My first 5 years of deer hunting in MI - I truly don’t believe there was one 200” deer within, say, 50 miles of where I hunted. Not one. Maybe I’m wrong. Never heard of one being shot back then & when u did hear of one…. Deep bottom on S MI in those bottom 2-3 counties & still, only a handful a year.
On the flip side…. Going out to iowa, KS, IL, etc around 2000…. They popped up here & there. Still extremely rare but if u covered enough different areas ANYWHERE in the better managed states- u would hear of one around or someone would get one. RARE but very much real.
Talk about this on occasion or think about it on rare occasion. There’s a small group of guys (right, wrong, indifferent - doesn’t matter!!) that chase mature bucks that go 200. & I guess guys wanting to have older bucks & a chance at one- I clearly applaud that- different subject though.
The BEST way to do it…. IMO….. if this was all u wanted to do & had the time & money. The first involves a “lot of $ but u don’t need to be a gazillionaire”…. Pay folks for access to hunt 200’s they know of. I personally would never do this and I have no desire. I think a few are pretty outspoken & honest about it- spook spann (he was on huntr podcast) & he mentioned that guy from Seek one & a handful of other guys. If this rubs u the wrong way- I get it. But it’s legal & so few guys are doing it- I personally spend 0 time caring if people do this as it’s so rare. I’ve talked to a couple guys that do this. The range is $5k to $30k+. Say it was “$10k” - u don’t need to be super wealthy of course. One guy pays $100k & that’s pretty nuts. Now, u still have to have hunting & shooting skills - HUGE key to the puzzle. This method is Not for ME, but I’d say that’s the most effective way.
Next is a layer under that & just going on countless hunts every year in the best areas. Maybe with some outfitters - eah- kinda the same thing really.
The next most effective is this IMO….. glassing, scouting & putting up cams for giants. Before dudes did trail cams- they’d spend nights around counties & even states trying to find them. Big huge net to find those rare bucks. Again, not for me or anything I’ve done but I think the next most effective. Grueling & grinding.
Next after that…. Own tons & tons of HUGE farms & then manage them right. One or 2 big farms - won’t do it. Far from the most effective as Theres so many more obstacles. & the cost to do it is so much more than the above ways. This is so rare- I know of less than 10 people able to do it. Around 10…. They own tens of thousands of acres (one would be over 100k acres) in multiple states. Full time employees on each big farm. So much to do. Management bucks to shoot. Amount in plots, insane. Clearly, if I could handle it- I’d love to own a few mammoth farms but I think it would even burn me out. It “sounds so great” but it’s so much work, $ & hassle - that’s why so few can or will do it. Then passing huge deer that can be mammoth- many can’t do that either. So few that can or do this - like a handful of guys in the whole country. I absolutely believe owning a couple big farms is nothing in comparison to my first few examples. Unless they were many multiple massive farms/ranches.
Next: permission on countless farms. Like 50-60 farms in multiple states. U know how much of a pain in butt that is??? Getting & keeping permission. Searching all of them. Dealing with other people. Not hunting many of them. Nothing I’d wanna do either.
The last “curveball” I’ll add…. The guys that “shoot the most 200’s”…. There’s actually thousands of them every year!!! They just pay to hunt in a high fence!
. Ha! I’ve talked to some dudes that run those & I always ask them “what % go back home & tell their buddies it was a wild deer?!?” “A LOT!!!!”…. “Ya, just took a quick try to kansas or Canada or iowa”. Again, not for me and totally different category but dang that’s common!!!
What else??? All of above…. U gotta ask- who can or will do all these things? Almost no one. It’s kinda like the guy that owns/owned multiple companies & is worth a billion dollars. Sounds great right?!?!?! But- would u do all that & spend all ur time for that? I wouldn’t. & it’s so hard & rare. I don’t envy the billionaire just like I don’t envy the above. It’s just interesting to think of how & why they do it and all involved. Guys get in a tizzy mad at others who do any of above but they don’t realize it’s maybe .00001% of People that do this.
Im NOT out to shoot the most 200’s or even shoot one every year. If I am lucky enough to be around one every once in a while- so rare. & I’m thankful. I do think a lot of mega 200’s exist- they just get shot at 1.5 to 4.5. Every 150” 3.5 year old around the country usually gets shot every year. Wish we had more that got to maturity so they were a bit more common. I’m lucky to encounter some but most years there’s not one around.
More an exercise of “how would u do it if it was your #1 goal?” Not saying u want to do or anyone will but what u guys think? The very different subject I do love is “how can we make reg changes so there’s a few more mature bucks (thus a few more mammoth giants able to express their potential).
& clearly anyone on here that wants to get one (which is everyone) generally starts with “pass young deer & hopefully bump into one in your life”.
Sorry on the ramblings …. What extent do this tiny handful of guys go through that I missed?
On the flip side…. Going out to iowa, KS, IL, etc around 2000…. They popped up here & there. Still extremely rare but if u covered enough different areas ANYWHERE in the better managed states- u would hear of one around or someone would get one. RARE but very much real.
Talk about this on occasion or think about it on rare occasion. There’s a small group of guys (right, wrong, indifferent - doesn’t matter!!) that chase mature bucks that go 200. & I guess guys wanting to have older bucks & a chance at one- I clearly applaud that- different subject though.
The BEST way to do it…. IMO….. if this was all u wanted to do & had the time & money. The first involves a “lot of $ but u don’t need to be a gazillionaire”…. Pay folks for access to hunt 200’s they know of. I personally would never do this and I have no desire. I think a few are pretty outspoken & honest about it- spook spann (he was on huntr podcast) & he mentioned that guy from Seek one & a handful of other guys. If this rubs u the wrong way- I get it. But it’s legal & so few guys are doing it- I personally spend 0 time caring if people do this as it’s so rare. I’ve talked to a couple guys that do this. The range is $5k to $30k+. Say it was “$10k” - u don’t need to be super wealthy of course. One guy pays $100k & that’s pretty nuts. Now, u still have to have hunting & shooting skills - HUGE key to the puzzle. This method is Not for ME, but I’d say that’s the most effective way.
Next is a layer under that & just going on countless hunts every year in the best areas. Maybe with some outfitters - eah- kinda the same thing really.
The next most effective is this IMO….. glassing, scouting & putting up cams for giants. Before dudes did trail cams- they’d spend nights around counties & even states trying to find them. Big huge net to find those rare bucks. Again, not for me or anything I’ve done but I think the next most effective. Grueling & grinding.
Next after that…. Own tons & tons of HUGE farms & then manage them right. One or 2 big farms - won’t do it. Far from the most effective as Theres so many more obstacles. & the cost to do it is so much more than the above ways. This is so rare- I know of less than 10 people able to do it. Around 10…. They own tens of thousands of acres (one would be over 100k acres) in multiple states. Full time employees on each big farm. So much to do. Management bucks to shoot. Amount in plots, insane. Clearly, if I could handle it- I’d love to own a few mammoth farms but I think it would even burn me out. It “sounds so great” but it’s so much work, $ & hassle - that’s why so few can or will do it. Then passing huge deer that can be mammoth- many can’t do that either. So few that can or do this - like a handful of guys in the whole country. I absolutely believe owning a couple big farms is nothing in comparison to my first few examples. Unless they were many multiple massive farms/ranches.
Next: permission on countless farms. Like 50-60 farms in multiple states. U know how much of a pain in butt that is??? Getting & keeping permission. Searching all of them. Dealing with other people. Not hunting many of them. Nothing I’d wanna do either.
The last “curveball” I’ll add…. The guys that “shoot the most 200’s”…. There’s actually thousands of them every year!!! They just pay to hunt in a high fence!
. Ha! I’ve talked to some dudes that run those & I always ask them “what % go back home & tell their buddies it was a wild deer?!?” “A LOT!!!!”…. “Ya, just took a quick try to kansas or Canada or iowa”. Again, not for me and totally different category but dang that’s common!!!What else??? All of above…. U gotta ask- who can or will do all these things? Almost no one. It’s kinda like the guy that owns/owned multiple companies & is worth a billion dollars. Sounds great right?!?!?! But- would u do all that & spend all ur time for that? I wouldn’t. & it’s so hard & rare. I don’t envy the billionaire just like I don’t envy the above. It’s just interesting to think of how & why they do it and all involved. Guys get in a tizzy mad at others who do any of above but they don’t realize it’s maybe .00001% of People that do this.
Im NOT out to shoot the most 200’s or even shoot one every year. If I am lucky enough to be around one every once in a while- so rare. & I’m thankful. I do think a lot of mega 200’s exist- they just get shot at 1.5 to 4.5
. Every 150” 3.5 year old around the country usually gets shot every year. Wish we had more that got to maturity so they were a bit more common. I’m lucky to encounter some but most years there’s not one around.More an exercise of “how would u do it if it was your #1 goal?” Not saying u want to do or anyone will but what u guys think? The very different subject I do love is “how can we make reg changes so there’s a few more mature bucks (thus a few more mammoth giants able to express their potential).
& clearly anyone on here that wants to get one (which is everyone) generally starts with “pass young deer & hopefully bump into one in your life”.
Sorry on the ramblings …. What extent do this tiny handful of guys go through that I missed?