Pay Dirt! 

November - The Month When All Of The Work Is Rewarded.

True hunters are wildlife managers, conservationists and in many ways - a deer’s best friend. While this is a hard concept for the non-hunting crowd to understand considering our goal every year seems to boil down to 40 or 50 pounds of tightly-wrapped packages of venison in the freezer. But, we are the stewards of the resource for the entire year despite the fact that we take to the field’s each fall with chosen weapon in hand. 

Few could understand what it’s like to provide supplemental feed, plant extensive food plots, selectively log our properties to create ideal habitat, and basically invest in the health of a deer herd. These activities go far beyond merely writing a check to an animal welfare organization or simply doing nothing, which is what most of society chooses to do. 

In addition to the deer, a plethora of other game and non-game animals benefit from our labor. The sheer amount of songbirds that take their share of supplemental food is astounding and evident to anyone who has watched a food plot or a bait station for any amount of time, especially in the spring and fall. Other birds like turkeys, pheasants and grouse also benefit, as do the predators and birds of prey that feed on them. Critters like rabbits, woodchucks, skunks and even raccoons benefit as well. In fact, if one were to trace the complicated food chain, or more appropriately food web, in any given property that has been improved for wildlife the true impact would be amazing.

This isn’t meant to gloss over our intentions or provide a false altruism because throughout this month most of us will try to reap tangible rewards from our work. The rut is the best time of year for most of us and it truly is the time where we set aside our stewardship roles and become predators. This transition from caretaker to hunter is not taken lightly, yet it’s impossible to ignore the fact that we’ve earned it on many levels. 

My evasive point in all of this rambling is simple - get out now and hunt. November is the best month of the year and the time is now to spend your days watching pinch points, bottlenecks, food plots and any other place that a cruising buck might pass through with his nose to the ground and his caution tossed in the wind. Enjoy it, you’ve earned it.