Hi, my name is Chris I’m 14 and i live 25 miles north of Detroit, Michigan. I love hunting so much. I always go about 30 miles north of where i live to a town called Almont, Michigan and we hunt the corn fields with Soy Bean, Sweet Corn, and Parsnips. We have some big dear up hear. We have about 5-6 Boon and Crockett bucks up here with 10 points plus 150 class about 18-25 inch spread well outside the ears. Big body to I’m guessing around 200 dress 175 180 field dressed. Well anyways Ive been hunting with my dad since i was 3 or 4 years old, but i have been hunting by my self for two years and my first year i got a 7 point buck 3 or 4 inches outside ears bout 130 140 class. Second year i got a 8 point buck 140 class 180 dress 150 field dressed. This year me and my dad and my cousin are going for one of the boon and Crockett. One of these bucks is the biggest buck of my life i have ever seen hunting and on TV. Well much bigger then the ones on your show. But to the point of this letter is i love watching your show so much. I love hunting and its my favorite sport. Just watching your show and all the big bucks i get the fever for hunting but to bad i still have to wait another month till the youth hunt and then October 15 Is opening day for bow hunting. I still have a bit to go but your shows are amazing. The one thing that the problem is is that you guys are not hunting like a true hunter. You guys bait the deer with acres of food plots and those deer enhancement stuff and all the minerals and the tripod that bait comes out of it. Why don’t you guys come somewhere by i live and do some real hunting. Here in Michigan Food Plots, mineral licks, any type of baiting its illegal to try to prevent TB, CWD (Chronic Waste Disease). Because when baiting the deer are huddled up noses together. But that does not stop spreading because in the harsh winters the dear are huddled up to preserve body heat so it can spread that way. I heard you guys say that people are complaining that you guys are not really hunting before on the show and you guys say you have to go where the big fish are (Metaphor Big Deer) well we have the big deer but you need to know how to hunt to get them. By you guys the deer are ust to shots and people so there not so skittish by us the deer are skittish because there not ust to people like you guys. You guys need to do i real hunt here in Michigan where there are big whitetails. Sure you guys have fun but you guys make it unfair for the deer you guys trap them into coming in then shoot we have to do the old fashion way look for scraps rubs and place a stand there use doe pee and know where there routes are. Sure my 1 dream that i would like would be to come to El Casador or El Tecomate Ranch for a hunt but the airfare and 3 or 4 thousand dollars ain’t worth it for 200 pounds of meat. All I’m saying is that you would satisfy allot of people if you do a real hunt. One day i am going to come to your ranch and hunt it tho because i never knew hunting is that easy for you guys. Plus you guys can use riffles we cant in the Lower Part of Michigan its illegal because riffles shoot far and there people down in the lower part. I am going to come to your ranch someday when i get enough money and get a big dear like Oceans 13. Have a good and easy hunt and ill go have my true hunt without food plots or baiting and ill get as big bucks as you guys but i wont get a big buck every week maybe once a YEAR!
Sincerely, Chris S

Hey man, i agree with what your saying some what. I don’t see a problem with food plots, because i also live in michigan and i know the laws. They have been tightend down on us michigan people but my plot was in before they started putting these regulations down. Well sometimes it doesn’t hurt putting out good protein for the deer. Corn, soybeans, alfalfa. They all are about the same. I don’t like the feeders eather but in texas there is not much that grows. When you hunt them corn fields, and all the others. Its just like hunting over a plot, i don’t hunt over mine but the routes going to and coming from are good to. I think your in what zone 1, i’m in zone 3 I live down by the indiana border. So we have alot of corn, beans, and alfalfa. The hole thing about the deer having the diseases transfered by nose to nose contact. It doesn’t matter what we do its gonna happen, how many times have you seen deer eating on the same corn. Or the same leftover beans in the fields. The deer are constantly touching noses and other things. Its gonna happen, we can do are best to control. anyway good luck hunting them big ones.  i’ve been after a the same deer for 4 years now and i haven’t seen him yet. Its got me worried that he died of old age. He’s a monster, hopefully he will show up on camera here soon. have a good season.

It is great to hear about your hunting success, and your continued interest in the sport for the future.  There are so many different types of “hunting” in the world today, that there will always be differences in opinions.  The most important goal is for you to hunt methods which you enjoy, and to be open to other methods.

You hunt over corn, soybeans, etc. when you are hunting, which I assume are planted by a farmer.  Yet if I plant food plots myself no matter what the size I am all of a sudden baiting?  I think everything has to be measured, and not given a blanket view point.  I have several food plots which are never hunted and are for food only, and some that can only be hunted on one end due to size.  I personally think if I am putting the effort into building my property to better sustain the all wildlife (turkeys quail, dove, non-game animals and deer) with fields of food, I am giving more then I ever take.  Also, that whether you put in a food plot, poor deer scent on the ground, sit on a watering hole, you are never going to guarantee seeing deer much less killing one.

Good luck this season!

TXHunter,

Couldn’t have said it better myself.  I totally agree with you, that you are putting more back into the land and wildlife than you will ever take out.  Good luck this season to everone, I know bow season starts tomorrow in KY. 

Scott