Well from the posts I have put on here, you all know how much I love deer hunting. It puts food on my table, it is my escape, it is my relaxation, it is my excitement. It is something I was still able to do while paying support for my kids and helping put both of them thru college. It is my time to make memories, sometimes alone and sometimes when my best friend Perry is up hunting with me. We have many funny memories, some not so funny. All on this on land that I do not own, but have been lucky enough to have been able to hunt on the last 22 years. It came about out of friendship, the owner of the land and I coached our sons coaches pitch team toghether. Each year I always thanked them with a card, a ham and gift certificates for letting us hunt there. I always hunted ethically, fair chase, and observed all hunting regulations. I am thankful for all those years. Tonight I got the call that ended all that. I am crushed, haven't felt like this in a long time. First I want to say I am not upset with the owner of the land, disappointed for sure, it came down to a business decision. He was offered 3000 dollars a season to lease his land, 80 acres. to a company based out of Ohio that will in turn lease the rights to hunt it to other hunters. This is not something new, I just didn't think it would happen to me. I have 8 stands on the farm that I have to get out this coming weekend. The people they are leasing to already have trail cams up and running. I have NO where else to hunt, other than public land which is just not safe as far as I am concerned. I feel empty inside. I know its just hunting, but it is what I enjoy. I have always saved my vacation time each year to hunt, as I couldn't afford to do much else. I feel hollow. I am thankful for my health, my kids and granddaughters health and a great job, but I am kind of numb right now. I was so anxious for October 1st to get here, now it doesn't matter, its another day. I will try and go knock on some doors and see if anyone else around here would be willing to let me hunt, but the chances are slim, most places that people allow hunting on are already taken, and I will not go in and crowd in on someone else. I have said before everything happens for a reason, its going to take awhile to understand this one. I hope the "pay to hunt" hunters who move in on this property this year treat it with the respect I have for the last 22 years. I did kill my biggest buck ever last season on this property and for that I am thankful. I just turned 59 years old last week and sure had no plans of retiring from deer hunting, may not have a choice now. Hopefully God will open another property close to home for me.