On the opening day of Michigan Deer Season, November 15, 1994, I was sitting in my deer blind on the 210 acres just south of the village of Mecosta that we’d purchased that September. Seeing very few deer and absolutely no bucks whatsoever, I longed for the days at the Sanctuary Ranch, where I am a part owner, where I had my choice of bucks. It was then that the concept of Card’s Draw was born.

The high fence trophy whitetail operation began with that original 210-acre parcel. The property had two wonderful streams running through it, cutting it into three pieces. The way it was situated we actually had to get permission from two of our neighbors to gain access to the southern and eastern portions of our own property! We tried to be good neighbors and gave them some extra venison and a little money for allowing us the access. This arrangement though was inconvenient just not sustainable, so we decided to build two bridges to connect all three portions of the property.

Once the bridges were complete, we worked on developing a trail system that allows vehicle access throughout the property. The trails were originally on some pretty soft ground and we’d get stuck every time we drove across them. It takes years of road work to get the trails so that you can drive on them year-round. Springtime in Michigan breaks up the roads with frost and once the frost is finally gone; there are a few weeks of nothing but mud. Good roads are essential, however, because we’ve got to drive the big bulk feed truck to fill the feeders approximately every three weeks to keep our deer fat and happy.

Before we could install the 10-foot high fences to keep our deer in and free-range deer out, we had to have our property boundaries surveyed and staked to be sure we didn’t clear any land we didn’t own. All around the property edge, we cleared about 20 feet, cutting down the trees and using bulldozers to remove the stumps and level the ground. The property line crossed several swampy areas where it was necessary to do all the work by hand.

We ordered hundreds of 14-foot-tall treated wooden posts. We installed them by placing them four feet in the ground and ten feet above, every 16 feet for more than five miles. An eight-foot-tall woven wire fence was attached to the posts, with another woven wire section strung on the top two feet. The finishing touch, the “No Trespassing” signs, were installed every 50 feet.

At least once a day, we patrol the entire perimeter, making sure no trees have fallen on the fence. The first year, we had a lot because we’d opened a 20-foot swath through the woods and the remaining trees weren’t strong enough to stand against the wind without their normal protection. We also have to keep en eye out for poachers during the hunting season, a lesson learned at the Sanctuary Ranch. One of our gigantic trophy bucks is more temptation than some people can overcome.

Bit by bit, through the years, we kept acquiring more and more property, until the original 210 acres had become 700. We have seven fields and seven elevated hunting blinds. We’ve got about 300 deer, half bucks and half does. We can take 15-20 hunters a year, but only two at a time because we don’t want any hunting pressure on the herd. We have two guides, Wally and myself, who work with the hunters. I like to sit around the campfire and enjoy telling, as well as listening to the hunting stories. We try to make our hunters feel like part of the family so they will return year after year.

To control the population numbers, we shoot 30 to 40 does each year. Most often, we invite friends and family to come in and shoot the does. They take the venison home with them so it can grace their dinner table with some of the finest venison in Michigan. We also donate several doe hunts to organizations for a fund-raiser such as; Friends of Ferris, Whitetails Unlimited or the local sportsmen’s clubs. We also donate venison to Sportsmen Against Hunger, a program that allows hunters to donate the meat from their game to food pantries, and to God’s Helping Hands, a food pantry in Remus.

While the season for free-range deer in Michigan doesn’t open until November 15th for hunters using rifles, we can run our hunts at the ranch at any time we choose because our deer are viewed as livestock, like a herd of cattle, therefore we are not subject to hunting regulations. By September 10th, the bucks have rubbed all the velvet off their horns. Once they’re hard horn, we start the hunt.

The last three weeks of September and all of October, when our hunts are in progress, is a beautiful time to be in the woods. The leaves are changing colors and there’s a hint of autumn in the air but it’s still relatively warm outside.

Our hunters stay at the lodge, a three-bedroom house on the west end of the ranch. We’ve got a full-time cook, a large screened in porch and an outside campfire pit where the hunters can relax and share hunting stories. There’s also a well-stocked fishing lake for hunters to enjoy when they are not in the deer blind.