After chasing elusive deer stalking opportunities for the past year, me & a mate called in on someone we know over the border in Scotland this afternoon with the idea of booking a couple of deer stalking session with him.
Bear in mind that the UK's mostly pretty crowded & a good deal is $130-200 a day for deer stalking, plus a carcase fee.
What we came away with was an agreement where we get to shoot over 3 separate areas of forestry totalling more than 4,000 acres which are solid with roe & sitka, with some red's thrown in too. Minimum take's 10 deer a year, with the opportunity for many more as the population is WAY too high & needs managed more effectively.
All for less than $1,300 a year & no more than 90 minutes from home.
I'm well happy.
here's the largest block:

English Mike, what a find!!! They do not come any better than that! Wishing you great success.

great stuff....your freezer will be looking healthy in no time.

Mate, you scored well there. That's a lot of money, but when you consider everything it's actually very cheap...maximum of $130 a beastie.

You are allowed to shot the "King's" deer? Wow...Times have changed.

I was talking to someone today about a nearby hunting lease. Apparently the going rate is between $10 and $13 per acre.

The rates in North TX depend on how close you are to the metroplex. Pkslinger, that rate is 1/2 to a 1/4 or more what we pay.

I should also say that there is very little public land to hunt in TX so that drives prices. You basically have to have a private lease to hunt.

Pumpkinslinger wrote:

I was talking to someone today about a nearby hunting lease. Apparently the going rate is between $10 and $13 per acre.

Flippin' 'eck! Here was me wondering if what I'm paying was excessive.

I omitted that I don't have exclusive access & there are 4 more share this but it looks like they don't use it much, if at all (UK firearms laws can bring this kind of thing about).

Turns out the second area is directly south of the one in the photo, so it's pretty much a 6 mile by 1.3 mile block.
Going to head up there on Sunday or Monday for a scouting session, with the intent of getting in a couple of days hunting before Christmas.

Keep us posted, English Mike. Wishing you Hunter's Success and a Merry Christmas!

English Mike, its been a month. Have you been to the property? Does it look as good close up as it does in the sat images? Any success?

I must be losing it - could have sworn I made a post after Monday's trip up.

Me & a mate went up early on Monday morning & arrived just before first sparrow's fart - 87 miles & 90 minutes, not bad for the UK & probably due to the holidays
Had a good look round & found several places that just screamed "deer here!"
no surprises that there were hides tucked away on all of them, though invariably falling to pieces, so I'll make new ones over the summer.
Saw five deer in total; two pairs of roe does & a single sika. None would have been a good shot & in any case, we deliberately left the rifles at home to concentrate on spying out the lay of the land.
There's been a good deal of clear felling & plenty of replanting over the past three or four years, with active logging operations certainly in the past 6 months.
Ended up walking 9½miles & ascending 2,200' which is the biggest workout I've had in the last 8 or so years.

Oh bollox, bloody photo's have come out in reverse order - start with the last & work back up...

Hide = Deer stand or blind.

And there's those nasty ugly wind generators. A scar on the landscape.

Mike, that piece of land looks outstanding mate...you done good, or as we say...you been kissed on the "male appendage" by a fairy.

If nothing else mate, spending a couple of days in that scrub will be good for the constitution...very relaxing.

Bushmaster wrote:

Hide = Deer stand or blind. And there's those nasty ugly wind generators. A scar on the landscape.

Yep.

I've got used to the things & with the amount of wind we get, they do actually work (though the offshore ones are way better & less intrusive).

One advantage is the swishing sound of the blades helps mask small noises when trying to get in range for a shot - works great with the bunnies on a local farm that has its own wind generator.