Darn beasts

[dan]

Came out of a hole of swamp gook yesterday over an hour after hours navigating onto dry land still a 1/4 mile from the truck and saw a light headed my way... 1st I thought warden or cop checking on my well being... but no. It was a 16 year old hunter who had lost his path and was struggling to find his way out... I told him to just follow me, and we would be at the parking lot shortly. He looked up and said "are you Dan Infalt" I said yep... and as we walked out he said how his family always hunted private but after watching my youtube videos, and the hunting publics videos, he wanted the adventure of public... when we got back to the truck, he showed me some trail cam pics of the same buck I have been hunting... I couldn't help feel a sense that we are making a difference in the future by recruiting young men like him. It dont feel like competition to me at all... it's more important that guys like him look up to us and immerse themselves in the outdoor life, rather than drugs, gangs, or sitting on a chair doing nothing... have to laugh at the story he will tell his dad and friends about being lost and then suddenly out of the swamp muck rises the hunting beast to lead him back to his truck... lol. No doubt they will call him a liar.

[E72]

Came out of a hole of swamp gook yesterday over an hour after hours navigating onto dry land still a 1/4 mile from the truck and saw a light headed my way... 1st I thought warden or cop checking on my well being... but no. It was a 16 year old hunter who had lost his path and was struggling to find his way out... I told him to just follow me, and we would be at the parking lot shortly. He looked up and said "are you Dan Infalt" I said yep... and as we walked out he said how his family always hunted private but after watching my youtube videos, and the hunting publics videos, he wanted the adventure of public... when we got back to the truck, he showed me some trail cam pics of the same buck I have been hunting... I couldn't help feel a sense that we are making a difference in the future by recruiting young men like him. It dont feel like competition to me at all... it's more important that guys like him look up to us and immerse themselves in the outdoor life, rather than drugs, gangs, or sitting on a chair doing nothing... have to laugh at the story he will tell his dad and friends about being lost and then suddenly out of the swamp muck rises the hunting beast to lead him back to his truck... lol. No doubt they will call him a liar.

[Mgaspari]

Came out of a hole of swamp gook yesterday over an hour after hours navigating onto dry land still a 1/4 mile from the truck and saw a light headed my way... 1st I thought warden or cop checking on my well being... but no. It was a 16 year old hunter who had lost his path and was struggling to find his way out... I told him to just follow me, and we would be at the parking lot shortly. He looked up and said "are you Dan Infalt" I said yep... and as we walked out he said how his family always hunted private but after watching my youtube videos, and the hunting publics videos, he wanted the adventure of public... when we got back to the truck, he showed me some trail cam pics of the same buck I have been hunting... I couldn't help feel a sense that we are making a difference in the future by recruiting young men like him. It dont feel like competition to me at all... it's more important that guys like him look up to us and immerse themselves in the outdoor life, rather than drugs, gangs, or sitting on a chair doing nothing... have to laugh at the story he will tell his dad and friends about being lost and then suddenly out of the swamp muck rises the hunting beast to lead him back to his truck... lol. No doubt they will call him a liar.

Maybe in a few years we will hear the story how he had to “guide” Dan Infalt out of a swamp ha ha

[dan]

Came out of a hole of swamp gook yesterday over an hour after hours navigating onto dry land still a 1/4 mile from the truck and saw a light headed my way... 1st I thought warden or cop checking on my well being... but no. It was a 16 year old hunter who had lost his path and was struggling to find his way out... I told him to just follow me, and we would be at the parking lot shortly. He looked up and said "are you Dan Infalt" I said yep... and as we walked out he said how his family always hunted private but after watching my youtube videos, and the hunting publics videos, he wanted the adventure of public... when we got back to the truck, he showed me some trail cam pics of the same buck I have been hunting... I couldn't help feel a sense that we are making a difference in the future by recruiting young men like him. It dont feel like competition to me at all... it's more important that guys like him look up to us and immerse themselves in the outdoor life, rather than drugs, gangs, or sitting on a chair doing nothing... have to laugh at the story he will tell his dad and friends about being lost and then suddenly out of the swamp muck rises the hunting beast to lead him back to his truck... lol. No doubt they will call him a liar.

Maybe in a few years we will hear the story how he had to “guide” Dan Infalt out of a swamp ha ha

we are almost to that point now... lol. Had to come back to work today to get some rest

[mike_mc]

The increased pressure isn't bothering me, but it seems like there are way less bucks 3 years or older than when I started hunting public in 2010. Maybe this is true to the private as well.

[stash59]

Came out of a hole of swamp gook yesterday over an hour after hours navigating onto dry land still a 1/4 mile from the truck and saw a light headed my way... 1st I thought warden or cop checking on my well being... but no. It was a 16 year old hunter who had lost his path and was struggling to find his way out... I told him to just follow me, and we would be at the parking lot shortly. He looked up and said "are you Dan Infalt" I said yep... and as we walked out he said how his family always hunted private but after watching my youtube videos, and the hunting publics videos, he wanted the adventure of public... when we got back to the truck, he showed me some trail cam pics of the same buck I have been hunting... I couldn't help feel a sense that we are making a difference in the future by recruiting young men like him. It dont feel like competition to me at all... it's more important that guys like him look up to us and immerse themselves in the outdoor life, rather than drugs, gangs, or sitting on a chair doing nothing... have to laugh at the story he will tell his dad and friends about being lost and then suddenly out of the swamp muck rises the hunting beast to lead him back to his truck... lol. No doubt they will call him a liar.

That's a pretty cool story. And I agree. Would rather see someone hunting "my" spots. Than engaging in questionable activities, that will end up ruining their lives. Or even "killing" multiple bucks on some video game at home on the couch. More kids need to get outside and have "real" adventures. Plenty of adults too!!!

[Kraftd]

Definitely has been picking up noticeably over the last couple of years. I really think cross-bows becoming legal in many states has played a role too.

All that said, I'm also on the board as the more of us there are the better in the short and long-term.

[lyndon57]

Friday after thanksgiving. Overcast, great conditions. Public land.
No one in sight. We had a great time.

As long as Dan & crew dont end up in my playground, we have it made.

[brkissl82]

1.75 miles back on 2 different public marshes this weekend and I saw as many boot tracks as I did deer.

[Rob loper]

I dont think most hunters new to these tactics will last.
Its alot of time and work which alot dont have.
Not saying people are lazy. But just lack of time is big factor

[Jonny]

1.75 miles back on 2 different public marshes this weekend and I saw as many boot tracks as I did deer.

You won't see a soul back there once they try walking back and they aren't on a foot of solid ice. Real easy to go scout remote spots now. Not many guys can handle a case of the ol swamp crotch and come back the next day for another dose.

I scouted a real heavy pressure marsh in SE wisconsin a year or two back. Sign of people everywhere all winter. Once it melted and turned into a total slop fest, I started seeing tons of deer in those areas. Never hunted it but I'm sure they are there until it freezes up and people can walk back without getting wet. I did see good deer sign back in those areas but so did everybody else. Nobody wants to do it in september or early october so thats the time to go into those areas.

This whole public land thing will slowly fade. Nobody wants to work anymore. I work with 20 other guys that deer hunt. None hunt public and they look down on it. All they say is they don't want to deal with the people or the brown is down mentality. And my response is yep, it sucks

[Trout]

I've had very limited access to private property through my whole hunting career. I can count the number of private properties I've had to hunt on one hand over 22 years. That's really due to a lack of trying to get access to private property. I've just never felt like public land was a cause for any failures or that I was missing out on anything. My biggest probles on public have never been other hunters, it's been stuff from me learning how to hunt from people who were never successful or who were only successful on private farm style properties. I love public because I can hunt the way I like to hunt. I feel claustrophobic on private properties, even big ones I have access to close to 2000 acres. It's like being a caged animal.

I think the recent fad of public land being a cool place to hunt is good. The more people that are hunting public land, the more people there will be who will want to protect that land when its threatened. It should be once public, always public, but that's not the case in many states. Here in MI public land is added and removed from the roster all the time. We shouldn't take any of it for granted.