Ames Plantation

[Buzzard Breath]

I do wish Ames was closer as I would LOVE to have access to that much private ground for a decent price.

You and me both. I'd love to have an "Ames" on the east side.


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[TheLBLman]

A week of hunting won't replace an entire season at least for me. . . . . .

Exactly.

However, many less avid deer hunters typically hunt only a week or less for an entire year, no matter "where" that hunting might be. These particular guys aren't necessarily giving up any hunting time, and many of them actually could benefit greatly from a "guide". I'd bet you even have a few Ames members who hunt 7 days or less a year?

As to some of the Ames members I know (such as yourself, Mike Belt, Andy S., etc.), you guys absolutely do not "need" a guide on an out-of-state hunt, you simply need acreage to hunt, and I suspect many of you would fare as well hunting public land ("unguided") in some non-resident states as many others would fare on some "guided" hunts on private land.

 

[TNRifleman]

With my stage of life and the fact that I have 4 young kids at home, my days in the woods are pretty limited, just because we do stuff together outdoors on a lot of weekends. I enjoy hunting a bunch but I do not get to spend the time necessary to thoroughly scout an area to consider hunting big bucks. I am thankful if I get to take a few does each year. That may change as my kids get older and I have more free time on the weekends but for now, I cannot justify the $1600 for as much as I get to hunt.

With that in mind, as to the question of a week vs. a season, I would give up whitetail hunting altogether if I had to, to take a week long elk hunting trip each year. It probably has to do more with living on a mountain for a week with a couple of good friends and truly getting away from everything, but that would be my preference.

 

[Winchester]

Weather is such a HUGE factor when planning out of state "one shot" trips that I normally like to schedule at least 10 days, and 2 weeks if popssible, especially on Bow hunts which most all of mine are. I definitely couldnt give up an entire season hunting with my Dad and boys to just hunt a single 2 week hunt elsewhere. I simply like being in the woods too much for that!

To answer FC, yes surrounding properties help any and all tracts regardless of size, as the boundary is sharing deer with others no matter how large it is.

 

[jb357]

Hell for 1300 and change I can buy a Colorado elk tag and a buck tag in Nebraska. Then just hunt lbl the rest of the year.
Yea yea I'm not including gas but still, I don't care how magical ames is, it's got nothing on Colorado or Nebraska

 

[fairchaser]

Hell for 1300 and change I can buy a Colorado elk tag and a buck tag in Nebraska. Then just hunt lbl the rest of the year.
Yea yea I'm not including gas but still, I don't care how magical ames is, it's got nothing on Colorado or Nebraska

Yes, but in my experience the tag cost is about 20% of the total cost of the hunt and that's a DIY hunt unless you hitchhike and sleep in your own tent your gonna spend a lot more. Then you have to find some public land that's not crowded. I don't care how good Nebraska is as a state, it still comes down to location. I do a DIY hunt in Iowa and we go cheap. We share a cheap hotel room and travel in a single vehicle. We get free permission to hunt private land and it still costs about $1200 each for a week of hunting including the tags.

 

[Buzzard Breath]

To me, joining Ames wouldn't be about the money, or what else I could do with the money. I already hunt multiple states and do at least 1 western hunt a year. Joining Ames would be because I'd want a large tract of well managed land in close proximity to where I live that had a limited membership where all members are on the same page with what they expect out of the property. I also love the "no" atv policy. Now, who wants to buy 10,000+ acres around Knoxville for us? [WINKING FACE]

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[fairchaser]

:super:

To me, joining Ames wouldn't be about the money, or what else I could do with the money. I already hunt multiple states and do at least 1 western hunt a year. Joining Ames would be because I'd want a large tract of well managed land in close proximity to where I live that had a limited membership where all members are on the same page with what they expect out of the property. I also love the "no" atv policy. Now, who wants to buy 10,000+ acres around Knoxville for us? [WINKING FACE]

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You hit the nail squarely on the head B.B. :super:

 

[AT Hiker]

I agree with BB and Fairchaser about Ames.
As for spending the money on out of state hunts it is all relative. If you drop 4-5k on a outfitted hunt your expectations are high. If your doing a DIY hunt then everything is left up to you and it becomes more about the adventure.
Many of you would be surprised how doable out of state DIY hunts are. It comes down to time more than anything though and if I didn't have the time and lived close to Ames it would be a no brainer for me to join.


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[UpperTully]

I left Ames this year (was on the club the previous 2 years) to join a different club for 3 reasons:
1 - Ames doesn't allow youth under 10 on the property, and my son was 8 (now 9).
2 - there are only 2 types of hunting allowed on the property - squirrel (prior to deer season opening) and deer hunting. I wanted to have something to do in January/February and possibly turkey season.
3 - There is no gun range on the property, and I wanted a place that I could go with my son and shoot rifles for practice, as all of my other spots and options have evaporated.

I was really toying with the idea of joining Ames until I read your post. I have 2 boys coming of age where they can hunt. Another consideration would be Chaney. I was able to hunt there this year as a visitor and liked what that place had to offer, for a cheaper price.

I can definitely understand your desire for a more family friendly club.

Out of curiosity, what club did you end up joining?

 

[fairchaser]

The newsletter just came out and the good buck harvest, doe harvest and overall sightings are down by 30%. Management is certain this due to the early season warm weather and late leaf drop based on many trail photos of good buck's that have yet to come in. This bodes well for next year's crop of good bucks. The downside is that the bad and ugly boards have a few too many bucks. This is obviously the effect of anxious hunters and partially obscured antlers. We should have killed 30 good bucks this year and while some of the season remains we've only killed 18.

Another interesting observation was the effect that the proliferation of trail cameras has on the herd with respect to felt pressure. What was thought of as making the hunter more productive might have the opposite effect. While many of us consider the trail camera as a win win all the time, there is also a cost of hunter presence.

 

[Headhunter]

The newsletter just came out and the good buck harvest, doe harvest and overall sightings are down by 30%. Management is certain this due to the early season warm weather and late leaf drop based on many trail photos of good buck's that have yet to come in. This bodes well for next year's crop of good bucks. The downside is that the bad and ugly boards have a few too many bucks. This is obviously the effect of anxious hunters and partially obscured antlers. We should have killed 30 good bucks this year and while some of the season remains we've only killed 18.

Another interesting observation was the effect that the proliferation of trail cameras has on the herd with respect to felt pressure. What was thought of as making the hunter more productive might have the opposite effect. While many of us consider the trail camera as a win win all the time, there is also a cost of hunter presence.

I am of the "no camera" mindset. Cameras to me spook and educate more deer than many other things in my opinion.

 

[TX300mag]

There is a certain aspect of community that Ames provides that is worth more to some than inches of antler on the ground. My guess is a lot of lifelong friendships are made and there's encouragement to be found when needed. I'll go out on a limb and say that the average Ames hunter wouldn't find a guided hunt as fulfilling as the Ames experience.

Just a guess, though.

 

[fairchaser]

There is a certain aspect of community that Ames provides that is worth more to some than inches of antler on the ground. My guess is a lot of lifelong friendships are made and there's encouragement to be found when needed. I'll go out on a limb and say that the average Ames hunter wouldn't find a guided hunt as fulfilling as the Ames experience.

Just a guess, though.

Comraderie with friends is a huge part of the hunting club experience. While we may drive separate trucks, I rarely go hunting alone anymore. Sharing your experiences, victories and failures with buddies who understand completely is priceless. This is a part of why I prefer a club over hunting my own land. I also doubt I would go on a guided hunt without a friend to accompany me. It's just not the same as sharing the experience with someone else that solidifies the memories.

 

[UpperTully]

I am of the "no camera" mindset. Cameras to me spook and educate more deer than many other things in my opinion.

I think they are a very useful tool if used properly. I think a lot of people like to hang them and check them every few days. I've had better luck letting them hang and checking them every month or so.

 

[mathews338]

The newsletter just came out and the good buck harvest, doe harvest and overall sightings are down by 30%. Management is certain this due to the early season warm weather and late leaf drop based on many trail photos of good buck's that have yet to come in. This bodes well for next year's crop of good bucks. The downside is that the bad and ugly boards have a few too many bucks. This is obviously the effect of anxious hunters and partially obscured antlers. We should have killed 30 good bucks this year and while some of the season remains we've only killed 18.

Another interesting observation was the effect that the proliferation of trail cameras has on the herd with respect to felt pressure. What was thought of as making the hunter more productive might have the opposite effect. While many of us consider the trail camera as a win win all the time, there is also a cost of hunter presence.

I have a friend that runs 10 or more cameras on about 200 acres because he feels that is the only way to know for sure what is using his property. I agree that only 1 or 2 cams isn't going to capture every buck using the property but I have told him more times than I can count that he is hurting his chances of killing those mature bucks. Every year he gets lots of pics early in the season and some are absolute studs. As the year progresses he gets less and less pics. His neighbors for the last 3 years in a row have killed the biggest buck he had pics of. I only run a few cams and only before the season, the bucks are there and I don't need a cam to tell me that.

I have been on tndeer for a long time now and have kept up with Ames a little. I have often wished it was closer or something real similar was close by. It does seem like there should be more mature bucks killed every year on a property like Ames. I know some of you guys are probably extremely picky and may pass several bucks that are just a tad above the minimum. Also have to consider the fact that a lot of the members may have the money to hunt there but that doesn't necessarily mean they know how to hunt for mature bucks. How many members actually hunt hard enough to kill mature bucks with consistency. I'm not smart enough to kill a mature buck in only a few days, I have consistently killed mature bucks for the last 10 years or so but I have relied on a ton of time spent in the woods.

 

[Crosshairy]

I left Ames this year (was on the club the previous 2 years) to join a different club for 3 reasons:
1 - Ames doesn't allow youth under 10 on the property, and my son was 8 (now 9).
2 - there are only 2 types of hunting allowed on the property - squirrel (prior to deer season opening) and deer hunting. I wanted to have something to do in January/February and possibly turkey season.
3 - There is no gun range on the property, and I wanted a place that I could go with my son and shoot rifles for practice, as all of my other spots and options have evaporated.

I was really toying with the idea of joining Ames until I read your post. I have 2 boys coming of age where they can hunt. Another consideration would be Chaney. I was able to hunt there this year as a visitor and liked what that place had to offer, for a cheaper price.

I can definitely understand your desire for a more family friendly club.

Out of curiosity, what club did you end up joining?

I sent you a PM on the subject...it's still showing up in my outbox, so I can't tell whether it went through, or if perhaps you don't have room. Check and see. I have a bunch of thoughts on this, but prefer to keep some of them off of the open forum.

 

[UpperTully]

I sent you one back, its not showing as being sent either.