Locust Hill Farm

Nestled in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, Locust Hill Farm encompasses 4,578 continuous acres of diverse, wildlife habitat.

History

The ability to hunt the same land as our forefathers is a truly unique experience. Only 90 miles from the center of Washington, D.C., the Locust Hill Farm (LHF) is surrounded by untouched, historic land. The Preserve borders Cedar Mountain where the historic Civil War battle took place in August 9, 1862. Confederate army camps existed on the land so it is not uncommon to find Civil War artifacts such as bullets, belt buckles and cannon balls as you trek the landscape. The Preserve is only 15 miles from Montpelier and 40 miles from Monticello.

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Overview of Locust Hill Farm

The landscape includes 4 miles of frontage on the Robinson River, open soybean and corn fields, hardwood and pine forest, multiple creeks and ponds. This is truly a wildlife haven for deer, turkeys and geese.

The land has been on a Deer Management Assistance Program (DMAP) since 1989. This management has led to a high population of Trophy whitetail deer and an abundance of wild turkeys. Even though the farm has 1000s of acres of agriculture in and around it, we continue to increase our acreage of food plots throughout the farm each year.

2013-2014 Deer Season

The 2013-2014 deer season was the best overall season we have ever had at Locust Hill Farm. We hosted 11 bow hunters this past fall and 4 out of 11 harvested deer (36% success rate) but all 11 bow hunters saw shooter bucks while in stand. LHF also hosted 1 muzzle loader hunter this past fall and he harvested a buck (100% success rate). Our overall success rate for 2013-2014 was 42%. We increased our DMAP harvest this past Fall and wound up with 152 antler less deer. The 5 trophy bucks harvested on the farm this year averaged 142" gross B&C. 

2012-2013 Deer Season

The 2012-2013 deer season was highly successful at Locust Hill Farm. We hosted 8 bow hunters this past fall and 2 out of 8 harvested deer (25% success rate) but all 8 bow hunters saw shooter bucks while in stand. LHF also hosted 10 rifle hunters this past fall and 5 out of 10 hunters harvested a buck (50% success rate) and another buck went unrecoverable (60% success rate) while two missed bucks. We increased our DMAP harvest this past Fall and wound up with 102 antler less deer harvest. The 5 trophy bucks harvested on the farm this year (130" minimum) averaged 149" gross B&C. The four management bucks harvested this past Fall (not 130" minimum but more than 4 years old) averaged 128". 

2011-2012 Deer Season

The 2011-2012 deer hunting season was a historic season for Locust Hill Farm as we hosted our first hunters ever. Locust Hill Farm hosted eight great hunters during the fall of 2011 and five out of the eight hunters harvested bucks (62.5% success rate)***. Our DMAP numbers for the season were again encouraging because we harvest only 58 antler less deer but weights per every age class were up across the board. The six bucks we harvested on the farm during the 2011-2012 deer season averaged 134".

2010-2011 Deer Season

We had another successful deer season on Locust Hill Farm in 2010-2011. Based on in season data collecting, talks with our neighbors, discussions with our guides and the Virginia state biologist we decided to limit our antler less deer harvest this past season due to lighter deer densities than past years. Our DMAP harvest for the 2010-2011 deer season was 91 antler less deer and five bucks. Another encouraging figure was the five bucks we harvested on the farm during the 2010-2011 deer season averaged 140".

***Of the four bow hunters we hosted in 2011, one of four bow hunters (25%) was successful in harvesting a buck. However three of four bow hunters (75%) had shot opportunities at a "shooter" buck. Of the four rifle hunters we hosted in 2011, four of four (100%) were successful in harvesting a buck.