Boogieman1 wrote:jkelley1487 wrote:I've seen an increase in public land pressure. I think there is definitely an increase in hunters that have nowhere else to go because the lack of access. There are many resources available such as this site, The Hunting Public, onxmaps, that gives everyone a chance to find productive areas on public.
I feel that there may be a shift in people as well. Hunters may be growing stale on high priced leases, the Outdoor Channel way of hunting. I think people are tired of it and getting back to the roots of available public land.
I would like to believe your thinking is correct and in your area it very well might be. But what you said is exactly what I thought years ago. Turned out not the case at all. When lease prices started to skyrocket men with money viewed it as a business opportunity and leased it all up. Then offered outrageous prices due to the supply and demand. Most working class were on the outs. They gave public a shot a couple times but realized quick it was not for them. Most took up golf or fishing to replace it.
I think the push for real world public is great when honest. You know... a guy grinding it out day after day. But others go on a 2 day excursion to a strange public land and whack a giant not known to exist in a wide open field. Tv hunting seems tougher and the guys not seeing squat on public get discouraged. Truth is public is not easy it’s dam hard. But everyone has different things that gets them fired up. For myself it doesn’t matter how educated beyond his years this 115” 8 pt is or how hard it was for me to get him in range. It doesn’t give me the same heart rate a big ole stud does coming down the pipe. I love that feeling, it’s why I hunt. But I battle the odds everyday.
Good points. Probably just wishful thinking on my part ha. It always shocks me how many “leasing agencies” have popped in recent years. All they are doing is upping the prices but people still seem to pay it.