The world is shrinking Hunting seems to cost more and more each year . Hunting
lease prices in Texas have sky rocketed in recent years. Anyone with a small acreage is
tempted to hunt on his own property. The prices are cheaper and the up side to this
situation is that you can build permanent fixtures on your property to make your hunt easier.
Permanent stands can be built. Housing can be established for your comfort that could
never happen on a lease. I like comfort. Electricity is nice. Air conditioning and heaters are
even better. I have erected a hunting lodge on my place that will accommodate up to six
people. It has comfortable beds and a television to watch in case the Cowboys are having a
game during the hunting experience. I have a refrigerator and a freezer installed. A futon that
makes into a bed is another add on that works. A microwave oven and an electric grill make
life that much easier.
Roughing it in the outdoors can be accomplished by time spent in blinds either by freezing
or burning up The sweat caused by 95 degree temperatures add to the creativity. It seems
that mosquitoes really like and are attracted to sweat. Being used as a human pin cushion
is no ones idea of luxury. If that is not roughing it I do not know what is. Walking through
calf high water could also be labeled as roughing it in the outdoors. Roughing it has its
limits. I had my fill of roughing it during my tour in the Army. Comfort has its own rewards.
A rested and fresh hunter is a hunter prepared for any situation.
If you think that just because you own that stretch of earth that you can have privacy think
again. On one hunt with my son I was told to look in a certain direction. I looked and what I
saw amazed me. There was a hunter on my property aiming at my deer feeder with his rifle
and preparing to use that feeder as target practice. Maybe that was the only thing he had
seen all day.
Hunting on one's own property can be beneficial. As years go by you can almost tell where
the deer are going to be at any given time. You don't have to spend time scouting through
the woods with the probable outcome of sending every deer on your place onto the next
property. If you get bored the neighbor across the road can come over and remind you of
your promise to cut him a cord of firewood. It is November and the temperatures have
dropped into the 50's. Too cold to survive much longer without the benefit of firewood and a
wood stove. Other neighbors that come to call can remind you that their ninety-eight year
old mother disapproves of the gunshots. She would appreciate it if you did not fire your rifle
any more this year. One neighbor reported me to the game and fish commission. I had
hunted on an adjoining ranch and shot a beautiful mature axis deer. Since the deer had
spots she believed it to be a fawn and reported me to the authorities. Everything has its ups
and downs. The only thing left for me to do is to build a high fence around my property. The
idea is not to keep the deer in but the neighbors out. Enjoy your deer hunting experience
this year.
Steve Graham is an avid hunter and fisherman and shares his experiences and opinions through articles he writes.
