Gonna comment on this..........

Since 1991 when I saw liberal doe permits becoming more liberal........I saw the writing on the wall. I saw nothing but FIGHTING coming to those that took deer hunting as a "few days/weeks" a year sport.....and had nothing more than intentions of quick flipping through the regs a week or a couple of days before season to see what their "limit" was...........and then head out to "take" what they could.

I knew they were the majority back then.......and knew they were going to be the majority that took us down an UGLY road.

I decided to do something different.

By 1995 I had talked to all the friends/family and farmers that were close friends to me.........and set aside/locked up/ and managed the ground as we all saw best to do. Believe it or not.......I have not "locked up" another piece of ground since 1995. Those 4 years I put those properties together was all I have....I stopped...I had enough here in Indiana. At first we got noticed very little.........under the radar.....deer were abundant everywhere.....but all of us involved knew what we were doing was about to get noticed.......as "outside" of our boundaries, things were getting very ugly.

So we started telling others face to face......and on Forums how to keep "Quantity and Quality" thriving. The reason we started talking is we knew our recipe could be duplicated EASILY......... VERY EASILY.......

What we weren't prepared for.........and our "learning curve" was to discover was that the "immediacy" for what we had, and lack of "investment" others were wanting to give to "get what we had" was astonishing. Just flat out astonishing. We found out that by looking a man in the face that deer hunts and using words like "shoot your limit, more weapons, who cares about your neighbor, there's plenty out there, etc, etc" .....they smiled often. We also found out that by looking a man in the face that deer hunts and using words like "restraint, pass that buck, take just what you need, set a limit and stick to it, leave some for next year, IDNR limit quotas don't have to be your limit quotas, etc, etc, etc" ......they frowned often. But they smiled often at our results......but knew to get there they were going to have to adhere to words that made them "frown".

..........and the Majority stuck with the words/tactics that the made them "smile in the moment".......cause words and tactics that had to do with investment was just too difficult or foreign to them.........until it SLAPPED them in the face. And then guess what happens..........they then want to BUTCHER the ones that tried to help them see ahead. The pav's, the Joe's, the Dew's......Butcher them!!! It's easier to throw eggs at those who demonstrate how to get there, and talk freely about HOW to get there with good plans, and show results how to get there in the face of "disaster all around them"..........than to listen.

But guess what........I know that this all will come full circle. I'm used to walking around with knives in my back and knives in my face....you just get numb to it after awhile.....and you "consider the source"........and you know that slowly but surely you make a difference to a few....and you then get to see those few you've influenced turn around and influence a few..........and the next thing ya' know..........you have MANY!!

The sad part of all of this is seeing the effort hunters make to shoot themselves in the foot in the name of "instant gratification this year"........and the effort they make to ignore/demonize those that reflect what they want most.

My hope is that every one of you that want what I have.........gets it.........works for it.........tells the IDNR they want it.....and apply all those words and effort that make it hard for a bit........... because the HARD is what makes it GREAT.

..........I'll keep reminding ya'll of that.

Good post Cody.