This morning was my last hunt with my family, on my family's property, for at least this year. This is not your ordinary property in my eyes, it's sacred ground. It's where I had my very first contact with a whitetail buck, where I harvested my very first deer with a bow, where my father first took me hunting, (squirrels with my 410 gauge), a place of healing during my difficult times, where I camped as a kid with my brothers, where I taken one of my nicest bucks to date and where several bucks out smarted me as well as my family to the point where we was clinically declared insane!! LOL.
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This land has been in my family since the middle of the 1700's and my family has countless stories handed down through generations. It is funny because several places on my family's property carries remnants of those very stories, like my Great Grand-parents named carved in one of the huge sycamore trees that are on our property. Something just feels immoral about leaving this parcel of land, especially during the pre-rut!!
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This morning did not start like the other countless mornings. As usual my brothers & I started with coffee & breakfast at my dads around 4 AM. But we spoke more about old hunting trips, lucky and unlucky ones. We laughed about certain hunting events that just left my father shaking his head at his three sons. It was a solemn morning that had its laughs. As we was heading out the door together my dad just said, "lets make it a good one" and remember that we're a family of bowhunters, no matter where we decide to lay our heads. Then off we went as we did countless times before.
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About 7:15 AM a mature doe made her way down to the stream side, soon to be followed by her 2 fawns. She was about 18 yards away but I passed. For me, today wasn't about trying to harvesting a animal. It was about just being in a place that brought me countless smiles and made me who I am today as well as spending quality time with my family. My one brother text me about 8AM and said, "A buck just came off the ridge where dad was". He wasn't in any hurry so Pop is either asleep again or gave him a pass. LOL. When we all met up around 10:30AM my dad just said he will be bigger next year. Then we notice that my one of my brothers arrows was a lot shorter then the rest of his arrows?? He said he rather not talk about it,,LOL. We may not have harvested a deer today but it was another great day with my family.
My wife and I have decided to move to Madison County Iowa. The people have accepted our offer on a house that sits on 12 acres of land that sits several miles back off a dirt road. We are truly excited but at the same time, sad to leave a parcel of land that has taught me so much about nature and brought me so much happiness!! I will be driving back out to Iowa to start my new job and finalize everything with the house. Still a lot to do though.
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Thanks for reading and letting me share a Blessed day!!
Good luck with your new adventure, nothing in life stays the same...
Welcome to Iowa!!
wow land in your family for 240 years! that is amazing! it's looks as beautiful as it sounds.
You will like Iowa too but I am sure you will return annually to the farm.
I know how you feel. Make sure you make time to go home and hunt with Family.
Next week I will be in WI doing the exact same thing. Your family property looks beautiful.
Great insights and perspective! Sharing priceless time with your family afield is something to be treasured! Thanks for sharing. BTW: It is so rare to have a family, who was able to hold that land in their family for so long. What a gift.
Beautiful ground & history, thanks for sharing... Welcome to Iowa!
One of the old sycamore trees on my family's property,,
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(http://i1287.photobucket.com/albums/a639/martinhunter1/Mobile%20Uploads/2014-01/NCM_0091_zpsorvvjz5f.jpg) (http://s1287.photobucket.com/user/martinhunter1/media/Mobile%20Uploads/2014-01/NCM_0091_zpsorvvjz5f.jpg.html)
My dad refers to them as the guardian trees,,
Very cool. Thanks for sharing.
There is a tree on some land near my home wheni was younger I carved the date and initials in it.
Years later I found it and now carved my sons initials in it. Very meaningful to me.
Thanks for sharing. It's about the memories, for sure. Just keep in mind that you can move back when you're done working in Iowa.
homebru
Thanks for sharing. Great stuff! Time to start making memories in Iowa.
:archer:
Great stuff !!! Good luck in Iowa as well :thumbsup:
Bill
Great story. The best of luck to you!
Beautiful pictures and story. I am also blessed to have family hunting property and your story reminded me of all the great memories I have made there. Good luck with your move to Iowa.
Thanks everybody for your kind words and support. I'm looking forward to the move to Iowa but at the same time it's like I'm saying good bye to an old friend. It sits in Northern New Castle County Delaware, where the population has been encroaching on our property more and more each year, (to the point where we only hunt with archery now),. My Family's Bibles that dates back to our roots in Scotland tells of wheat being planted there in, I believe 1817 by my ancestor Samuel Gregg. And wheat hasn't been planted there since but we still have clumps of wheat that still grows throughout the property. Its those kind of stories that brings a smile to my face every time I see those clumps of wheat growing. I was trying to explain that to my brothers yesterday morning but both of them prefer the story of when both of them dragged me in a deer cart to go hunting with a shattered ankle, against doctors and wife's orders),. LOL. My dad says that wasn't the funny part, the funny part was when I got a 5 pointer with a cast on my foot and had to have my brothers drag me and buck out of the woods on the deer cart at the same time!! Hahaha.
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Another story came to mind just now!! Several years ago when my father shot & hunted with a traditional bow and I was a compound shooter. It was an early morning hunt on our property. About 10AM I made it to my dads stand. He informed me that my brother L.J. shot a mature doe about an hour before and was back getting the deer cart. As we made our way out along the old road at the base of the Oak Ridge along the creek we heard a loud commotion coming off the top of the ridge. Both of us looked up to see our deer cart with the doe my brother shot barreling down the hill like a ball of fire!! My dad grabs a arrow from his quiver and nocks it as I was sitting there in total confusion!! My dad pulls back, releases his arrow!! His arrow just flies a wee high!! Missed by 2-3 inches!! The deer cart and doe continues its journey and goes crashing into the creek!! I kid you not!! Without hesitation my dad says, "well, you don't see that every day"!! And as he walks off looking for his misplaced arrow, I can hear him mumbling under his breath, "can't believe I missed"!?!?. I was there with my jaw wide open wondering why?? what the heck?? As my brother came running down the hill after his deer and cart I can hear him clear as day, " did I just see the Ole' Man take a shot at my dead deer strapped to the cart"?? I just said yep as my brother tried to explain how he lost the deer cart in the first place. LOL. But the story doesn't stop there. To get even with my dad my brother played a dirty trick on my dad that lasted the rest of the hunting season!! Anybody that knows northern Delaware, knows the turkey population there is basically non-existent. Every morning my brother would let out a few yelps, purrs and clucks from a diaphragm call. This had my dad in a frenzy looking for turkey on our property for the remainder of the season!! LOL. My dad didn't see the humor in my brothers prank. :laughing:
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My Dad
Great stories, thanks for sharing!
:biglaugh:
Haha love the deer cart story! That's some beautiful land! What a blessing to have had it in the family for so long... All that history is really cool. Most of is don't even know the name of our great great grandparents. Thanks for sharing the stories and pictures.
Thank you for sharing. You will love Iowa, I promise. I've lived here my whole life and fall in the deer woods in Iowa is like no other.
Very cool, thank you for posting , So much history in one place.
This is cool JMG :thumbsup: I can't decide if I envie your dad for have great kids to hunt with or you and the brother for getting to hang with the old man
Rusty
Congrats on the move John! That area where you grew up is incredible. I grew up right down the road and always love driving the back roads around the river.
Great post and good luck buddy!
Tim
Welcome to Iowa! I really enjoyed your pictures and history of the farm. Lots of memories have been made there!
Bernie
:notworthy: Nice story.......
Thanks for the well wishes everybody!! And thanks again Tim for all your help with my bow last year. I spent the earlier part of my day packing, then saying good bye to several friends and then down to Delaware to spend some time with my dad. I wanted to go into the woods one last time but knew that I had to get some things done before leaving tomorrow night. The other day when I was taking down several of my stands, I came upon my very first portable tree stand that I still use. It's an Amacker that's made of steel. I must have bought that stand back in the mid 80's!! My dad asked me, you're not going to be taking that one are you? I just sat there for a moment and reminisced of all the memories that I had in that stand. My dad then said, "I truly don't think that stand been hung anywhere else but here on the property". I believe he's right too. He then he stated that she belongs here and she will be there for when I come home. Then as we was walking out he reminded me of the time that I shortened his pull up rope to where it was about 6ft off the ground. To most of us that wouldn't be an issue but to my dad, who is a retired horse jockey, it was challenge!! LOL. Please don't get me wrong because my dad has gotten his pranks in on his sons as well. Like the time he replaced all my broadheads and my brothers broadheads with Bunny Busters, (basically a rubber ball that screws into your arrow), just in time for an afternoon hunt!! LOL. Gave him great satisfaction to watch all of his sons return to the truck to find our broadheads!! Hahaha. I wasn't blessed with a great dad, but a best friend as well.
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Old picture from last year,,
sounds like you've been in the area all your life or near by. I've got five kids...hurts seeing them move on even when their an hour or less away.
Best of luck and success in your travels!
Thanks Rusty. It's going to be hard leaving an area that has brought me so much happiness and great memories but life is an adventure. My entire family has been truly supportive but sad to see me move 17 hours away at the same time. I'm more then sure I will be home to visit from now and again as well as family coming out to visit me. I still have a lot to do in reference to the home we are buying but it will be worth it. Going to be leaving around 11 tonight so I don't know when I will be on next? The next time I will be posting from Iowa. Thanks for letting me reminisce everybody.
May your future be as blessed as your past !