mind me asking.

No problem at all. It's in Barbour County (I had to ask, lol).

 

[Scott85]

No problem at all. It's in Barbour County (I had to ask, lol).

I would hunt there. Kill a doe or two on the farm then head to the National Forest and try and catch the old of those old mountain bucks. I've hunted in Pendleton, Randolph and Hardy counties in WV. I still have permission to hunt a farm in Pendleton that's kind of like how you describe the farm you can hunt; everybody hunts it because the Cousin of the landowner lives next door and gives everybody permission and the owner of the farm doesn't want any bad blood between them.

 

[Scott85]

I would hit the Smoke Holes for trout fishing and Dolly Sods for the views.

 

[Deleted member 28227]

I've done a couple different meat hunts, doe pronghorn in WY and whitetail in MT... I think the best bang for your buck is probably a private land cow elk on winter range.

 

[thusby]

Hunting a Wisconsin wooded draw, in between 2 corn fields, has to be the closest thing to a 1 day slam dunk I can think of. If you are a brown is down guy you should be out by lunch on opening day without much trouble.

 

[1_pointer]

Between me and the 2 boys with tags, we can kill plenty of does in IN. Many of the public land properties do not allow for does to be shot, but some do. The one we border does. We probably won't take more than 2 a year off our place, but will be looking at some options near there to take some more.

 

[TakeABreakAndTouchGrass]

I would say that my son and I both shooting whitetail bucks from the balcony of our house last year using our lifetime hunting licenses would be pretty hard to top on cost and convenience.

. . .

We could shoot up to 3 does each, but I still think the population could grow some more so I haven't been shooting any does.

I've warned my wife that, sooner or later, I'll be looking to move somewhere with more hunting opportunities nearby. I don't know if the deer have to be this close, but it can't hurt lol. It's either that or we both just have to get comfortable with me paying not insignificant amounts of money to travel to hunt (almost) every year.

 

[Deleted member 16014]

It's going to depend a lot on where you live of course. If you've got the connections a farm cow elk hunt (with two+ tags potentially) has to be about tops in meat per time and effort invested. I'm sure the slam dunk factor is sky high for WT does in many cases. For me personally it's probably cow elk on public land. When I lived in MT it was easier to find a truck bed full of WT does to shoot than a legal elk on public land, so we did that.

 

[PrairieHunter]

Easiest public land meat hunt I know of is Kansas. Without a buck tag you can't buy a doe tag until the late season but there is no shortage of does.

 

[TakeABreakAndTouchGrass]

Between me and the 2 boys with tags, we can kill plenty of does in IN. Many of the public land properties do not allow for does to be shot, but some do. The one we border does. We probably won't take more than 2 a year off our place, but will be looking at some options near there to take some more.

I have a friend that has let me hunt his property in Indiana a couple times. We haven't seen much there but we've also probably not hit it the right time. He has private property all around him that hit the herd pretty hard. I think he told me that he and his boy can take something like 15 does per season if they wanted to due to extra anterless tags. Apparently a lot does running around the public land there.

 

[PrairieHunter]

As far as cheapest NR youth deer tags are $8 in Nebraska.