# Hunting on the Homestead



## MDfamilyman (May 15, 2012)

Good Morning All! Quick question - Do folks still hunt on homesteads? and I mean hunt for survival, not just recreation?

I have this grand vision of hunting and fishing on our homestead (future homestead) to provide for my family but much of what I am reading is that most (not everyone) are self sufficient through gardening and raising animals.

Is it too costly/risky to depend on my grand vision? although, yes, we will have a garden, fruit trees, chickens and other livestock. Or maybe it is just too time consuming when you are gauranteed food from your garden to wander off in the woods a couple days a month...

Maybe I am dreaming way toooo much but I love the outdoors and I do not see myself as a "farmer" - that is my wife, she loves gardens and animals. I'm a military man and thoroughly enjoy sitting in a tree for 12 hours or out on a lake fishing from sun up to sun down.


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## JPiantedosi (Apr 23, 2012)

I hunt our homestead pretty regularly..... However, with the beef and the garden and the occasional hog, I have no real reason to hunt for survival.

Jim


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## snake35 (Jan 24, 2011)

I add venison, turkey, fish and tree rats to the freezer. This is in addition to animala we raise and the gardens. So it is more of a supplement. Fun and relaxing also.


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## farmerDale (Jan 8, 2011)

It depends on how big your "homestead" is, how much habitat it entails, etc. Hunting can be as economical as you wish it to be. If you have moose and elk, self sustainability is much easier. Water-bodies for fowl and fish, trees for ungulates and bear, and so on. Typical homesteads on here are pretty small to be self sustaining. In other words, on say 2 acres, it is not near enough land to house permanent deer popuations that act naturally, and stay put, let alone moose or elk. If the property is strategically located however, near a large tract of public land, a different story may be told. 

If the homestead is a few square miles with good habitat, in a good area, the sky is the limit, and yes, it can sustain you in wild game. It also depends on the licencing structure in place. Illegally, I could easily have game coming out of my ears, er freezer! But legally it would be tougher, with limits in place, lottery licences for elk and moose, etc.

A few things to think on.


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## dirtman (Sep 15, 2011)

We live with a large cedar swamp behind our property that has alot of deer in it, but I am pretty sure that if the people in this area started to use it to hunt for food year round that the deer population would soon dwindle to a point where it would be unsustainable. This is not the 1800's where there were only a couple of people to the square mile.


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## Cabin Fever (May 10, 2002)

It depends on how you define "hunt." We see deer from our home's windows every single day. So to answer your question, "yes" we hunt (we prefer "harvest") on our homestead all the time.


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## unregistered168043 (Sep 9, 2011)

I hunt my homestead, a nice deer in fall comes in handy.


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## MDfamilyman (May 15, 2012)

Cabin Fever said:


> It depends on how you define "hunt." We see deer from our home's windows every single day. So to answer your question, "yes" we hunt (we prefer "harvest") on our homestead all the time.


Well put and I'd agree.


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## MDfamilyman (May 15, 2012)

farmerDale said:


> It depends on how big your "homestead" is, how much habitat it entails, etc. Hunting can be as economical as you wish it to be. If you have moose and elk, self sustainability is much easier. Water-bodies for fowl and fish, trees for ungulates and bear, and so on. Typical homesteads on here are pretty small to be self sustaining. In other words, on say 2 acres, it is not near enough land to house permanent deer popuations that act naturally, and stay put, let alone moose or elk. If the property is strategically located however, near a large tract of public land, a different story may be told.
> 
> If the homestead is a few square miles with good habitat, in a good area, the sky is the limit, and yes, it can sustain you in wild game. It also depends on the licencing structure in place. Illegally, I could easily have game coming out of my ears, er freezer! But legally it would be tougher, with limits in place, lottery licences for elk and moose, etc.
> 
> A few things to think on.



You make a very good point about public land. The "dream" would be to secure enough acreage to hide from the public and hunt to my heart's content, but the reality is if I want to move my family to this lifestyle without laboring a fulltime job again then I need to think smaller and stockpile the funds over the next 4 years - especially when the wife goes back to work next year. Or, get some downright, very affordable, land in Michigan which could equal twice the acreage for the same price I would pay in WV or KY.


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## farmerDale (Jan 8, 2011)

dirtman said:


> We live with a large cedar swamp behind our property that has alot of deer in it, but I am pretty sure that if the people in this area started to use it to hunt for food year round that the deer population would soon dwindle to a point where it would be unsustainable. This is not the 1800's where there were only a couple of people to the square mile.


Trouble is, if you know where to go to, there are many areas where people are sparse and game overflowing. Many areas are measured in square miles per person, most people on here don't realize these places exist. lol


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## farmerDale (Jan 8, 2011)

MDfamilyman said:


> You make a very good point about public land. The "dream" would be to secure enough acreage to hide from the public and hunt to my heart's content, but the reality is if I want to move my family to this lifestyle without laboring a fulltime job again then I need to think smaller and stockpile the funds over the next 4 years - especially when the wife goes back to work next year. Or, get some downright, very affordable, land in Michigan which could equal twice the acreage for the same price I would pay in WV or KY.


There is land with moose, elk deer, bear etc. on it for around 200-250 bucks an acre in some areas.


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## MDfamilyman (May 15, 2012)

farmerDale said:


> There is land with moose, elk deer, bear etc. on it for around 200-250 bucks an acre in some areas.


Yes sir, you are right about that. Just trying to do this transition the smart way; close to our current location so that we can spend weekends working on the property in preparation for our move. 

If the military stuck me at a base closer to canada, and big game, then boy would I be all over it...


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## big rockpile (Feb 24, 2003)

We haven't ate any domestic Meat in years but we have a wide variety such as Deer,Hog,Turkey,Squirrels,Rabbits,*****,Turtles.All kinds of Fish such as Bluegill,Catfish,Carp,Spoonbill,Trout,Bass and Crappie.But most of this comes off Government Land.

big rockpile


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## Tad (Apr 2, 2003)

We hunt on our farm, we raise pork, beef, and have laying hens. Don't always get a deer so it is always good to have a back up plan. We have pheasant, rabbit, squirrel, and turkey too, guess it would be boreing if you only had one kind of meat to eat.


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## kycountry (Jan 26, 2012)

With harvest and possession limits in place on most wild game, I think it would have to be more of a family activity in most places. If you get to know your neighbor farmers, you could get permission to hunt, fish, and/or trap more land than you could ever cover in a year depending on where you are located..


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## MichaelK! (Oct 22, 2010)

A place to go hunting was one of the primary reasons for getting our homestead in the first place. I have harvested off our own land, though not for survival. We're still buying food from the store and won't reach self-sufficiency for some time to come.


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## MDfamilyman (May 15, 2012)

MichaelK! said:


> A place to go hunting was one of the primary reasons for getting our homestead in the first place. I have harvested off our own land, though not for survival. We're still buying food from the store and won't reach self-sufficiency for some time to come.


It is definitely a primary reason of mine too.. Would love a nice body of water to go along for some sunday morning fishing, but a wise person would tell me to take my head out of the clouds and be grateful for the opportunity own some land and raise my family on it.

I think the wife just really likes the idea of secluding ourselves from everyone and I am not arguing with her. Of course it's nice to have neighbors and a sense of community but its also nice to escape away to our property - away from road noise and loud people...


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## Micheal (Jan 28, 2009)

During the season SIL and a few others hunt this homestead.... 
With game laws being what they are, don't know if'n year round survival hunting/fishing would even be possible - given trespassers, camera phones, and U-tube.


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## whistler (Apr 20, 2005)

Let's do the math....start with some assumptions.

1) Each person in your family eats, on average 1/3 pound of meat per day.
2) There are four people in your family.
3) With very thorough processing you can average about 60 pounds of meat per deer
4) You don't say where you live so I'll use Minnesota. Where we hunt there are about 15 adult deer per mile and 4-5 of them are shot each year. Over time this rate of harvest has generally been shown to be sustainable.


Run some numbers....

Each day your family will consume 1.3 pounds of meat for a total of 475 pounds of meat per year. This is the equivalent of 8 deer per year. To sustainably survive on venison alone you will need exclusive hunting access to about 1.5 square miles.

Let's say you shoot one bear a year that nets you about 100 pounds of meat and takes the place of two deer. Now you are looking at needing about 1 square mile. 

You could shoot a bunch of birds (i.e. grouse or pheasants) but not enough to put a big dent in your venison/bear needs.

Caveats.....

These numbers are for our neck of the woods. Your place might be different. Intensely farmed areas of MN (i.e. southwest MN) have much lower deer densities and no bears. Areas with mixed farms and forest have substantially higher deer density and generally larger bears.

Your deer may be larger (probably not) or smaller than ours (especially if you are in the SE US).

Your family may choose to eat far less or far more meat than the above assumptions.

Take home message.....

It would take a ridiculous amount of land to sustainably provide all the wild game meat needed for a family.


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## InvalidID (Feb 18, 2011)

My granddad has apple trees about 75 yards off the back porch. When the freezer starts to look empty he'll sit on the porch with his ciggs and coffee and wait for something he likes.


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## Cabin Fever (May 10, 2002)

InvalidID said:


> My granddad has apple trees about 75 yards off the back porch. When the freezer starts to look empty he'll sit on the porch with his ciggs and coffee and wait for something he likes.


He's probably wishing he planted those apple trees a little closer to the porch.


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## InvalidID (Feb 18, 2011)

Cabin Fever said:


> He's probably wishing he planted those apple trees a little closer to the porch.


 LOL I doubt it. The barn is much closer to the trees than his porch is and he's a crack shot even though he's pushing 80.


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## unregistered168043 (Sep 9, 2011)

I think the mistake some are making is assuming that the deer or turkey is the ONLY meat you are going to survive on. I raise chicken, and rabbits. I fish and hunt. I still buy some food at the store but much much less than i would otherwise. The game only adds to my food stores.

It's tough to count 100% on game. Thats a feast or famine existence, without even considering the obstacle of local laws and limits. Most hunter/gatherer societies were nomadic. They hunt out an area then move on, following herds or looking for better hunting elsewhere. Our ancestors got away from that method for a reason. I'd think that if you were to bag 5 deer every season on your property you'd hunt it out pretty fast and the deer would steer clear of your plot.

I say the best over-all method is to bag one deer every season. Put 50 lbs of good meat in your freezer. Go fishing in summer, bag some small game here and there. Raise your meat animals, eggs, milk and veggies too. Go to the store for toilet paper and soap.


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## Cabin Fever (May 10, 2002)

InvalidID said:


> LOL I doubt it. The barn is much closer to the trees than his porch is and he's a crack shot even though he's pushing 80.


That's good. I didn't want him to have to drag it too far.


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## Windgefluester (Apr 10, 2011)

my husband dreams is to have a small wood with deers  so he can go hunting there .....


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## farmerDale (Jan 8, 2011)

An elk or a moose. Lots of meat there. There is more to life than wee little deer. Even a calf elk gave me 190 lbs, let alone a cow or a bull at 300 to 500 pounds. A decent moose would give you 500 plus pounds of meat. All for 33 buck tag, plus one shell! A bit of scouting and walking too. I realize I am fortunate up here, but just something to think about for the future, if any of you are serious about self sustenance, few humans, and chilly winters. lol Thankfuly, few know about these things. I should really not be spreading the word. ha ha


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## kycountry (Jan 26, 2012)

I find it rather upsetting that today's lifestyle has people so far away from what made it possible for us to even be here to begin with. That's the knowledge and the will to survive no matter how bad things get.. and to do it off the land. I may be clueless of what it's like elsewhere, but here is where I must survive, and I enjoy doing it!

There is an endless supply of wildlife around most people because of the lack of hunting, fishing, and trapping. Depending on location, Big game include deer, turkey, bear, wild hogs, elk and so on.. Small game that could be used are Rabbit, grouse, quail, and so on.. which most have realized those.. 

but no one has mentioned frog legs, turtle, raccoon, beaver, and the list is endless... With an open mind and the know how, one could easily eat something new for each day in a month. 

Haven't seen many people talk about farm ponds being duel purpose.. these are good for a few meals a month of sustainable fish easily.. and a good place to grow out those "not quiet" eating size catfish (and others) that is caught on fishing trips to the lake or river... and an alternative storage place for excess fish without taking up freezer room or jars.. 

Now add the income from trapping (yes, for fur and food) for extra livestock feed and other goods such as (Goods not so easy to obtain from the land) salt, coffee, pepper, and so on.. and it's easy..

This lifestyle isn't for everyone, but with the right mind set, know how, and the want too... it can be done! Maybe I need to write a book on how it's done.. Then this way of life could never be totally lost in the fast paced world we live in now... Guess we'll have to wait and see..


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