Public VS Private...

[dan]

How much time do you spend hunting public land when you hunt?

[chad]

I voted 75%, but I would say it's closer to 95% public because I do hunt private on ocassion......

[PLB]

I voted 75%, but I would say it's closer to 95% public because I do hunt private on ocassion......

Right on Chad but 95% wasn't a choice so I took 75% Just wanted to say having a section of the forum dedicated to public land hunting is AWESOME!!!!

[Zap]

Almost all.
Its the only way to go, unless you have Andre's connections.
I hunt poor man style, but that way I can hunt alot.

marty

[dan]

I think I have it pretty good in that a couple weeks out of the year, I generally hunt some pretty good managed land, but for the entire rest of the season I hunt heavily pressured public whitetails, with the occasional over crowded small private farm... Getting to see each type of hunting has really opened my eyes into the adaptability of whitetail deer.
Most guys who grew up hunting cushy high dollar managed lands kill there deer by sitting funnels, or field edges where a "Public land" guy would fail miserably... So they do get great bucks cause of the number of deer that reach maturity and the odds that creates... But, if they hunted to the degree that a "public land" guy hunts, they could up there kills to the very biggest / oldest bucks on the managed property.. Basically, thats what makes Andre kill booners almost every year. He started out hunting the big woods public lands of Antigo Wisconsin and became really good at knocking down wise old bucks in pressured environments.

Bottom line is, wether you choose public, or its where your stuck, its a building block towards being a successful hunter. To me, success is not judged by the bucks on the wall, but rather the experience, and time
under the belt.

[PLB]

I hunt one week out of the year on private managed land in Grant co. and also have access to some private land in both Marinette and Waupaca Co. I wouldn't say or use the phrase being stuck on public land, it's something I choose to do and is the way I was raised to hunt! I could hunt these private pieces more as I have shot good bucks on both but I just love the challenge of huge tracts of public woods! I'm addicted to trying to figure public land whitetails out! So much that I'm torn between the two!

[matt1336]

50% 50% for me. My family and I own 100 in Price County and Ma and Pa live on 40 in Washigton Cnty WI. I love the cattails in the public marshes near my home. There is where I cut my teeth as a deer hunter, gun hunting. You're certainly playing more of the buck's game when you're on public land. Our private property has food plots and matt-made funnels that help w/ the deer traffic and short bow shots.... not to mention I have some control of the pressure that's put on our private land.

[publiclandhunter]

Virtually 95% of the hunting I do is on "public land". Now, I will also add, the private parcels I do "rarely" hunt on are the types of parcels that virtually anyone could knock on the farmer's door and gain permission. We have a hybrid opportunity here in Michigan called "Hunter-Access program" where landowners receive a tax-credit to allow public hunting on their private land. Kinda cool!

PLH

[dan]

I just love the challenge of huge tracts of public woods!

Thats one great thing about the big Northern public tracts. You can go quite a way without being stopped by a fence. I hate the small ( 20 to 80 ) acre private propertys near my end of Wisconsin, seem like your always waiting for one to come over from across the fence.

[Singing Bridge]

I definitely hunt public over 90% of the time. I have access to a piece of private that I may hunt for a few days a year... the rest is all public for whitetail and bear.

[The Rav]

For me its pretty much 100% of the time. My brother Dave gave me a good reason last fall to get a huge buck on public property. He shot a 7 pointer and during our discusion about this deer, he turned to me and said, you gotta give up that public land crap! Your never gonna get anything! I didn't say much about it at the time, but, in the back of my mind I thought, I'm gonna make you eat them words some day! I could have taken a few does and a couple of fawn last fall, but, they were all borderline to closing time and I didn't want to chance it.

[badfaulkner]

I voted 75%, but I would say it's closer to 95% public because I do hunt private on ocassion......

Ditto. Best thing I ever did was forego a hunt club and give up planting and feeding deer. Made me a better hunter and even increased my fellowship with other hunters.

[stikbow26]

I voted 25% only because all my serious hunting is in Illinois and on private but when I am home hunting here in Michigan it is all stateland but that isn't very often only a few times a year unless i find a big un in the late summer .. Walt

[DevinJD2007]

I also voted 25% and less Just because I am fortunate enough to have quite a few awesome private land spots I am able to hunt.

[Casper]

I also voted 25% and less Just because I am fortunate enough to have quite a few awesome private land spots I am able to hunt.

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