I spent Saturday morning looking over the new hunting lease I got onto for my son and me this year. We lost the land we'd been hunting for the last last twelve seasons (and his entire hunting life) to gas wells last year.
I didn't get properly prepared for this situation last year, and I didn't secure any confirmed hunting land for us. That was a mistake, it turned out, and my son and I spent last season hunting like nomads, wandering from place to place hunting sporadically on the kind invitations of others. It didn't feel good, I have to tell you.
So, I was delighted to find an ad on Craigslist for an opening at Roundhill Hunting Club, which turned out to be just an hour's drive from where we live in central Arkansas. I know exactly what the land is like in the area, so I jumped on it sight-unseen.
After looking at it yesterday morning, I am really pleased with my decision. For my son and me, who have been hunting for years on a 310 acre piece of land, this is a massive amount of land to explore (2,500 acres). We're going to have our job cut out for us to find our stand sites for archery season.
First, the stats:
Location: The land lays across the boundary between Hot Spring and Dallas counties in south central Arkansas.
Size: 2,500 acres.
Type: Timber company land, mostly pine, with some hardwood.
Game: Abundant deer and turkey. Bear have also been seen. Also has some wild hogs, coyote, etc.
What to expect: In southern Arkansas' pine woods, unlike the farmlands in the delta, we can expect large numbers of deer, but not "trophy" bucks. 8 and 10 pointers will be common, but they are not likely to have large, heavy racks. The turkey hunting should be top-notch.
I met "Goober," the club president, at a McDonald's near the interstate. He then took me to the camp house for a tour of it and the land.
The camp house is a large metal building that the members have decked out with a full kitchen, group dining area, barracks-style bunks, and a living area with recliners and a fireplace. It has running water, a shower and restrooms. It also has a walk-in-freezer.
The lease includes use of the camphouse and land anytime, year-round. My son and I like to tent camp, so I confirmed with Goober that there is no problem with us scouting out a campsite of ourselves anywhere on the property and staying there when we hunt.
Goober spent a lot of time with me, driving the property and pointing out stands that are available for sharing, and locations where there are no stands at all.
He also showed me several large patches of land that arent hunted much because they aren't easy to get into. I marked the entry points to these areas on my GPS because my son and I actually like to hunt the hard-to-reach areas.
Goober said that the timber company does not have any rules against constructing permanent stands, but I don't think I'll build any. Wal-mart sells buddy-stands that I like to use when hunting with my son - and they cost about the same as the treated lumber would cost to build a stand, and are easier to get into the woods and set up.
We'll also use climbing stands (my son's first year for using one by himself). I'll be careful to make sure he is well-practiced in using one, and knows how to be safe.
The land has some high points overlooking previous cutovers that have been replanted. You can see the different ages of the pines spreading off into the distance.
There are going to be LOTS of ideal locations for different types of hunting - archery, muzzleloader, shotgun, and rifle. We'll be able to find great spots for hunting short range in dense foliage, and long range over cutovers.
We saw does and fawns as we drove the property, and I found LOTS of tracks...deer, turkey, bobcat, coyote, and small game. Did not see any bear tracks, but I was only there for the morning and we were in the truck most of the time.
The scouting is going to be hot, buggy, and miserable this summer, but its an investment we are going to have to be willing to make. I could take us a couple of seasons to get a "feel" for this place.
All-in-all, I'm really pleased. Its not the perfect location for us, but the large amount of land combined with the friendly members, abundant game, and nearness to our home is hard to beat.
