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Book Hunting Mature Whitetails the Lakosky Way:

8K views 127 replies 79 participants last post by  Wired To Hunt 
#1 ·
I saw this posted in the Classified Ads. I wonder how long of a book it is. I imagine it says:

Buy enormous tracts of the best whitetail ground in America. Hang stands given to you buy sponsors. Kill giant deer.

I bet it's a good read though.

LOL, not bashing just them, I'm just completely jealous of them.
 
#3 ·
You forgot to mention MLB players and country superstars buying land for him to manage...LOL
 
#4 ·
It actually is a very good read, and I would bet there would be a lot less bashing of them by our forum members if they had read it.
 
#14 ·
If I wrote a book called "killing mediocre bucks on crappy properties" and every AT member and all their hunting buddies would buy one or two copies each...then I could afford to write a more interesting sequel after a few years. :teeth:

The Lakoskys seem to have done well for themselves and have a pretty good thing going, good for them. It took time, effort, and skill to get there, so we could all probably learn a thing or two from them.
 
#21 ·
If I wrote a book called "killing mediocre bucks on crappy properties" and every AT member and all their hunting buddies would buy one or two copies each...then I could afford to write a more interesting sequel after a few years. :teeth:

The Lakoskys seem to have done well for themselves and have a pretty good thing going, good for them. It took time, effort, and skill to get there, so we could all probably learn a thing or two from them.
Hunting big tracts of prime private property in Iowa, Kansas, Illinois. Check!
Planting Acres upon Acres Food Plots. Check!
Having 1000 Trail Cameras. Check!
Having 365 1/4 days a year to dedicate to killing a mature buck. Check!

The list goes on.

I really dislike how hunting is portrayed on most TV shows. You must either be able to complete above check list and if you can't, just save your money and go to "insert name here" outfitter or ranch and you too can harvest a 140'' buck for $x,xxx. Just be sure and go buy our newest deer call or use this new scent eliminating product or you won't have a chance. Blah, blah, blah.

And people call these salesmen great stewards of our sport? :rolleyes:

Killing mature bucks doesn't take what the industry wants you to buy into. Common sense, strategic scouting plans, pouring over maps until your eyes cross, finding bedding areas/travel corridors, perfect stand site locating and prepping, obsessing over your entry and exit routes, hunting the right stands during the right rut phase, using wind and thermals to your advantage. Last but not least, time on stand is what kills mature bucks.

A mature buck (3.5 yrs.) no matter where you hunt is a trophy to me. Some areas your average 3.5 might score 130-140 and others it might push 160. Age structure of bucks killed always impresses me vs. genetics and nutrition.
 
#29 ·
What advise would you give to someone who hunts public land with low deer density (8-15 deer/sq. mi.)?

Being that areas with such a low deer density are usually void of any agriculture and mostly big woods settings what would you key in on when determining potential bedding areas, food sources, travel corridors, funnels?

Would you advise hunting a mature buck in an aggressive or passive manner?
 
#30 ·
I really don't understand what all the bashing is about. They worked their butts off to get where they are now, and because of it they have the opportunity to hunt some of the best whitetail land out there. Sure they do a lot of product pushing, but that's what the sponsors give them the products and pay them for. If you had those opportunities, wouldn't you take advantage of them? Wouldn't we all love to be in the position they're in? I for one will answer that with an ecstatic YES.
 
#32 ·
I was hoping this thread would come up actually. :) I own the book and am really learning lot, it is rapidly filling with little post it notes to mark for property management now that My Dad and Stepmother will allow me... but 1st an anology.

An old comedian a long time ago was talking about the famine and starvation in Ethiopia... he sais something to the effect of; "You're starving because you live in a freaking desert! GO WHERE THE FOOD IS!!!!" The point of this should be apparent, as that is what controls deer. Food. If your not seeing any deer, chances are you have nothing to offer them. ;)

For all the people who will now say "I don't have access to land like that etc..." Beleive it or not there is a CHAPTER where they explain how to not only get access to private property (always a good thing) but also how to aquire YOUR OWN LAND AND HOW TO MANAGE IT, step by step.

If you really want to learn how to do what they and others do consistently, pick up the book. It is not only a good read, but they share ALL thier secrets, from start to finish. In my humble opinion, it's a must have. :)

Enjoy!
 
#33 ·
I have a lot of respect for them. Yes, they do have thousands of acres to hunt, but I bet they put in WAY more time than any of us could imagine. As far as public land is concerned, I believe they would have no problem dropping slobs on a regular basis. They eat, live, and sleep whitetail deer!
 
#35 ·
I've watched a few of their shows and they are entertaining but I really can't relate (or afford) to their style of hunting. But I don't begrudge them anything. Lee was a chemical engineer. That's one of the highest paying jobs out of school. He took a big risk to give that up, move to IA and persue his dream. As far as his book its probably like most other how to trophy hunting books I've read. I may already know most of it but I bet there are a few tidbits of information I would use. Afterall, even though they have access to thousand of acres of managed land they also spend a lot of time in the field and that experience is valuble to share.
 
#38 ·
I have access to more public land within an hour of my house than the Lakowsky's could ever dream of leasing. I have about 30,000 within 20 mins of my house and probably 300,000+ within one hour.
The tract I concentrate on is pretty vast and it will keep me busy the rest of my life so long as it stays public land and I stay around this area.

I don't care what people say about western KY and how it's a big buck hot spot. A lot of it is hype because hunting land developers have came in and bought up all the land at auctions outbidding the locals. 10-15 years ago you could get prime land for less than $1,000 an acre, you even can't buy clear-cut strip ground for $1,000/acre now.

We have good deer here, but the deer density is LOW when you compare it to Midwestern states. The public land I hunt is seriously about 10-12 deer/sq. mi. with lots of ridges and bluffs. That's low relative to our agricultural land, but there are lots of areas in W. KY with low deer densities.

With that low a deer density do you know how hard it is to consistently see just ONE deer per sit!? I bet the TV hunter's sure don't! I might see 20-30 deer all year and I hunt hard from Oct. 20-Nov. 30 and sporadically before and after those dates. I spend 10 times as much scouting/prepping stands as I do actually hunting. I can also assure you my entry and exits to and from my stands are as close to perfect as I can get them and I hunt great stand sites. When there's no deer there, hard to see deer there. That's what I'm hooked on, it's the greatest challenge I can imagine and when I arrow a 140''+, you bet it's gonna be sweet.

The above paragraph is what keeps me going all year. It's what makes hunting fun to me. I know we are all different as hunters and one style of hunting may not appeal to me as it does to you, and I'm perfectly fine with that. I just don't see the fascination with hunters who are a product of their properties killing deer that any mediocre hunter with a little time on his hands could accomplish.
 
#40 ·
Do you understand the hours that they put in? You would be crying on the floor after doing a days work of what they do. You obviously don't understand that everything they shoot is not a product of being sponsored and owning lots of land. It's the product of years of hard work and starting from nothing. They gave up everything for this life style and are the hardest working people in the industry! With everything that they have accomplished they are still humble and the nicest people people you could talk to. Lee is an absolute deer genius!
 
#41 ·
I personally have no problem with them. I'm fairly confident they weren't just given all that land to hunt. They probably had to work at it to accumulate it over the years. I have 3 farms to hunt right now because I lost 2 in the last year but that's life. I'm not gonna direct jealousy or hatred towards anyone just because they have more hunting land than I do.

I do get tired of people that want to do nothing but whine and cry about how the only reason other people kill more and bigger deer than they do is because they have better land and bigger deer. Guess what? I'm willing to bet that if Lee and Tiffany walked away and gave you their land and resources right now you'd run it into the ground in less than 3 years because actually getting out there and putting in the work that's necessary for success would take away from your AT gripe sessions, which you're probably not willing to do.
 
#42 ·
Wow I swear the hater population on this site grows daily! Most of these fools would love to live where he lives, hunt where he hunts, make what he makes and be married to a hottie like Tiffany. Who cares if he doesn't hunt public land? If you had the opportunities he has neither would you! Man you all need to back off the guy.
 
#43 ·
Lee shot a 177 in Minnesota too. I think it was in 1995. You got any idea how hard it is to shoot a 150 and a 177 in Minnesota? You don't do that by buying land. Lee and Tiffany worked hard for what they have and they are very good at what they do. Congrats to them for their success.
 
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