Flatlander Outdoors

Newsletter #1

If you had 48 hours to hunt 125 acres far enough from home that you couldn't scout the area and had only an aerial map, what would your expectations be???

My hunting partner Mike Manley and i headed down to south central Illinois about 3 hours from our homes in Mclean County. The scenery was beautiful and the people were friendly, here's what we found.

Expectations

My expectations wer simple; first get to know the land owner, maybe even share Christ with him, not knowing his faith? See some beautiful country the way it was in the late 1800's (an era I often wish I lived), and yes deep down inside I wanted to shoot a big old, oak flat, hill country, giant buck that would make any hunter drool..................... hey, I am only human :)

Experiences

The fellowship was great, made new friends, had fun with and old friend. Saw some great sites, worked our butts off hanging stands and hiking. The land owner actually shared his own testimony about God in his life as a result of seeing how Mike and I lived ours in front of him. (Amen). Ate some of the best food i have ever had, stayed in a log cabin that would have made the settlers jealous.

Work

We had little time to explore, covered lots of rough terrain, and hung stands quickly...........

there was little pruning (wished i had my Stihl pole saw). As we had no way to carry a saw with all the other gear (ladder stands, climbing sticks, hang on stands, video cameras, camera mounts, bows, cold weather gear, rain gear, etc.) we were human pack mules in up and down country.

Good training for a Colorado elk hunt!

Results

No. 1 we have a friend for life, a man who's trust is earned and not taken lightly.

He said he was proud to have us in camp, and that we were true woodsmen (that meant alot to me). 2. WE were on deer most each time we sat (even though it's a big area there aren't as many deer per acre as we have at home). The crops were mostly standing and it's mid October (at time when deer movement is slow). Mike passed a buck, we were very close to getting some Does for the freezer and i encountered a 135" 10 point on the last morning, but he wouldn't commit to my location............. he was locked on a Doe !!! (yes already)

All in all a huge success, we picked stand placements that were spot on, in reality 2 more days and we wouldl ikely have brought home multiple deer, but the memories are just as good......
they last forever!

God bless,
Matt Cheever