Author Topic: Public land vs. Private land (Read 782 times)

pa ridge-runner · « **on:** November 30, 2003, 08:40:33 AM »

:grin: I have been hunting on public land for over 30 years.In Pa we have alot of land available to hunt that is State game lands.We also have alot of hunters,ranking 3rd in license sales nationwide.This fact makes for alot of hunters using the public lands.Opening day here is unlike any other state I have ever hunted in.Especially on public land.I have heard many sad stories of how hunters here have had wounded deer run thier way and fall over,and then go put thier tag on it before the shooter arrives.Or to post on a good spot overlooking a draw and then have another guy stand 100 yds away and watch the same area.
Opening day here brings hunters out like winter flea's.
A good solution to problems like these is to find private property :wink: I have never been lucky enough to find a good piece of private property to hunt.It makes it tough.
On the otherhand...having alot of hunters afield when its deer season makes for good deer movement.Was wondering how many here hunt on Public? or Private? land,and what has been your success rate,and maybe some first hand experiences,good or bad,pro or con??? :? :-D

dbuz · « **Reply #1 on:** November 30, 2003, 09:25:19 AM »

I hunt in a hunting club. This is my first year in this club and they do a lot of dog hunting. :cry: They killed a button head weighing in at 58lbs. and a doe at 95lbs Saturday. They keep the deer so stirred up that it is nearly impossible to stalk hunt. I have been thinking about going back to public land. I know of a place you can only get in by foot or bicycle. Since Clinton passed a law a few years back closing many roads into the National Forest, it is the only way in. I guess the good part is there won't be many hunters in there. I hear the management areas around here are like you are describing.

longwinters · « **Reply #2 on:** November 30, 2003, 01:56:19 PM »

I hunt both. But to hunt private land is tough if you dont want to pay for the privledge. Michigan has hunters everywhere plus all that come from the surrounding states. It can be tough trying to make a go of it on public. But we make due every rifle season. There are corporate lands etc... that people can lease. And it is a very popular option you and a couple of buddies might consider.

long

freddogs · « **Reply #3 on:** December 03, 2003, 03:54:02 AM »

I hunt both. Last year I hunted far Northern WI and saw less than one other hunter each day. In the middle of the season I hunted the heavily populated South east part of the state where I live. I hunted a thick swamp and saw several deer and shot a large doe. This year I hunted with a buddy on private land and the hunters around us were really noticable.We did well shooting 2 bucks and 3 does. A really thick or wet or remote area on public can be good if there are a lot of other hunters around. I usually avoid crowed public areas on opening weekend. Numbers of hunters tapers off after that. :-)

dakotashooter2 · « **Reply #4 on:** December 03, 2003, 06:56:38 AM »

I hunt both. I found that if you have a long season, waiting a week and/or hunting on weekdays makes a big difference. Don't worry, all the big bucks are not taken the first couple of days. As a matter of fact in my area the last week is the best for big bucks. The peak of the rut and lower hunting pressure has them coming out in droves. The key on public land is patience. I have hunted on pressured public land, having several groups go through only to have deer filter back in shortly after. I have a nast habit of "tagging along" about 15-20 minutes behind a group of hunter working a ravine and brobably end up seeing as many or more deer than the group did. I never leave or overlook an area just because someone elses was there. Deer come and go through an area just as fast as hunters do. Just do something different from everybody else. Sometimes if everbody else is working a piece east and you work it west you may "break the pattern" and get beneficial results.

Myk · « **Reply #5 on:** December 03, 2003, 08:58:15 AM »

I hunt private but my nephew and his father hunt public. On one of their few shots at a deer they found it and also found someone else tagging it. I would quit hunting if I had to do that, or at least only bowhunt so I wouldn't have all the idiots stealing other people's kills.

The private land I hunt at the moment is only ten acres and can have as many as four people on it but it's still better than having people intentionally screw you over.

I guess I don't understand these people. We watched someone not able to find a cripple duck. After they gave up we went out in the boat and shot it and took it over to their blind. I don't think they were expecting that, they thanked us there and again at the dock.

grouper sandwich · « **Reply #6 on:** December 03, 2003, 10:09:35 AM »

I've never hunted public land, although I've been interested in trying it out. I'm part of a lease of private 400 acres of land (4 hunters) in SW Georgia that I pay dearly to be on. I also have 12 acres of land in North Florida that I have two stands on, one for bow season and one for gun season. It's sort of me and brother-in-law's "honey hole" and we don't allow anyone else on it, PERIOD. I also have access to another 42 acres of private land in North Florida that I only mess with during bow season and and yet another 42 acre parcel in the same county that I have been given permission to hunt AFTER gun season closes in Georgia. Then I also have access to a 600 acre farm just over the state line in Georgia. But still, I want to give public land a whirl. :roll:

Not sure what I'll do during trukey season? Maybe I'll just go fishing. :wink:

Dragon31 · « **Reply #7 on:** December 03, 2003, 12:57:48 PM »

I have never hunted public land and I'm really happy from the stories that I've heard. I hunt four different farms in Indiana. 20, 57, 80, 120 arces, only myself, my kids and grand kids hunt this land, I'm always with anyone who hunts the land. I own two of them, family owns the rest. The ladder stands have been up for years. One farm in KY 200 arces family owns, several members of the family hunt this land and it's close to the Indiana land and home. 800 arces in SC close friends own this land and we hunt it us pretty hard in Oct and Nov. I consider it a family get to gather rather than a hunt.
Only problem with owning your own land is keeping the general population and their ATV's off your property. They think they own it and you should let them destroy it.