Public Land, a Complicated Relationship

[trad4life]

Great thread.

Thanks Stanley!

[trad4life]

I hunted exclusively public for years... it can be tough. But the ability to go wherever you want and explore within the boundries is the fun part.

The problem I had in my public only days is when I saw a good buck I came unglued because it was rare!

I guess Im softer now... I prefer to hunt private access with higher %s of mature deer.

[ Post made via Android ]

as long as you get out there and hunt that is the main thing!

Happy hunting
-trad4life

[trad4life]

Trad4life my post was the rant if anything. I tried to apologize before offending anyone.
Your thread title and comments are great.

[ Post made via Android ]

My apologies I misinterpreted your post, sorry! And thanks justdirtyfun.

happy hunting,
-Trad4life

[ihookem]

I only own 7 acres. I hunted on it when my son was with me way up north. I would not take him in the big woods at 7 or 8. We could see the cabin from the stand. This is my only private land. I love public even though it is much less prductive. What I love about public way up north is I can walk for miles, not cross a road and not cross any sign of other hunters except our own party. In 25 yrs, I have never seen a bow hunter on the public land I hunt and only one gun hunter in 5 years. It makes no difference to me how many deer others get, I pay nothing to hunt the land. EXAMPLE: I know a guy who leases 650 ac with 3 others. He can get a trophy buck every year in a few week long hunts. He pays 2,000 dollars a year to hunt it. The 4 pay 8,000 dollars, it comes with a cabin. A deer is not worth 2,000 dollars to me. He has rented this land for 9 yrs now. That is 18,000 dollars. For us common folk, that money belongs in the house fund in my opinon so I can retire some day. I would rather go a mile back in the woods, hunt where I have not seen a hunter, a soda can, markers and shoot a 4 yr old doe naturally going down a trail like I did this gun season. . That is hunting, and had that doe had another 3 seconds it would have figured me out in time to beat me at my game. Smart backwoods doe! After 25 yrs, I think I am figuring this big woods out much better. Its the hunt I love, the couriosity of what is on the other side of that swamp, a shed? A dead buck with a huge rack I've been hoping for all these years??? A bear den??? A new spot where I may get my biggest buck ??? Can't do that on 40 acres. Also, a 40 goes for 40-150 K . Then taxes, 500- 1000 a year. A deer is not worth it to me.

[trad4life]

I only own 7 acres. I hunted on it when my son was with me way up north. I would not take him in the big woods at 7 or 8. We could see the cabin from the stand. This is my only private land. I love public even though it is much less prductive. What I love about public way up north is I can walk for miles, not cross a road and not cross any sign of other hunters except our own party. In 25 yrs, I have never seen a bow hunter on the public land I hunt and only one gun hunter in 5 years. It makes no difference to me how many deer others get, I pay nothing to hunt the land. EXAMPLE: I know a guy who leases 650 ac with 3 others. He can get a trophy buck every year in a few week long hunts. He pays 2,000 dollars a year to hunt it. The 4 pay 8,000 dollars, it comes with a cabin. A deer is not worth 2,000 dollars to me. He has rented this land for 9 yrs now. That is 18,000 dollars. For us common folk, that money belongs in the house fund in my opinon so I can retire some day. I would rather go a mile back in the woods, hunt where I have not seen a hunter, a soda can, markers and shoot a 4 yr old doe naturally going down a trail like I did this gun season. . That is hunting, and had that doe had another 3 seconds it would have figured me out in time to beat me at my game. Smart backwoods doe! After 25 yrs, I think I am figuring this big woods out much better. Its the hunt I love, the couriosity of what is on the other side of that swamp, a shed? A dead buck with a huge rack I've been hoping for all these years??? A bear den??? A new spot where I may get my biggest buck ??? Can't do that on 40 acres. Also, a 40 goes for 40-150 K . Then taxes, 500- 1000 a year. A deer is not worth it to me.

very well put! Love the challenge love the hunt!

[oldrank]

Public land always calls me back to... I thinks its just the fact that it is such a loyal partner. I know it is always there for me. I don't even try to get private land to hunt anymore. If it falls in my lap I might try to hunt private occasionally but public is my bread and butter.

[keb]

I don't have much choice, either pay up or stay at home and whine, neither are an option. I have accumulated spots in 4 Midwestern states and working on the big western states now. I'm free if I want to hunt a certain place I go there.

80 percent of the time, I can return to my spots and they never get hunted, and if they do I just find a new one. Most people can't get over the unknowns or mental battle up front, when stuff goes wrong, but once you have a plan or tactic and willing to do what ever it takes, no greater reward.

[ Post made via iPad ]

[fishlips]

I love hunting public mainly because I can hunt how I want.

That being said, I would love to own some property that I could call the shots on. Either way, I love getting out on the public.

[oldrank]

Calling all the shots on a nice chunk of land would be cool... id still head out to the public often though

[ Post made via Android ]

[Back in the Pines]

I have hunted private land most of my life, because it was there. Never really had a reason to hunt other land - but with that I lacked the ability to scout effectively. I never had to learn how to hunt public land or what exactly to look for. On the 60 acres I hunt, it was the same thing. Same land each year. Only so much area to look for with beds etc, didn't have to hike for miles. Never learned how to use topographic maps or satelite maps to my advantage, so I lacked a lot of skills many of you possess. This year though, it will be different.

With the threat of my hunting land being populated by other people, I am going to have to make a change. I don't enjoy the fact that for 8 years I had a good relationship with the land owner that allowed me and my father to exclusively hunt his land, planting perrenial food plots etc and slaving away at stand placement and the maintenance of those plots. These guys will come in (4 of them), and be able to utilize all of that.

Now don't get me wrong, I am all for sharing. I love hunting with friends and family etc. These guys are neither - they want to put up ground blinds on the edge of my field and walk across the thing. I can see the 4 of them, after just a year, walking the heck out of the property and pushing all the good mature bucks out of the area. The mature bucks I've worked hard at keeping.

Point is - it's a new time. I will need to learn the ropes of public land hunting. Scouting through the thousands of acres and using maps to my advantage to hone in on key areas. Skills I just haven't learned yet. Am I a little bitter? Yeah... but am I excited? You can bet that. I am always looking to ever evolve as a hunter, and I believe this will be a step in the right direction.

That is my love/hate relationship with it.

[trad4life]

I have hunted private land most of my life, because it was there. Never really had a reason to hunt other land - but with that I lacked the ability to scout effectively. I never had to learn how to hunt public land or what exactly to look for. On the 60 acres I hunt, it was the same thing. Same land each year. Only so much area to look for with beds etc, didn't have to hike for miles. Never learned how to use topographic maps or satelite maps to my advantage, so I lacked a lot of skills many of you possess. This year though, it will be different.

With the threat of my hunting land being populated by other people, I am going to have to make a change. I don't enjoy the fact that for 8 years I had a good relationship with the land owner that allowed me and my father to exclusively hunt his land, planting perrenial food plots etc and slaving away at stand placement and the maintenance of those plots. These guys will come in (4 of them), and be able to utilize all of that.

Now don't get me wrong, I am all for sharing. I love hunting with friends and family etc. These guys are neither - they want to put up ground blinds on the edge of my field and walk across the thing. I can see the 4 of them, after just a year, walking the heck out of the property and pushing all the good mature bucks out of the area. The mature bucks I've worked hard at keeping.

Point is - it's a new time. I will need to learn the ropes of public land hunting. Scouting through the thousands of acres and using maps to my advantage to hone in on key areas. Skills I just haven't learned yet. Am I a little bitter? Yeah... but am I excited? You can bet that. I am always looking to ever evolve as a hunter, and I believe this will be a step in the right direction.

That is my love/hate relationship with it.

Very well said, I think this is the best comment on this form. Sorry to hear about the unfortunate loss of prime private, but you will see that hunting public is like hunting with a bow and how private is like hunting with a gun. One takes a little more practice and patients! Good luck on your hunting endeavors!

-Trad4Life