Bored with my private land.

[jonsimoneau]

I live in Illinois which seems great to a lot of people because of the big deer we have. But access to private land is something I have not really been blessed with. I have access to two properties that consist of twenty acres of woods each. I rarely see deer at either place but have continued to hunt them because I am the only one with permission there. With woods that small yearly scouting is not needed. I already know every tree on both places. So this year I began scouting a 10,000 acre piece of public in Indiana and will be hunting there this fall. I know what some are thinking? Why would you hunt public in Indiana when you live in Illinois? The reason is simple. In my part of Illinois the public land areas are small and getting away from other hunters is impossible. I went to college in southern Illinois and was able to hunt the huge Shawnee national forest. Boy do I miss those days! Endless places to scout and hunt! But the Shawnee is four hours away now. I am one of those guys that enjoys scouting as much as hunting. So it has been a lot of fun to be scouting large chunks of land again. I get bored quickly with small chunks of land. Too many restrictions.

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[muskieman]

I agree with you. I have access to my grandparents land which is 65 acres. I mainly hunt there because its tradation with my Dad and a few uncles and a cousin. However it gets pounded very hard as does the neighboring property's. No more scouting really as I know every tree and what not. Thats why I enjoy hunting the huge WMA 20 miles away. Way more scouting and I can hunt new areas. If it wasnt for tradition with family I would go 100 % public....

[Bucky]

I agree as well... I don't like hunting properties that don't have room to roam or at least buck bedding. I have a few super small properties that I hunt but they are thick and have water....

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[Swampthing]

Ive always dreamnt of having my own private land. But i also think i would still be wandering around all over the place. Its just not much fun when you know every square invh of ground.

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[Edcyclopedia]

Nice to see you post Jon...

I hunt in rural areas @ the beginning of the season and by end of Oct (6-7 weeks) I am ready to pound the big woods and get some snow for tracking/roaming.

[kenn1320]

I hear what your saying, those small tracts can be tough. The deer are either there, or they arent. If there is pressure, they rarely "make it to your wood lot" before dark. Going in for an afternoon hunt can bump them out. I realise its not your property, but do you think the land owner(s) would let you bring 1 guy with you? Reason I ask is your potentially sitting on a great opportunity to "trade a hunt" with somebody else with private land in another state. You could offer to film their hunt while they are here, and they could return the favor. Just a thought.

[fredhill]

where in IL are you? i hunted there all through the '90's, my last season being '00, then they capped nonresidents and doubled the prices in '01. i had access to thousands of acres and i was the only one hunting. this was all knock on door for permission stuff.

[Brad]

I hear you, I have access (not sure for how much longer) to a great piece of land to hunts, 100's of acres of woods, and like 600 acres of crops. It has everything, and is fun to hunt, and I have done well, but yet I still find myself thinking about the public land rather than the golden private land. I love huge properties and the challenges that go with them.

[jonsimoneau]

Fredhill I live in Kankakee but I have hunted public land nearly everywhere in the state. The non-resident cap has essentially been removed. The leasing thing has taken hold to the point that almost everyone pays to hunt. I know guys that pay thousands to hunt twenty or thirty acres of woods. Because of all of this the public land in Illinois has seen many more hunters in the past ten years. They are comprised of some non-residents but mostly they are residents that have lost their hunting grounds. Illinois is still at the top as far as big buck hunting goes but things have changed. Due to the decline in big bucks here I do feel things will eventually turn around since many are jumping ship for Iowa and Kansas. In light of all this I have simply adjusted my goals as far as hunting goes. Quitting is not an option. That would be like someone telling me to quit breathing. I have accepted the change and will roll with the punches. I have hunted public and private but the fact of the matter is unless the private is very large which is nearly impossible to get in on here without a lot of money, I quickly lose interest. I like to scout a lot. When the deer leave the area I am hunting I like to find them and hunt them again. This is just not possible on little tracts of private ground. The past few years I hunted the best spots on my small parcels of private over and over while rotating positions and simply lost interest. Scouting is the actuall hunting. Sitting in your tree is reaping the benefits of intelligent scouting. Sitting in a tree with little or no scouting only cheapens the entire experience. This is all just my opinion though.

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[headgear]

Go for it!!! Restricting yourself to small acre private land is doing more harm than good anyway.

[Southern Man]

Fredhill I live in Kankakee ........

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I caught my first fish in the Kankakee River back in the 60's. Bluegill I believe, I need to look up that picture.....

[NatureBoy]

I would be bored with those conditions too. Can't wait to hear how you do this year!

[dan]

Smart move... I would suggest scouting new areas every chance you get.

[MN Legacy]

I agree with you I hate hunting small parcells of private land I do it thou just because It's close to home and I can sneek out after work being it's only like 10 minutes from home. The only problem that I have with it is the land owner lets to many people on there and it's like hunting public land. Also I do have a tract of private ground that is about 120 acres and it's just one big woods that I share with a friend of mine. I also hunt a 1000 acres public that I've seen some monsters in Western MN that I hunt because I've had good luck with. I've also am thinking about hunting a 3000 acres of public land that I found on the way to the lake because I'm curious about this spot and I want to check it out.

[GRUD]

Indiana is 96% private land and I have to drive about an hour and a half to the closest areas. I prefer the southern part of the state but its 4 hrs and too far to hit on a weekend. The small parcels get old quick, I have a few I still hunt but they are only good for one or two sits a year. The small parcels are more like just sitting not actuall hunting. I hate it when you know where the buck live and bed but dont have permission and have to just hope they get to your little spot before dark.

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