2017 Williams Lodge Status Report

     Well it is almost summer here at the Lodge and as we patiently await trail camera pictures of our newly born fawns for 2017 we shall provide everyone with a brief status report.

     Stand movements have been made per our previous post. I am excited about their locations for this year based upon movement patterns last year. The new portable hexagon blind is being moved into the northeast "coffin" corner later today and will hopefully help to finally close the deal on the big buck that has been evading hunters in that area of the property. Trails have been brush hogged a little wider in places for easier movement to stands.

     Trail cameras are showing a changing doe to buck ratio. In past years I have been trying to reduce this ratio and I am cautiously optimistic from what I am seeing this Spring. However, it should be noted that there were clearly a lot of late born bucks that may not have established their own movement zones yet, so we will update this assessment in early Fall, when some of these younger bucks may no longer be in this area.

     There has also been an uptick in predators at the Lodge. A decent sized bobcat is showing up on a regular basis and I am blaming him for a lower turkey population this year. I might even put a bounty on his head for customers this year of $100. Bobcat season runs from November 15-January 31. We are also going to conduct a "coyote cleansing" in the near future to help protect our new fawns.

    Fall food plots will be planted later in July and will be a new mix of soybeans, wheat, radishes, and turnips, called Eagle Broadside, that should have groceries growing at different times to replace what is being eaten. This will hopefully extend the life of the food plots well beyond rifle season.

     That is a brief rundown of what we tasks we have completed and which tasks are still to come. Please give me a call if you have any questions or just want to get more information about a future hunt. I am happy to help in any way I can.

Winter Planning Gives Way To Spring Enacting

     I haven't posted anything lately regarding the planning taking place for another great year here at Williams Wilderness Lodge, so I thought I would do my best to get everyone up to speed. First let me tell you that we had another very mild winter. It's early April and we still have bucks holding their antlers. Additionally, I went on a walkabout in February and spotted a lot of very late season rubs and a few scrapes.

Whitetail grouped up in NE corner April 1st

     The last two weeks have been almost non-stop rain, so we are expecting the understory of the woods to grow up quite rapidly in the near future, just in time for some great Spring turkey hunting. Based upon sign and movement patterns last year, we will be moving a few stands around for the upcoming whitetail season. I have attached the photo of the planned stand placement below. For those who have hunted with us before, this will make perfect sense. If you haven't hunted with us before, don't hesitate to call and inquire. I like to think I am a fairly friendly guy (as long as I've completed my first two cups of coffee) and I'll be happy to help familiarize you with the property and possibly get you locked in for a great whitetail deer hunt this Fall.

Williams Wilderness Lodge Stand Placement 2017 (Tentative)

     The two ladder stand movements will be overlooking two prime staging areas on the property. I am also moving the Millennium hanging stand (cadillac of hanging stands) to a better location along a travel corridor. The most exciting addition for 2017 is the new pentagon box blind that will be installed in the northeast corner. Those that hunted last year know that we had some big bucks roaming in there last year. I have toiled long and hard to turn this blind into a portable luxury home on wheels. With the help of an old boat trailer and just enough woodworking skill to injure myself multiple times, this is the result.

     This beauty will be staged on the top of the ridgeline for Spring Turkey Season and then moved down into the monster buck "coffin corner" for the 2017 Whitetail Season. 

     Now let's discuss food plots for 2017. In past years I have planted Spring foodplots with varied results. I have utilized plotsaver fencing and repellant which works fairly well. It doesn't keep all of the deer out, but it does make a distinct difference from leaving the plot wide open for browsing. Nonetheless, this year I will be waiting until late Summer to plant Fall plots only. I think this will help to make the plots last longer into the season than years past. Additionally, I am trying out a new seed mix this year. I will be planting Eagle Broadside Blend this year. It is a mixture of soybeans, radishes, wheat, and turnips. It is designed for the soybeans to grow up first for forage, followed by the radishes, then the wheat, and finally the turnips. It is supposed to last much longer with different food growing at different times.

     So, as you can see the busy season has begun for us here at Williams Wilderness Lodge. Our goal is to provide the greatest quality hunt we can for you at an incredibly affordable price. Please give me a call today and we can get you setup for a great season.

A Couple of Bruisers Moved in This Week

We wish we had a full body shot of this guy but this is all he gave us.

Another big buck inviting you here for a hunt.

Happy Bow Season Eve!!!

The Night Before Bow Season.......

by Greg Milatz on Thursday,September 30,2010

'Twas the night before bow season all through the state,
Not a creature was stirring only those still up late;

The treestands were hung in the woodlots with care,
In hopes that a shooter soon would be there.

The hunters were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of opening day danced in their heads;

I had on my boots and Williams Wilderness Lodge cap,
My Hoyt Charger laid on my lap.

When out in the swamp there arose such a clatter,
I awoke from my doze to see what was the matter.

I blinked and I blinked,tried to focus my eyes,
My knees they were knocking and so were my thighs!

When,what to my wondering eyes should appear,
40 yards a way,a 160 class deer!

With a crick in his walk,not lively or quick,
I silently drew and a spot I did pick,

More rapid than eagles my breathing became,
As he pawed and he grunted still closer he came;

It wasn't Dasher or Dancer or Prancer or Vixen,
Not Comet,not Cupid,not Donner nor Blitzen!

Behind the large oak,now near a deadfall,
My trance it was broken by a crow's distant caw.

As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,
When they meet with an obstacle,mount to the sky,

A small spike-horn buck and several more deer,
Parading behind the buck big as a steer.

And then,in a twinkling,I heard to my right,
Another 160,OH WHAT A SIGHT!

My head it was spinning,my breathing was fast,
I knew that this scene wasn't going to last.

His cape it was dark,it seemed almost black,
From years in the swamp,where sunlight did lack.

His bases were massive,his main beams were too,
His dressed weight I figured would easily go two.

His eyes --how they twinkled! His throat patch a double!
This case of buck fever had me in deep trouble

I eased up my draw,they didn't flinch,
The scene it was frozen,man 'nor beast moved an inch.

I could hear acorns crunching from the bite of their teeth,
And steam from their nostrils encircled their head like a wreath;

He had a broad neck,for that it seemed early,
These wild living creatures had turned me to jelly.

Resigned to the fact that the deer'd won this round,
I simply enjoyed the scene I had found.

In the blink of his eye and a twist of his head,
Away from my stand this deer gaggle did head.

They pawed and they grunted the young bucks did trot,
I wondered and said thanks for the show I had got.

A lifetime of memories this hunt it did make,
Despite my bow did not fire,or no game did I take.

My breathing had calmed,my knee knocking did cease,
I was glowing,was happy,my world was at peace.

The hunt makes you do that,the hunt,not the kill,
The day that it doesn't,I'll quit hunting,I will.

What the heck is that clatter,that despicable beep?
That's ruining my dream and ending my sleep?

It's the alarm clock,so get out of bed,
Let's make a reality what was just in my head!

GOOD LUCK FELLOW HUNTER'S AND STAY SAFE!!!

Final Food Plot For 2016 Season Completed

Austrian Winter Peas and Winter Oats Sprouting in Final 2016 Planting at Williams Wilderness Lodge.

The final deer groceries were planted last Tuesday, just before six straight days of rain. Today we completed the plot saver fence to protect the Austrian Winter Peas and Forage Oats that are already sprouting. Final preparations are complete as we are only two weeks away from the kickoff of the 2016 Missouri archery season. Get your early season fix by booking a hunt at Williams Wilderness Lodge. Call Ron at (928) 366-4020 for all the details.

We're Fired Up For Deer Season To Start At Williams Wilderness Lodge

Our third year of "taking care of business" is about to kick off. Call Ron and book a private hunt today!

Only A Month and Some Change Until Bow Season Kicks Off!!

Bucks beginning to pack up at Williams Wilderness Lodge

I performed my end of month trail camera pull this morning and the last week reveals that bucks are beginning to pack up at Williams Wilderness Lodge.

Archery season opens on September 15th and we have plenty of opening for your hunting party. With early season rates your party can hunt three days with three nights of lodging included for only $700!!! Give Ron a call at (928) 366-4020 and he will not only answer any question you have, but is happy to also email maps of the hunting land as well as all stand placements. Book an enjoyable and affordable private hunt in northern Missouri today.

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Williams Wilderness Lodge 2016 Preparations

     It is hard to believe that it is already the end of June here at Williams Wilderness Lodge. Spring has come and gone so fast that our heads are still spinning here. I would like to take just a bit of time to update our current customers on the preparations for the season. Having been retired from the United States Marine Corps now for two and a half years, I can honestly tell everyone that land management for whitetail deer is difficult work at times, and rivals the USMC in sweat equity as well as tactics and strategy. We have certainly had successes as well as failures going into this third year of business, but the overall goal has always been creating a better hunting environment each year, and the evidence on the trail cameras as well as the signs on the land clearly demonstrate that we are. We expect 2016 to be our best season yet, and these are the efforts we have made to ensure it.

Williams Lodge 2016 Stand Placement

     Above is the tentative layout of our stands this year. Our future customers will see that we have placed quite a few stands for customers to use, although all customers are certainly free to bring their own and setup anywhere on the property. We have (4) ladder stands, (2) hanging stands, a two-man elevated box blind, a single man ground level box blind, and a newly acquired tripod blind. I mention again that this is the "tentative" layout. As I continue to gather intelligence and pattern the deer, one or more of these stands could be moved. I am already considering the possibility of moving the ladder stand in the northeast corner further south. In addition to these stands I have two single man popup blinds that customers are welcome to use and place strategically. Additionally, we have (3) Mr. Heater portable buddy heaters for our customer use in any of the enclosed blinds.

   

Williams Lodge Trail Extension

     Additionally, we extended one of our trails all the way through to the narrow food plot field (bottom field) in the southeast corner of the property. This should encourage more whitetail movement in a northwest direction after feeding rather than southward. It also allows for more efficient and strategic movement by hunters into those southern stands depending on wind direction.

Williams Lodge 2016 Mineral Sites

          We have two mineral sites on the property currently as notated above. These are setup in late March generally, and are replenished in June. Mineral sites are amazing for getting an accurate count of deer as well as ratio of bucks to does. They help bucks to get the minerals they need to grow those amazing racks as well as give does the necessary nutrition in the Spring to have healthy fawns. Our mineral is special ordered and made here in Missouri at a feed plant. It is not commercial garbage that is 90% salt.

Williams Lodge Quality Deer Management Mineral

     The deer have been tearing these sites up all Spring and will continue to do so until late August or early September.

Williams Lodge 2016 Food Plots

     We have planted forage soybeans in the bottom field again this year (orange star) as well as two small micro-plots of clover along the main ridge top (yellow stars). The soybeans are currently protected by a plotsaver fence which is in it's second year of use and I am quite impressed so far in how well it repels deer. 

     In addition to planted food plots, last year we completed 42 acres of timber stand improvement which was done by a professional forester.

Williams Lodge 2015 Timber Stand Improvement

     This was completed in Zone 1 and Zone 2 above. This has done wonders already in opening up the forest canopy and allowing a more dense understory of natural food plots as well as improved bedding areas for our deer population. It has already created a noticed increase in deer population. 

     So, as you can see a great deal of effort goes into ensuring a quality hunt for our customers. If you are a current customer we are excited to prepare another great season for you. If you are considering booking a hunt with us this year please give me a call. I am happy to help you with any questions you might have.

Winter Has Arrived At Williams Wilderness Lodge. Time To Book A Spring Turkey Hunt!

Winter at Williams Wilderness Lodge

     A fresh blanket of snow coats the acreage here at Williams Wilderness Lodge as another whitetail deer season has come to a close. The season is over but it seems the preparations never end. Managing this property to consistently produce quality hunting opportunities requires year-round effort.

     We currently have two feeders placed on the property for supplemental feeding. These provide a quality food source for deer and turkey (and raccoons, unfortunately) and will draw additional deer to the property during a time when good food sources can be scarce. A nice snow such as the 4-5" we just received also allows us to research and monitor movement patterns of deer more easily. Having had 42 acres of timber stand improvement completed last summer I am interested to see how much typical movement patterns are altered, if at all, by the many felled trees we now have in the woods. These trees will create many quality bedding areas and improve the population of whitetail deer in our forest. Additionally, in the Spring a much more open forest canopy will allow sunlight in and create quality undergrowth and food sources for deer and turkey.

     Speaking of turkey...I am aware that everyone is still in the process of cleaning all their gear and getting settled into the off-season, but Spring Turkey Season is less than 80 days away!! The youth only weekend is April 9-10, and the regular season is April 18-May 08.

Williams Wilderness Lodge turkey hunting is second to none.

     I am not normally one to brag, but I will put the turkey population and quality of a hunt at Williams Wilderness Lodge up against anyone. As soon as the barred owls start in at dawn on any Spring morning here one will hear consistent gobbles in all directions. If you are a beginner to the art of calling a turkey in this is the place for you, as there are plenty to practice on until you get it right. For seasoned turkey hunters, there will be no more boredom for you as the action is consistent. Please give me a call at 928-366-4020 or email me at williamswildernesslodge@gmail.com with any questions or to book your hunt before they are filled.

We Are Now Taking 2016 Reservations

 It has been an amazing couple of years here at Williams Wilderness Lodge and we are already putting our plans in motion for an equally exciting 2016 season. My son Collin and I are already plotting feeder locations for the winter, food plots and mineral sites for the Spring, and possible stand movements for our next trophy whitetail season. With planning in motion for next season, we have opened up reservations for our 2016 hunts. Our new 3 bedroom lodge is operational so your party can enjoy the convenience of having your lodging and private hunt organized into one package. I am not an outfitter inserting you and 5,000 others on over-hunted land, nor am I a hunting nanny that will put up your stand, walk you out to the stand, and dress your deer when you are done, but if you want to hunt on quality private land in Northern Missouri whitetail country and be provided with courtesy and customer service that will be second to none give us a call or email to set up your hunt. Rates for 2016 are listed below and include private hunt and lodging for up to 4 hunters. Call and get your dates set. They will go quickly! (928) 366-4020 or williamswildernesslodge@gmail.com


DEER (RIFLE)
1^st 4 DAYS= BOOKED
LAST 4 DAYS= $1600
ENTIRE SEASON (9 DAYS) $3000

DEER (YOUTH WEEKEND)
EARLY WEEKEND= $600
LATE WEEKEND= $500

DEER (ARCHERY AND ALTERNATIVE) OCT-DEC
DAILY= $300
3 DAYS= $850
5 DAYS= $1300
WEEK= $1700

DEER (ARCHERY) SEP/JAN
DAILY= $250
3 DAYS= $700
5 DAYS= $1100
WEEK= $1400

SPRING TURKEY
DAILY= $250
3 DAY=  $700

Trail Cameras Tell a Tale

Sometimes when pulling trail camera cards after a customer has left, I am able to see just how close they were to big whitetail deer and didn't even know it.

Two hunters headed out of the woods for the evening

At 5:54 pm these two gentlemen exited the woods for the evening and three minutes later....

curious buck

This guy showed up to check out what all the noise on the trail was.

The New Lodge Is Officially Operational

Williams Wilderness Lodge offers quality whitetail deer and turkey hunts at affordable prices.

     Williams Wilderness Lodge is proud to announce that our new lodge is officially operational. We are once again able to offer convenient private lodging along with our quality whitetail deer and turkey hunts. This two bedroom lodge will comfortably house your hunting party for a memorable getaway. It is located within four miles of our privately managed hunting land in downtown Livonia, MO.

     We have late season openings still available so check the booking calendar and contact us to set you up with your very own quality whitetail hunt in northern Missouri. We are family owned. We only lodge and hunt one group at a time so you know that our focus is on your hunt. Please call Ron for more information at 928-366-4020, or email williamswildernesslodge@gmail.com to get on our mailing list. We will begin taking reservations for 2016 hunts in December and we will have rates posted soon.

Williams Wilderness Lodge Is Always Making Improvements

Whitetail bucks tearing up our soybean food plot here at Williams Wilderness Lodge

     It is that time of year again. The whitetail buck bachelor groups are moving. The resident does are making final preparations to send their offspring on their adult way, mineral sites and food plots have helped to nourish the herd again this year and with impressive results. The population and volume of photos are higher this year than last, but we are never content to rest upon small improvements. It's "go big or go home" here at Williams Wilderness Lodge as we continue our quest to create our little outdoor Utopia here in Northern Missouri.

     We have been putting together a Forest Management Plan with a licensed forester for over a year. The plan was finalized and ratified by Congress ( I may be overplaying the story a bit) this Spring and we just finished a little over 40 acres of timber stand improvement on the north and east sections of the property.

Timber stand improvement was completed in zones 1 and 2.

     Timber Stand Improvement (TSI) helps to thin out the forest of undesirable trees and open up the forest canopy for the healthy trees to gain more sunlight, and grow even better. Trees in dense forests tend to use all their energy to grow vertically in competition for sunlight, by thinning and opening the canopy it will allow the remaining healthy trees to grow a broader crown, resulting in more abundant hard and soft mast fruits for wildlife. In addition, opening the forest floor up to more sunlight will help grow a more abundant understory growth, which will create natural food plots for whitetail deer, turkey, and other Williams Wilderness Lodge non-tax paying residents. This undergrowth also creates a more comfortable and appealing atmosphere for whitetail deer, who feel safer in thick underbrush and find more abundant bedding areas in the growth as well as the fallen trees from the TSI.

     All in all, this will result in a vast improvement in whitetail deer population over the next 3-4 years as well as our already unrivaled turkey population. More improvements will be made in the upcoming years to ensure your hunting trip to Williams Wilderness Lodge is an enjoyable one.

     Please don't hesitate to call with any questions you might have about land management, whitetail deer hunting, or to book reservations for a private hunt up here in trophy whitetail land.

Deer Movement and Lunar Cycles

This is a very informational article on whitetail deer movement as it correlates to lunar cycles. This is good information to have as you plan your hunts this year at Williams Wilderness Lodge. Five days left until the opening of archery season here in Missouri. We have plenty of early season openings for anyone looking for a private whitetail hunt. Please contact Ron or Collin for more information at 928-366-4020.

COMMISSION APPROVES CHANGES TO 2016-2017 DEER REGULATIONS

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – The Missouri Conservation Commission set season dates and limits for the 2016-2017 fall deer season and gave initial approval to several deer-hunting regulation changes proposed by the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) at the Commission's Aug. 19 meeting in Jefferson City.Published on: Aug. 20, 2015

Posted by Joe Jerek

Approved changes to fall deer season structure for 2016-2017 include:

• Maintain current timing of the November portion and reduce the length from 11 to 9 days.
• Expand the late youth portion to three days beginning the first Friday after Thanksgiving.
• Reduce the length of the antlerless portion from 12 to 3 days and begin on the first Friday in December.
• Eliminate the urban zones portion.

Proposed regulation changes to fall deer season structure for 2016-2017 include:

• Allow crossbows as a legal method during the archery deer and turkey seasons.
• Allow the use of crossbows during the fall firearms turkey season.
• Reduce the limit of antlered deer from 3 to 2 during the combined archery and firearms deer hunting season, with no more than one antlered deer taken during the firearms deer hunting season.
• Remove the hunting method exemption requirement related to crossbows.

Missouri's rule-making process includes a 30-day public comment period. Comments related to the proposed regulation changes can be submitted online to the Conservation Department from Oct. 2-31 at mdc.mo.gov/node/24141. Full verbiage of the proposed amendments will be posted on the webpage after Sept. 15.

The Commission will make its final decision on these proposed changes at its December meeting. With final approval, the regulation changes would become effective in March 2016 and implemented for the 2016-2017 deer hunting seasons.

The Department is also working to simplify conservation area deer-hunting regulations by limiting methods and use of firearms and archery antlerless permits. To see the list of conservation areas with proposed changes to hunting methods and to provide comments, visit the MDC website at mdc.mo.gov/node/18891 from Sept. 1 to Nov. 30. The webpage will not be available until Sept. 1.

The Department will also continue to gather input from citizens on a variety of deer hunting-related topics, including nonresident permits and prices, through public surveys and its website in early 2016.

When formulating recommendations for these regulation changes, the Conservation Department used deer hunter surveys, landowner surveys, archery-hunter observation surveys, deer population simulations, biological data, harvest summaries, and public input gathered from 22 public open houses held around the state and about 11,800 public comments received at the public meetings and online.

"The goal of the Conservation Department's deer management program is to use science-based wildlife management combined with public input to maintain deer population levels throughout the state that provide quality recreational opportunities while minimizing human-deer conflicts," said MDC Deer Biologist Jason Sumners. "As deer populations in Missouri have changed over the last 75 years, so have our management strategies. In modifying the hunting season structure, our aim is to achieve a deer population that is biologically and socially acceptable while also promoting hunter participation, recruitment, and retention."

Missouri offers some of the best deer hunting in the country, and deer hunting is an important part of many Missourians' lives and family traditions. Deer hunting is also an important economic driver in Missouri and gives a $1 billion annual boost to the state and local economies.

2016-2017 DEER HUNTING SEASON DATES

Archery Season
• Sept. 15-Nov. 11, 2016 and
• Nov. 21, 2016-Jan. 15, 2017

Firearms Season
• Early Youth Portion: Oct. 29-30, 2016
• November Portion: Nov. 12-20, 2016
• Late Youth Portion: Nov. 25-27, 2016
• Antlerless Portion: Dec. 2-4, 2016
• Alternative Methods Portion: Dec. 24, 2016-Jan. 3, 2017