Big Bucks Where No One Can Hunt Them but You
Coyotes for Bucks
 Editor’s
Note: Thousands of acres of land throughout the country
home trophy bucks. Often the landowners don't hunt these
properties. But they also may not allow anyone else
to because they've had bad experiences with hunters
in the past or can find no benefits in letting someone
hunt their lands. To have a trophy, big-buck hotspot
no one else but you can hunt, solve a landowner's problem
before you ask permission to hunt. Here are a few ways
to hunt lands no one else can hunt by solving the landowner’s
problems first.
I knew one of the landowners in our county, Mr. Stewart,
had some trophy-class bucks on his property, although
he wouldn't permit anyone to hunt them. Mr. Stewart
had leased his land to hunt ers
in the past. They'd left his cattle gaps down, and his
cows had wandered out onto the highway. The hunters
also threw trash down throughout the woods. Stewart
had enough land and money that he didn't have to lease
his land out for deer hunting. In February, I ran into
Mr. Stewart at the barber shop and told him I'd heard
he'd, "had a terrible time last spring with the
coyotes killing and eating calves as soon as they were
born. I'm a good coyote hunter, Mr. Stewart. If you
want me to, I'll come over to your land and take off
as many coyotes as I can."
"How much will you charge me to get rid of the
coyotes?" Mr. Stewart asked in a gruff voice. I
explained I wouldn't charge anything because I liked
to hunt coyotes. I appreciated having the opportunity
to hunt the coyotes on his land. Throughout the rest
of the spring and summer, I did just that. Each time
I took a song dog, I'd go by his house to show him or
his wife the critter.
In late August, Stewart said, "You know, John,
I never even realize when you've hunted on my property.
I don't see any signs of your hunting, except the dead
coyotes you bring in each time you come over to my place."
 Then
I mentioned I'd seen two big bucks in the back corner
of the broom sage field down by the creek. I suggested,
"Mr. Stewart, if you'll put up a stand down there
before hunting season, I believe you can take one of
those big bucks when the season begins." Stewart
told me he didn't have time to hunt and didn't allow
anyone else to hunt his land for deer. But he thanked
me for telling him what I had seen. At the first of
September, I discovered a spot in Stewart's fence where
a post had broken. Although some of his cows had walked
through the hole, they hadn't wandered far. I quickly
herded them back into the pasture and used a log to
hold up the barbed wire. I hurried back to Stewart's
house, told him what I'd found and suggested if he had
a post handy, I'd go back down to the pasture with him
and help put up the fencepost. While we mended the fence,
Stewart asked, "John, have you seen thos e
two big bucks down by the creek recently?" "Yes,
sir," I answered. "Why don't you hunt them
this season if you'd like to," Stewart said. "But
if you take them, don't tell anyone where you've found
them or that I've given you permission to hunt on my
property. You've solved my coyote problem and watched
over my land like it's yours. I believe you've earned
the right to hunt the deer on this land." "Mr.
Stewart, if you'll allow me to hunt deer on this property,
I promise if I see a buck and a coyote at the same time,
I'll shoot the coyote first," I earnestly explained.
"Then I'll try and take the deer." Stewart
smiled and said, "Okay, John. I want to see one
of those big bucks if you bag him." For the next
four years, I took two or three nice-sized bucks and
a large number of coyotes off Stewart's property every
year. I had my own private big-buck hunting grounds
no one else could hunt, and Stewart lost far fewer calves
to coyotes than he had in years past.
Tomorrow: Bucks Through the
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