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John's Journal... Entry 284, Day 2

Click to enlargeWHERE DUCKS ALWAYS FLY AND YOU CAN TAKE BIG BUCKS

140S Or Better

Editor’s Note: Any day you can shoot as few as six ducks or as many as 25 because Deer Creek Lodge is a hunting preserve. But, unlike most duck-hunting operations, the hunt at Deer Creek Lodge doesn't have to end after a morning of waterfowling. At this lodge, you can double-down and hunt ducks in the morning and upland birds or deer in the afternoon. After taking ducks, you may flush as many as 100 or 200 upland birds or choose to hunt for trophy whitetails with your bow. Besides terrific hunting, the food and lodging are great too. The chef prepares delicious meals as fine as what you expect to eat in upscale restaurants, and the lodge has the comforts of home for you to enjoy.

Click to enlargeDeer Creek Lodge is on a trophy-deer-management program. To grow the bucks the lodge wants to produce, hunters are required not to shoot a buck that has a Boone & Crockett score of less than 140 points. "To achieve this goal we are permitting only bow hunting," says Tim Stull, the manager of Deer Creek Lodge. On the 3,000 acres that comprise Deer Creek Lodge, 500 acres are in food plots. "We farm the land like commercial farmers, however, when the crops come in, we leave them standing in the field for the wildlife," Stull explains. Grain, sorghum and corn provide cover and food for both deer and upland birds. Clover and alfalfa are also planted specifically for the deer and turkey.

"We have 15 greenfields planted for the deer," Stull reports. "Because we're constantly moving stands to put our hunters in places where they should see bucks and since we don't put a lot of pressure on our deer, we feel certain we can give a hunter an opportunity to see a 140+ point Boone and Crockett buck. Our operation has about 60 portable stands, and we only take six hunters per week. That's Click to enlargehow we ensure that we don't over-hunt the bucks on our property. We also encourage our hunters to take as many does as they possibly can. With an initial tag, you can take one buck and two does. However, you also can buy bonus tags to take more does." Opening week and the peak of the rut are two of the prime times to hunt Deer Creek Lodge.

One of the really neat treats at Deer Creek Lodge is the food you're served. The chef whips up cuisine that you'll enjoy at some of the finest restaurants in the nation with an ever-present smile, and the lodge serves an abundance of food for its hungry hunters. The chef's joy comes from watching individuals who have been out in the field all day long come in and enjoy the tasty treats he's made.

Click to enlargeDeer hunting is conducted from tree stands, and one guide takes care of the needs of three hunters. The best buck ever harvested at Deer Creek Lodge scored 199-5/8 points B&C in 1996 and was the first B&C buck taken from the property. Since that time a bowhunter took a 183 point B&C buck, and six other bucks have been harvested that have scored from 187 to 172 points. While the hunters are in the tree stands, the guides are out scouting for other places to put up stands to increase the archers' opportunities for taking monster bow bucks. However, if you're planning to hunt this lodge, you have to realize that big bucks aren't easy. If you see a big buck, you've won. If you bag him with a stick and string, you will have the hunt of a lifetime.

For more information on Deer Creek Lodge, you can write P.O. Box 39, Sebree, Kentucky 42455; call 1-888-875-3000; email deercreek@vci.net; or, visit www.deercreeklodge.net.

TOMORROW: PHEASANTS, QUAIL, CHUKARS AND HUNGARIAN PARTRIDGE


 

 

 

 

Check back each day this week for more about WHERE DUCKS ALWAYS FLY AND YOU CAN TAKE BIG BUCKS...

Day 1 - Where Ducks Always Fly
Day 2 - 140S Or Better
Day 3 - Pheasants, Quail, Chukars and Hungarian Partridge
Day 4 - Why Deer Creek Lodge Raises and Trains Dogs
Day 5 - Deer Creek's Retriever Training Program


John's Journal