2008 was an important year for Hadley Creek Outfitters. We’d had 140 P&Y minimums on selected management areas in the past but last fall we extended it to our entire operation.


We knew we had the deer but were uncertain how our hunters would react and what affect the new minimum standard would have on harvest rates. We expected the average size of harvested bucks to increase but thought we’d possibly see a decline in the total number of deer killed. We decided that quality over quantity was a good tradeoff as raising the harvest minimum is an important step to accomplishing our number one goal of increasing our trophy quality each year.

 

The response from our clients was almost 100% positive and as you can see on our 2008 photo gallery page we experienced a dramatic increase in not only trophy quality but in total harvest numbers as well.


In 2008, as in 2007, we had more quality ground than we could effectively use. This allowed us to hunt properties even lighter than in years past and we again idled some farms altogether. The positive impact this has on our hunting success can’t be overstated.


We’re especially excited about the number of Pope & Young bucks that we let walk last season… 120’s, 130’s and yes, 140’s… nice bucks last fall that now will have another full year of growth. The shed antler picture from this spring gives a good indication of carry over and with the wet conditions we’re experiencing, we look for above average antler growth. It points to another banner year for trophy whitetails at Hadley Creek.


New for 2009

Ever since we began operations in 1997 we’ve wanted to offer a high quality self guided option for hunters who prefer to hang their own stands and hunt on their own. As mentioned above we have more quality whitetail ground than we can use in our guided operation so we’ve dedicated several properties and are offering a limited number of self guided bow and firearm hunts this fall. Check out the Self-Guided web page for more information.