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How many people on here hunt public land? And if you do what percentage of your hunts are on public.
All state land. Been doing it for a long time.
A lot of private but this year I'm gonna hunt public for the first time cuz I moved and lost a 70 acre piece. Plus I wanna change it up. Public land isn't a bad way to go.
If I get out this year, I'll be on public; thinking to load up with a few small game heads and a coupla sharp ones. Maybe I'll get some squirrels, maybe I'll just have a nice, long walk in the woods. And if I get a shot at a deer, so much the better....
Thanks for the congrats blood trail. Figured u would be the first to do so.. kinda bummed... I hunt only private Travis. I'm sure there are plenty of nice bucks on state land but the deer are prob more alert and skiddish.
skittish you say...... they blow outta there with a mouse fart at a 1/4 mile
50/50. I burn up all my state land spots early season, then move to my private land honey holes mostly for the rut. Early season I focus on freezer fillers, solitary does or yearling does. I wont shoot a doe with skips now, I already passed on some good opportunities this past weekend. Been seeing lots of does with fawns in tow this year which is always a good thing. I'm always thinking forward to next seasons crop.
Maybe 30%.
2017, Opening day I'm up a tree on state land in the late afternoon. When I scouted and landscaped, two weeks earlier, the same ladder stand from last year was there and I found a trail camera pointed across a trail, at the ladder stand. The ladder stand is poorly located, so I attributed it to a gun hunter. I'm back off the trail where the deer move through the thicker brush. It gets to five-o-clock and I notice some movement on the trail by the ladder stand, twenty yards away. Two guys, very obviously not hunting, walk into view and begin to check another trail cam I wasn't aware of. After about ten minutes of whispering to each other, the one in the white shirt and ball cap moves off the trail ten yards and takes a wizz, while the other begins to climb the ladder stand. Half way up he sees me and I silently wave. He slinks back down the ladder, whispers to his buddy, and they walk back the way they came in. Oh well, I'm certain the deer are aware of regular human movement in the area and pass through with stealth anyway. When I get down I find that the camera I spotted weeks earlier has been removed.
Last year on private land, I watched a new neighbor, who hunts, cross my permitted land, to poach on an adjoining lot.
So really, is there any difference between the two?
Mostly public.
I don't see a big advantage to private anymore.
48 years of state land only. I love the challenge of finding where the deer are and then setting up on them. It's more like chess, not like checkers.
" I love the challenge "
It's gotta be love, to stay with it for a deer every sixteen years.
Nice come back Wild Bill !!
"I love the challenge"
Translation: no one wants me on their land. ;)
50/50 I live 25 feet from hundreds of acres state land... I also do crop damage at a local farm...
You guys are on to me. And I thought I had you fooled
Anyone hunt Pachague SF? Or any of the WMAs in the SE part?
93.8% of CT is private land (http://www.summitpost.org/public-and-private-land-percentages-by-us-states/186111) which means 98% of the deer are on private land. I'd hunt private. It's more work, but that's where the deer are. 6.2% of CT is public land and what % of that is huntable? 60% maybe? So when guys complain there are no deer on public land, and no deer in CT, they are exploiting like 2% of the land area in CT. And the deer there are not dumb.
Public land. Had some private land spots until people turn on ya. Just going to have to drop a lot more money than I have and buy some property.
Public and Aquarian not sure what that is considered
I grew up hunting state land. Spent a lot hunts either getting ruined by hikers,quaders and other hunters thinking they could stalk deer with crunchy leaves.....we have all been there. But also had a lot of successful hunts and also harvested quality bucks. It just takes some scouting and getting away from pressured areas. When you think you are in far enough go a bit further...unless you find sign..the past years I have been fortunate enough to land a few fantastic pieces of private land so I've been hunting them 100% of the season. Good Luck either way you go.
Private and town Property
We've debated this in the past and guys who hunt public land have complained there are no longer any deer in CT. If 6% of CT is public land, that land gets hammered and deer get smart quick. And while western states have majority public land, here in the east, we have to listen to Leopold and incentivize private land owners to assist in the management and accessibility of our publicly-owned resources.
Pet how do you hunt town property? Is it that water company??
Lots of towns have town-owned land open to hunting.
Doc , do you have to live in that town to hunt there property??
