Have I become a public land snob?

[elk yinzer]

To add another point I would say, there is no easy hunting here. It truly is a manifestation of effort and skill. But I wouldn't have it any other way. From my perspective hunting Idaho has actually made me appreciate hunting at home more in some ways. MLB players aren't forged from beer league softball; it takes reps seeing 9.0+ to make it to the bigs. Insert any analogy you want; steel sharpens steel. If ID was just too easy maybe it's not the hunt that fuels the fire.

[vermonthunter16]

I wouldnt say Idaho was too easy, it has its own separate set of challenges. I just think I find that style of spot and stalk hunting more interactive and enjoyable if that makes sense. I plan on making annual trips back just to hunt, gotta find someone to make the drive with first, its a long drive alone. I am sure I will get into the swing of being back here.

[dan]

In no way was I singing a SOB story, but I do agree with you guys. Its just another adjustment I need to make as I always have. It has been kind of hard lately for me to wrap my head around looking at is as a challenge and not an automatic defeat. I know success is really a mental game, I do think I will come around when the dog days of summer work their way out of here. I also need to find a dang state to just settle down in, I have moved way too much, but found my happy spot is in the west. Unfortunately realizing this after moving 30 hours back east isnt super helpful!

Because of my own personal battles since Afghanistan, so much of my happiness seems to be based on outdoor activities and the solitude that hunting brings. Its been a battle, but I am winning the war.

I think we get it Rick
The answers are more aimed at getting you in the right mindset than to criticize. I think most here have at one time not looked forward to a tough challenge and can therefore relate.

[vermonthunter16]

Thanks Dan.

[Scratchman]

I don't discriminate. My motto is I gits in where I fits in. 1-10,000 acres. Public. Private. Somewhere in between. I hunt the Central/NEK Vermont, as well as Northwest/Central NH. Out of 45 hunts last year, I managed to not see another hunter. For me it's less about where the good habitat is and more about where the people aren't. I turns out that often is where the deer are. In the east you have to be a hunter hunter first and deer hunter second. I have permission on 700-800 acres of private farmland, but the best is the overlooked nooks and crannies owned by people who don't hunt (second home 5-30 acre pieces) I have never had the Western experience but it sounds pretty neat!

[Beastintraining]

Most of you know I grew up on the East coast, in Vermont specifically. And then the last two years I spent in Idaho, now that I am back east in PA, I have found myself looking down my nose as private land. I am having a hard time finding decent public land here, even using OnX, and I was thinking of knocking on private landowners doors, but I just don't have the ambition ti bother. I grew up hunting a smaller peice of private, and had not great experiences with tresspassing, and I have found myself really missing the vast expanses of the western states. I think this is because I found myself very alone on public out there, I got wayyyy away from the crowds and really enjoyed the process. I am having a bit of a hard time getting back into the swing of scouting back here, maybe because I think come season, it is all going to go out the door, because the public here gets hammered to no end. Have I been spoiled out west? Have I become a public land snob? I dare say so, I am just not finding the enjoyment being where I am. And that isnt good for me mentally. Hunting has always been a healing hobby. Im struggling to say the least.

Just my thoughts of the day.

Does pennsylvania have a cooperative program where the private register with the state and you can obtain their info through the dnr? When I drove through pa before I seen signs on some properties that stated they were registered with the state and allowed hunting with permission. Just a thought.

PA has a co-op program where private land can be found on the PGC site. The problem is that you still have to ask permission to hunt it and each on I personally have tried states he already has too many hunters on it. I have heard rumor that people sign up for it for the benefits the PGC provides and then only allows friends and family to hunt still. No saying its true but I have yet to get permission to hunt one.

I get where you are coming from though, its hard to hunt PA with arguably the largest amount of hunters in one state. I hunt the SE part of the state and overcrowding is the norm. But that is the challenge, you have to figure out so much more and the reward of shooting that deer at the end of the day is so much sweeter. I sometimes wish we could get guys like Dan and THP down in a section like this were it is small parcels of public near metropolitan areas to see how they would approach the scenario. Would be interesting for some of us suburbanite hunters.

[vermonthunter16]

I have been scouring OnX pretty hard the past few hours and understanding more and more that I am likely going to have to drive 1.5 hours+ to get to some bigger pieces of public, I am not complaining. I do enjoy driving alone and seeing new places.

[Bonecrusher101]

I have been scouring OnX pretty hard the past few hours and understanding more and more that I am likely going to have to drive 1.5 hours+ to get to some bigger pieces of public, I am not complaining. I do enjoy driving alone and seeing new places.

Yeah man, that hour and a half has been the trick for me. That's kind of what I have settled on as the norm for most of my hunting situations. I have lucked up and made a few kills in overlooked spots but mostly I just prepare for an hour and a half regardless.

I'm in Memphis and there's some decent public fairly close, a 35-45 minute drive but everywhere I can walk and hunt easily gets trampled by hunters. If I canoe or hike deep in those areas I get away from pressure but it adds another 40-50 minutes. So either way I'm still ending up at about an hour and a half of effort time. Driving, canoeing, wading, or hiking it's usually an hour and half before I can get set.

If I drive an hour and a half to other public, I typically have a lot less hunting pressure and it may not be necessary to hike as far. Many of the local public hunters only know a few spots on a few of their regular grounds and won't drive an hour and half.

[Wlog]

In no way was I singing a SOB story, but I do agree with you guys. Its just another adjustment I need to make as I always have. It has been kind of hard lately for me to wrap my head around looking at is as a challenge and not an automatic defeat. I know success is really a mental game, I do think I will come around when the dog days of summer work their way out of here. I also need to find a dang state to just settle down in, I have moved way too much, but found my happy spot is in the west. Unfortunately realizing this after moving 30 hours back east isnt super helpful!

Because of my own personal battles since Afghanistan, so much of my happiness seems to be based on outdoor activities and the solitude that hunting brings. Its been a battle, but I am winning the war.

I totally get where you’re coming from. I think that once the season starts and you’re in the woods taking in the sights, sounds and smells the concerns will melt away. The first fresh scrape or rub or nice track you walk up on will get the positive juices flowing.

For me personally, if my attitude starts to get negative in any way towards hunting that’s the first indicator that I’m losing sight of why I really hunt. It’s got to be about more than just killing and the next set of antlers to add to the collection.

[Dewey]

In no way was I singing a SOB story, but I do agree with you guys. Its just another adjustment I need to make as I always have. It has been kind of hard lately for me to wrap my head around looking at is as a challenge and not an automatic defeat. I know success is really a mental game, I do think I will come around when the dog days of summer work their way out of here. I also need to find a dang state to just settle down in, I have moved way too much, but found my happy spot is in the west. Unfortunately realizing this after moving 30 hours back east isnt super helpful!

Because of my own personal battles since Afghanistan, so much of my happiness seems to be based on outdoor activities and the solitude that hunting brings. Its been a battle, but I am winning the war.

I totally get where you’re coming from. I think that once the season starts and you’re in the woods taking in the sights, sounds and smells the concerns will melt away. The first fresh scrape or rub or nice track you walk up on will get the positive juices flowing.

For me personally, if my attitude starts to get negative in any way towards hunting that’s the first indicator that I’m losing sight of why I really hunt. It’s got to be about more than just killing and the next set of antlers to add to the collection.

Yup. It’s all about the journey not the destination.

[Ranger Matthews]

Your not a public land snob. Just another guy trying to get it done with what they have. Best of luck!

[jmickey]

Also, consol energy owns big chunks of ground in Washington and Greene counties and over in the Forbes State forest the new typical state record was just killed. The biggest bucks in the state are in your backyard if you're into suburban hunting, you just need to flip over a few rocks to find areas that allow hunting. You're a stone's throw from Ohio too.

Exactly. There is plenty enough ground around to get a mature buck, especially in the SW. You just got to do your research and put in hard work. I haven’t had trouble finding good ground and good bucks. I was able to throw Ohio in the mix last year and did really well. About a 2 hr drive for me, but wasn’t bad at all.