Deer Hunting Ames Plantation

[Andy S.]

Deer are typically gutted in the field and brought to the check station in one piece to be weighed and jawbone extracted for aging.

 

[BULL MOOSE]

I quickly reviewed the rules from 2015 again.

Rules as in the official contract?

Not sure if it is the 2015 contract, but it was in a packet sent to me last year. I have not received a 2016 contract with rules and was told that I would not receive it until after the July 1 member renewal deadline. This was communicated around May 10.

I decided to send in my deposit this year at the end of March and at that time I was added to a waiting list. I finally decided that the $140 membership monthly fee without any need for work days, food plots or stand maintenance was a fair price based on the opportunity for a chance at mature deer.

Guest days are the deal killer for me! I want to be able to hunt with my brother during Thanksgiving week and he has a camper.

 

[fairchaser]

I quickly reviewed the rules from 2015 again.

Rules as in the official contract?

Not sure if it is the 2015 contract, but it was in a packet sent to me last year. I have not received a 2016 contract with rules and was told that I would not receive it until after the July 1 member renewal deadline. This was communicated around May 10.

I decided to send in my deposit this year at the end of March and at that time I was added to a waiting list. I finally decided that the $140 membership monthly fee without any need for work days, food plots or stand maintenance was a fair price based on the opportunity for a chance at mature deer.

Guest days are the deal killer for me! I want to be able to hunt with my brother during Thanksgiving week and he has a camper.

So, are you joining this year or staying on the waiting list? The guest times are fairly liberal. But opening weekend will definitely be closed to guests. Also, there is a campground available for members to park campers.

 

[Mike Belt]

Ok fellas, that's news to me. But, I have had an ATV permit also which has allowed me to an extension beyond the parking areas.

Bull...The 3 things done at the checking station are aging, scoring, AND weighing. That eliminates the possibility of cutting a deer up in the field. Also, there are specific time frames allowed for bringing guests. I'm not sure Thanksgiving week is one of them.

 

[BULL MOOSE]

Guest days are the deal killer for me! I want to be able to hunt with my brother during Thanksgiving week and he has a camper.[/quote]

So, are you joining this year or staying on the waiting list? The guest times are fairly liberal. But opening weekend will definitely be closed to guests. Also, there is a campground available for members to park campers.[/quote]

I am on the waiting list and plan to pull the trigger.... assuming the week of Thanksgiving is open to a guest. That week is the only week that we could hunt together.

Last year it was.....
Members Only Hunting Time (i.e., no guests):

November 7th and 8th
November 14th
November 21st through November 22nd
December 5th

As I understand it, Houston sends out a memo just prior to hunting season announcing the closed weekends...so I can only assume that maybe the members possibly submit their planned hunting dates and pressure is evaluated.

 

[BULL MOOSE]

Ok fellas, that's news to me. But, I have had an ATV permit also which has allowed me to an extension beyond the parking areas.

Bull...The 3 things done at the checking station are aging, scoring, AND weighing. That eliminates the possibility of cutting a deer up in the field. Also, there are specific time frames allowed for bringing guests. I'm not sure Thanksgiving week is one of them.

Mike, I understand that the deer needs to be properly weighed. I know it seems strange that someone would cut their deer in half, but I don't think the weight would be affected by simply cutting a deer in half and dragging it to the road in two trips.

Maybe it is not too late to add a fine for doing it.

 

[Andy S.]

Guest days are the deal killer for me! I want to be able to hunt with my brother during Thanksgiving week and he has a camper.

I totally understand, but those are peak days for paying members to be in the woods, thus the guest restriction. Ames management has worked very hard to reduce the number of days that guests are not allowed. When the club first started, there were 12 days or so that guests could not hunt, but last year it was only about 5 all season. The goal is to give guests the most opportunity without causing heartache to the paying members. The guest policy worked fine last year and I expect it will be similar come fall.

 

[Mike Belt]

I think one of the reasons that the guest policy is so liberal is that whatever the guest kills is counted towards the sponsoring member's limit. As long as that member knows that on the front end there should be no problems and no one member is allowed more bucks than the next. Guests also help to reach our yearly doe goals.

 

[Andy S.]

I agree Mike, the guests have always helped the club reach the doe quota. Furthermore, allowing guests more access is a way to showcase the club if you will, with the possibility of them becoming members over time.

 

[TNRifleman]

Any idea what the biggest deer killed at Ames has been. I seem to remember a 160" or 168" sometime in the last 3 or 4 years but anything bigger before that?

 

[fairchaser]

Any idea what the biggest deer killed at Ames has been. I seem to remember a 160" or 168" sometime in the last 3 or 4 years but anything bigger before that?

The best scoring deer was 168 4 years ago. There was a 160 bow kill three of years ago and my buddy killed a buck that dressed at 206 pounds two years ago. All of these have been since the QDM club started. There has been nothing bigger before that I know of. Also, the oldest buck ever recorded was 5.5.

 

[TNRifleman]

I thought that was the case. I gotta believe that with the science that Ames uses and the practices they have in place, they would be a very good indicator of what a Tennessee property can produce in terms of buck size. Sure you may have a random 185" deer somewhere in west TN, but it appears to me that a 130" deer is a great TN deer, 140-150 is a fantastic deer that you would be lucky to ever harvest and anything over that would be truly remarkable and truly an anomaly.

 

[Mike Belt]

TNRifleman...That's about the size of it....no pun intended, lol.

 

[TNRifleman]

TNRifleman...That's about the size of it....no pun intended, lol.

The other thing that is great about the data from Ames is that the antler scores are legit. A 130" deer posted on their page can be relied upon to be a 130" deer as opposed to some of these 8 pointers we see with 7 or 8 inch G2's that people are claiming as 130" -140" deer.

 

[fairchaser]

TNRifleman...That's about the size of it....no pun intended, lol.

The other thing that is great about the data from Ames is that the antler scores are legit. A 130" deer posted on their page can be relied upon to be a 130" deer as opposed to some of these 8 pointers we see with 7 or 8 inch G2's that people are claiming as 130" -140" deer.

That's very true. In fact, they are measured several times by someone other than the hunter. By the way, all scores are gross B&C scores. As someone said earlier, net belongs in a boat.

 

[BULL MOOSE]

It must take some time to check in a deer!

 

[fairchaser]

It must take some time to check in a deer!

Haha. Yep, once you get a buck down, you can count on at least a couple hours to get him out and checked in. I just enjoy the whole thing. Just don't get in a hurry and have fun. This is sort of your moment. Once he gets to the check station, if no one is in front of you, the first thing is he gets weighed. Next, his rack gets measured. Then if he makes the minimum score, you will have pics made. After all that, they pull the jaw bone for aging. Sometimes, they get tissue sample and or blood and pull any ticks they find for research. If he does not make minimum score, they age him next before pics to see if he qualifies under the minimum age of 4.5. Last, they will check him in or let the hunter check the deer on the phone. The entire process could take 30 minutes up to an hour.

 

[BULL MOOSE]

This would be a good place to hang out when not hunting.

http://premium.outdoorproperties.com/antebellum/

July 1 has come and gone. I wonder if all of the members renewed on-time.

 

[Andy S.]

I drove by that estate Sunday when I was up that way, if only I could hit the lottery. I highly doubt everyone from last year has sent in their money, but most have probably sent an email and signed acceptance letter stating their intent to rejoin. Every year we have a few legacy members paying last minute in August.

 

[nick2720]

This would be a good place to hang out when not hunting.

http://premium.outdoorproperties.com/antebellum/

July 1 has come and gone. I wonder if all of the members renewed on-time.

This property borders mine, it is a Dr's out of memphis. He has a Mexican drive the border all day keepin trespassing out.