May we acquaint you with some of the aspects of the deer hunt in the Dryden area?

When you book a hunt, we would like a bit of information from you. What type of deer hunt are you use to? Do you still want to hunt that way? Or do you want to try something different? We have a variety of properties i.e., agriculture, slashes, swamps, logging roads, natural openings in the middle of the bush and just straight heavy bush. We even have a golf course that produced three trophy bucks in 2008.

Our properties range in size from 49 acres to 850 acres. Typically with a party of four, we would place them on 2 - 160 acre lots or 1- 320 acre lot. Most properties we can show you on the computer from "Google Earth", even picking out the exact spot where a potential stand will be situated.

Our hunt might have some similarities to the hunt in your area or it might be quite different. Notwithstanding, no two hunter will hunt exactly the same.

First of all, you are the hunter. We give you the liberty of hunting the property the way you want to hunt it (within reason and the local hunting regulations). We make a strong effort for you to be the first on a property and the only one to be on a property for that year.

The majority of our hunters sit in strategically positioned tree stands or ground blinds, close to a bait pile or food plot or both. Some hunters prefer to have the bait pile in sight (50 to 150 yards) or they set up on an active game trail leading to a bait pile/food plot. One of the most difficult aspects of this hunt is staying in the stand/blind all day. Some days you might see only a few deer. Many of our guests are accustomed to seeing several deer throughout the day and several deer at the bait pile at one time. Your state hunting area might have 15 to 30 deer per square mile. We in the Dryden area have 7 to 8 deer per square mile. Therefore, your hunt might turn in to a bit of an endurance test at times. The temptation after a few hours of the morning hunt is to get down off of your stand and go back to camp for a beer or two and then return for the evening hunt. This could be a mistake since a substantial part of the buck movement is between 10 am and 2 pm. So if you can develop your patient skills you will see bucks and you will have opportunities. And if you've done your research, you will know the deer in the Dryden area are much larger than most other areas.

As mentioned previously, you are the hunter. We will scout the property and set it up, i.e. bait piles, game trails, swamp openings, perspective trees for stands, etc… but you may have another or even a better idea. You are welcome to pursue that. Some of our guests scout the properties for themselves, being as discreet as possible. Some parties even do small drives. Some prefer to walk and stalk. It's up to you. We will set it up and offer a few suggestions, but the hunt is ultimately up to you, the hunter.

Indian Point Camp is not unlike any other outfitter in the area in that we are extremely interested in 'quality deer management'. We will always have to deal with the ongoing struggle of 'Trophy Hunt' vs. 'meat hunt', 'Real Hunter' vs. 'road hunter',… You'll never shoot a big deer if you shot all the little deer. Like most other camps, we have the policy of a minimum size deer …'8 points and beyond the ears.' We will reward any hunter who passes up on a smaller buck with a $100.00 bonus coupon. This coupon may be used toward a future hunt. We will also penalize any smaller buck that comes in to camp. We haven't decided the penalty yet, but if you have an option, you will prefer to go 'straight to jail, do not collect $200.00 as you pass go', rather than the alternative. We do realize the possibility of extenuating circumstances, but these will be few and far between.

Our private properties have been carefully selected to offer the least amount of outside interference from roads, neighbors, other hunters, etc. In many situations there is very little or no hunting pressure from surrounding properties. So some properties, even though only 160 acres, are drawing deer from 1000 acres or more. We require that our guests stay on the property leased, except where the adjacent property is public land. No one wants issues with the neighbors. We will acquaint you with your property and surrounding area and inform you of what options you have for moving around.

We bait with a mixture of 65% rolled corn, 33% oats and 2% molasses. We start the baiting approximately four weeks before your hunt. Some guests bring up their own special concoctions for their week of hunting, i.e. sugar beets, carrots, apples, acorns, etc.

Many of our guests have requested us to set up tree stands, ground blinds, permanent enclosures, etc. This is to acclimate the deer to the stands a few weeks before the hunt and to eliminate some of the gear being transported to camp and on out to the sites. For a minimal fee we can provide this service.

What if you tag out early? You are here for 7 days and 7 nights. What are you going to do for 6 days if you take the 'monster' the first day…? (Don't phone home! I'm gone fishing). Yes, you can go fishing for the rest of the week. We keep two or three boats in the water specifically for this reason. It's a bit chilly but you have already brought the warm clothes so get out and pull some lip! Maybe we can take you to one of our secluded lakes for the day… or two days…or three!

One other option if you tag out early is to take those deer guts that have now become bait for a wolf hunt. Where there's deer, there are wolves. We offer a very inexpensive wolf hunt with your deer hunt. Ask for more details.

We hope this information package is helpful. It will not address all of your questions and concerns, so please feel free to phone or email us. We love to talk 'deer'. Good hunting!