Sometimes you just get plain lucky

My boy met a guy and in their conversation he said he lived up by Strawberry point here in Iowa. My son Dan asked what do you do for a living and he said he milks cows.

Well it turns out that this guy moved here from Pennsylvania and lives by Strawberry point and has tillable for Alfalfa and some for corn and soybeans. He bought his herd in Penn. and brought it here because Hersheys chocolate buys their milk from his cows. Well in their talk he said that he has his land leased out to hunters, 200 acres of timber and that lease ends this fall. Hes decided not to renew it and is going to let my boy and myself hunt it this fall and spring for turkeys and deer. He said he had 4 10 pointers with big mass feeding out of his corn crib last fall all at one time and has turkeys that are so big that their 30 lbs and their beards are dragging on the ground.

This area is coon and coyote heaven by what hes said and I have permission to trap this season and I’m sure some of the local farmers will also let me trap their land. Lots and lots of small spring fed creeks and smaller rivers, theres a lot more to this story but I just had to say sometimes a guy gets really lucky. His timber is in a group of timbers that run for about 30 miles north to south that’s just separated by gravel roads and ends up bordering one of our larger state parks. Most of the local creeks have trout in them and there isn’t much more a guy could ask for. Lots and lots of fur there in that area from what hes said. So I’m working my tail off and have had one full day and two 1/2 days off since the 28th of June so I can take time off to go check things out later on and get things ready for trapping season.

Were you guys able to score pretty good this year too, not bragging, just wondering hoping you did too.

WOW! Congratulations.. That sounds like one heck of an opportunity… And one that could last for years if not decades if you do it the right way.. Looks like he must have gotten fed up with the lessees over something.. Congrats!

This farm is on the south end of the 4 N.E. Iowa counties and a guy called me last year and said he heard on the news that one of the local old timers that trapped beavers either completely retired or passed away or just got to the point where hes just to tired to trap anymore. This guy trapped those counties and anyone that had a problem with beavers called him, I guess he was quite a guy. So now that I’m just starting to trap that area maybe I can knock on some doors or call into one of the local radio stations that has this weekly buy sell and trade show. Its a show that if you want everybody to know about anything you call this show. So maybe with a call weekly I could give out my cell number and meet some of the locals in those counties. Hey I’ll be 66 next june and am looking for something else to do in the winter so maybe trapping in those areas will be interesting to see what happens.

I think now with me being able to save a little money I’ll be able to get my prototype body grip traps made and test them out, been working on this idea for along time and now have the place to build them, a place to test them etc., so I’m giving it my all the next few months. Sometimes it takes time for things to fall in order with having to work too, sometimes there just isn’t enough hours in a day, hopeing for a good season this fall and winter.