Who has lost a private land spot?
General Topic
Some folks can't seem to accept the undeniable data showing a decline in hunter numbers, citing more crowding on some public land areas they hunt as their "evidence". 20 years ago we could even get elk hunting permission on private ranches by door-knocking. Those days are gone, pushing more hunters onto public land and creating the misperception that hunter numbers are increasing when in fact they are not.
Wondering how many of you (us) have lost access to private land hunting spots, and why?
In my case it has been because landowners died and new owners closed it to hunting, leasing to outfitters, and development of farmland I used to hunt.
The sale of land and leasing has cost me many spots. $$$$ talks.
I lost a great place in awisconsin about 15 years ago. I actually only hunted it about six days a year during th rut. It was 250 acres. Others gun hunted it, I only had bowhunting rights. I and my son killed a lot of deer there. The owners kids and grand kids becam old enough to hunt and he wanted to save it for them.
Hard to argue with that.
I have lost several to Leasing, grown kids that only saw $$$
Iowa...
I had a farm I hunted for 20 years. I used to live in an old 10 x 50 trailer house in the middle of the timber and killed my first deer there. I worked for the landowners son in a welding and repair shop. I was a pallbearer for the landowner when he died. Another son took over the farm and we were good friends as well.
One day, the son fell off a grain bin and suffered some pretty severe broken bones. The ortho surgeon who patched him up was an avid bowhunter and the son gave him permission to hunt, too. Within a couple years, the ortho doc had it leased. To be fair, the landowner gave me first dibs to lease it but, at the time, I couldn't afford it.
I lost another farm that I hunted for many years as well. I had an acreage that bordered 300 acres of some nice timbered ground along a major interior river. The farmer who leased that ground had a water tank hooked to my well to water his cattle. In trade, I got to cut all the wood I wanted (I heated my house with nothing but wood) and had exclusive permission for bowhunting season. I eventually sold the acreage and moved a couple hours away but still had permission to bowhunt that farm until a couple years ago when a neighboring land developer bought it all for his own recreational use.
I barely hunt whitetails anymore mainly due to my obsession with western hunting and burning all my vacation to hunt out west but also due to lack of access to some good private ground.
I lost 1050 acres of prime real este in Ohio. The nature conservancy sucked it up.
Lost 10,000 acres about 15 years ago. Some Dr. from Tn. came in and paid the landowner 50k to lease it all. Fishing right included, that way no one would be driving on the property. SUCKS, but I don't blame the landowner. He has to make a living also.
Not elk but I’ve lost whitetail spots in OK to people paying big money to lease, Will Primos being one. I refuse to lease ground and I am now a public land hunter that’s been pushed west.
I lost a piece to the farmers sons new father in law. Still laugh about that one. Family trumps everybody else.
I havelost a couple of properties in Wisconsin bot when crossbows were accepted as archery equipment. Relatives of the landowners hunt those spots with crossbows now.
Landowner died and his wife only allows family to hunt there now. Have lost others due to landowner selling the property.
2 ways to look at the scenario - #1 its a big fat bummer, much time, money and energy has been invested in a spot and now its lost.
Other option is this - its a new opportunity for me to go meet some new landowners and gain permission on a new piece of property - this is the option I choose.
--Mitch
On one of the state forums a few years ago, I remember a cantankerous bowhunter complaining about the landowner's grandson. He was posting his big deer pics from their farm and telling about how the grandson was "worthless" and "lazy" and "used to be a good kid" and how "there was a time that I would've helped him learn how to hunt." I just bit my tongue but you could tell this man was anything but friendly to the young hunter. I won't be surprised when the farmer passes and this man no longer has a place to hunt. All that kid has to tell his parents and other family is how rude grandpa's friend was to him and it's over.
i have lost tens of thousands of acres of private in kentucky since the late 2000's due to leasing. all gone.
So far whenever I've lost some private ground in the past I've been fortunate to find another place and sometimes it's better:) Usually it's because of relationships and perseverance.
The last show I watched on the RMEF was filmed at the UU Bar Ranch. The host interviewed the owner and he spoke of the dispersal of elk to surrounding public ground because of their management. Without the private land sanctuaries the quality on surrounding public would be even lower. Many of the folks in this small town benefited economically from the hunters. Thankfully there are wealthy people with a passion for wildlife willing to spend a lot of money to perpetuate this success.
Lost several whitetail hunting properties. Landowners passed away kids sold property and other people paying high dollar amounts to lease only to shoot every deer that walks. Then they can figure out why they don't see any older bucks.
In Montana about 7 years ago, I lost some great elk hunting on a ranch that allowed the public to hunt, archery and rifle. During rifle season, several hunters took advantage of the situation. I called and asked to hunt and the owner said I was the only one that called for permission. That day we seen at least five other vehicles on his place, some with horse trailers and 4-wheelers. He was so disgusted he leased it out from there on out. I can't blame him. I loved to hunt that place. Darn shame!
I have lost several more opportunities since. Some deciding to lease their ground, several selling their farms/ranches. I'm afraid this is going to be a rich man's sport sooner than later. Support your public lands. It may be all that's left for the majority of us.
Several hundred Wisconsin acres. It sucks. But I can't justify 100grand+ to have my own piece of heaven on which to park my @$$ for a few months each year.
Central Ohio. I have lost hundreds of acres mostly due to urban sprawl. Lost a few other farms where the owner passed on and then the property was sold off.
The best place I’ve ever seen for pheasants is now a Home Depot...
My family and I hunted 2 farms in Nebraska for over 40 years. When the farmers sold the land, the new owners denied us future access - they liked to hunt too so I don't blame them.
When I was in high school I knocked on a lot of doors for fishing and hunting. Had about 20 ponds to fish and 4 hunting areas. One after the other I saw all 4 of those hunting areas go from farming to home development while I was in college. The farmers weren't making much money from crops in the 1980's and their kids didn't want to suffer like their parents so the kids didn't farm. It was that experience that has driven me to buy my own land.
Yes lots, both for deer and bird hunting. Where I grew up it was much like you described, meeting landowners, asking permission, and being responsible would get you lots of places to hunt. Times change and much of that access is now gone. I feel this is much more responsible for the decrease in hunter numbers than any other factor.
I have lost 3 private parcels that I had permission on. Two were due to being successful on them. One was a neighbor that never wanted to hunt it until he seen me taking quite a few deer and turkeys out of there. The other was family members that also didn't want to hunt it until they see someone else taking deer there. The third was sold and the new owner hunted which I totally understand.
I lost an amazing whitetail area in Pennsylvania. Myself and the owners nephew (who was also my best friend) had exclusive bow hunting rights. We saw and killed great bucks every year. His uncle wound up getting divorced and he couldn't afford to buy his ex wife out so he had to sell. I talked to the new owner of the property. He's a non hunter and wouldn't allow me to hunt which was fine. He was very polite. I do all my hunting on public ground in another state now. I actually like it because I have to work harder for my deer now.
I just lost part of a farm I hunt and it kills me!! I have been hunting the farm since 1992 and it is in a bow only area. Over the years I have shared it with a couple guys and when I first started hunting it I only was allowed to hunt a 37 acre piece but I killed tons of deer there. The farmer wanted deer killed and wanted proof that as a bowhunter I could kill lots of deer. My first year I killed 17 and my second year 15 deer. Than for years I averaged 7-10 deer a year. After 10 years of this the gentlemen hunting the other part of the farm(100 acres) moved to Arizona and I approached the farmer and he now allowed me and one other friend to hunt the farm from the early 2000's until 2012 when he approached me and said he was letting someone else hunt and want me to choose which piece I wanted, the 37 acres or the 100 acres. I asked if I could speak to the new guy and see if we could all hunt it together. He agreed and so did the new guy, it has gone well since then. Now it all went to hell in a hand basket!! The guy that came on in 2012 is moving and the farmer has not one but two guys he wants to let hunt. 4 guys using the piece of ground is not going to work, so again I was told I had to choose. I f course chose the 100 acre piece. the thing that gets me is one if the new guys is in law enforcement and new the property was being hunted, yet used his position to get hunting rights. I now have to take down 18 stands and all that go with them, safety lines, pull ropes, stands, steps everything. I have a lot of blood sweat and tears into that piece and it is all gone now!! It just hurts that another hunter who knew the property was tied up used his position to squeeze in on a spot. The other hunter is a young guy that I will share my knowledge of the properrty with but the other guy can go scratch!! I have been lucky enough to hunt out my back door on the same property my entire life and this one for 26 seasons but it still sucks!! Sorry for the rant but it makes me sick to my stomach to lose that 37 acres, killed over 100 deer on that piece alone and 3 of my best NY bucks ever!! Shawn
I just lost part of a farm I hunt and it kills me!! I have been hunting the farm since 1992 and it is in a bow only area. Over the years I have shared it with a couple guys and when I first started hunting it I only was allowed to hunt a 37 acre piece but I killed tons of deer there. The farmer wanted deer killed and wanted proof that as a bowhunter I could kill lots of deer. My first year I killed 17 and my second year 15 deer. Than for years I averaged 7-10 deer a year. After 10 years of this the gentlemen hunting the other part of the farm(100 acres) moved to Arizona and I approached the farmer and he now allowed me and one other friend to hunt the farm from the early 2000's until 2012 when he approached me and said he was letting someone else hunt and want me to choose which piece I wanted, the 37 acres or the 100 acres. I asked if I could speak to the new guy and see if we could all hunt it together. He agreed and so did the new guy, it has gone well since then. Now it all went to hell in a hand basket!! The guy that came on in 2012 is moving and the farmer has not one but two guys he wants to let hunt. 4 guys using the piece of ground is not going to work, so again I was told I had to choose. I f course chose the 100 acre piece. the thing that gets me is one if the new guys is in law enforcement and new the property was being hunted, yet used his position to get hunting rights. I now have to take down 18 stands and all that go with them, safety lines, pull ropes, stands, steps everything. I have a lot of blood sweat and tears into that piece and it is all gone now!! It just hurts that another hunter who knew the property was tied up used his position to squeeze in on a spot. The other hunter is a young guy that I will share my knowledge of the properrty with but the other guy can go scratch!! I have been lucky enough to hunt out my back door on the same property my entire life and this one for 26 seasons but it still sucks!! Sorry for the rant but it makes me sick to my stomach to lose that 37 acres, killed over 100 deer on that piece alone and 3 of my best NY bucks ever!! Shawn
Charlie, I missed that UU Bar ranch show, but in N. CO the only "spillover" of elk is from public onto private by the thousands within the first week of archery season, and the elk stay there until they move to winter range. The wealthy ranchers also routinelyp overgraze the surrounding NF and there's no enforcement of allotment abuse, and when they finally getting around to moving the cattle it's in the middle of September. I'd love to hear interviews with some of the public land hunters who hunt around that ranch.
On two of the big ranches where I guided, the first week of archery was pretty slim pickings. But by the second week it was like Yellowstone in there. We've watched strings of 50-100 elk lining out across the sagebrush to reach the big ranches after the public land pressure hit.
If I was the UU Bar owner, I'd say the same thing (and I've heard that from CO ranchers too).
I would say the UU is exception in that example. I have only seen it work the other way around
Two just this year, my first time ever losing land.
First one I hunted for 30 years in exchange for farm labor. Owner had to sell due to age, moved into retirement community. No children to take over.
Second one, 20 years...Grandson asked for me not to be able to hunt it. Wants to keep it for him and his father. If they finish early I might be able to do some late season doe hunting.
Nothing lasts forever, I am very grateful for the time I had.
A better question.... who has never lost a place that they hunted for years????......... My guess, no one! I don't foresee the future getting any better....
Will be interesting to see how things change with outfitting-leasing when hunter numbers drop by 20-30% in the coming years, and the big "Boomer Bubble" of hunters with lots of disposable income grow too old and drop out out of the pay-for-play game.
owner died and wife sold the farm.
In the 80s I had finished my ER residency and moved back to WV. My uncle owned 100 acres that bordered a State Park. He had told me I could hunt anytime I wanted too so I scheduled a week off of work to bowhunt the week before rifle season started which in WV hits the rut pretty good. When I got there my uncle told me that he meant I could bowhunt when I wanted too except the week before gun season because he didn’t want the Deer disturbed right before gun season . So, I spent my vacation hunting National Forest . I also decided that if I wanted a place where I could hunt when I wanted I would need to buy a place. The next year I bought 340 acres, 2 years later I bought another 180 that joined it, then 2 years later bought another 40 acres. It’s been almost 30 years of having and managing my own farm. One of the best decisions I ever made.
Lost a good farm spot when the widow woman died and daughter moved in.had permission for almost 20 years.helped on the farm,and our farm fields bordered growing up. .daughter got a lawyer to stop my hunting permission granted by her mom.just makes ya puke.good spot close to home.
I've lost so many hunting locations here in Ohio mainly to cancerous leasing, don't even want to think about it....
Yup, few spots in the last year sold, one guy let everyone and their dog on so now it’s got more guys than public.
So I have a couple spots, saved hard, worked hard, watched for a couple years and now bought some land. This year will be my first year hunting it and I am beyond excited. The entire square mile section has not been hunted within the last 70 years if ever. I found a 60” buck with my name on it ;)
Lost pheasant hunting spots due to modern farming (no habitat left) or development. New subdivisions etc.
I've lost dozens of deer hunting spots. Leasing, family that maneuvers you out, property changes hands.
Trapper caught and killed the family dog.
Kid walking along creek stuck his foot in 220 conibear and broke said foot. His parents sued farmer. Farmer responded by kicking everyone off....cant blame him....
Can't hunt squirrels anywhere anymore because everyone is worried you might scare one of their bucks onto the neighbors place and someone might shoot it.
The list goes on.
The deer hunting spots were mostly lost to competition from other hunters. They used money (lease etc.) or position/relationships to oust me. Antlers drive a lot of this in my opinion.
I actually did that to someone myself. Didn't know it at the time, but I got myself in, and he got kicked out. Long story, but it's his own fault.
I'm hanging on to my last 2 spots by the skin of my teeth.
Lou, you can add me to list of people that aren't buying the declining hunter numbers story. Small game, squirrels and such sure. Nobody hunts that stuff. But everybody is a deer hunter anymore. Most are bowhunters.
I'm in a lot of woods and farms for work. I can't remember the last time I saw a chunk of huntable land that wasn't full of tree stands. Or those heated plastic shithouses on stilts.
They're just everywhere. Maybe this is just here in my area, but I doubt it.
No idea how many acres have been leased to big dollars in the past 20 years. Thousands. I have never blamed a landowner for doing it, and I can't afford to do it, so it is what it is. I was blessed to grow up where, and when i did, but things change. I don't plan to get a license this year for the first time in 36 years, but will sit with my kids if they decide to try to get a deer. I really am not encouraging them though. It has to be a individual drive that they have for themselves, not me begging them to go. My dad had no desire to hunt, so I got my own permission, put in the work, and managed to have some successes over the years. Wouldn't change a thing.
I lost a fantastic place here in Okla after 20+ years of the best hunting around a few years back. It was only an hour from my front porch. It had 3 different parcels that amounted close to 600 acres. Even though I was allowed to bring a guest I didn't abuse the privilege. The cost of the lease was minimal, $400.00 a year. But all through the year I was there helping or just doing chores on my own. You can find plenty of things to do on a farm. Working cattle, clearing and mending fences, planting, mowing, ect . I loved it. After 10 years or so the farmer and his wife opened their home to me just like I was family. His wife didn't like me leaving after dark to go home and have to drive back the next morning. I was allowed to stay at their home even if they were away. They were the definition of what we in this part of the country refer to as "good people". Five years ago she passed and the farmer followed after a couple more. The biggest regret I have about not having that lease any longer has nothing to do with hunting.
Now I'm like some of you. I'm public land hunter. No, I don't see anywhere near the number of, or quality of deer I used to. I've had stands stolen overnight. I have listened to others continually cough or talk on their cell phones from a 100 yards away. Well, guess life's full of ups and downs. God bless everyone, Gene.
"just more idiots to deal with"
That's for sure, there is no shortage of dumbasses on public land. Plus it reinforces my belief that common courtesy is pretty much dead.
I lost my boyhood land so I made it a priority to own some of my own hunting lands. Probably lands others use to hunt.
I'd be surprised if anyone hasn't lost private land to hunt on. Times change, people pass on, land changes hands, stuff happens. I've lost several over the years, but I gained a couple this year during turkey season too. It's still out there if you look for it.
Thinking about this from an economics (supply/demand) viewpoint. If there is value to private land hunting (demand) then it makes sense the price goes up. To me this doesn't indicate a massive decrease in hunter numbers, but rather the opposite. If hunter numbers were drastically decreasing we'd be seeing lease prices dropping and more private that isn't locked up.
VIDS, re: hunter decline, I looked at an older report from USFWS (2007) which said measured hunters 16 and older and said the number declined 10% from 1996-2006, from 14M to 12.5M. I know agencies revise stats all the time and vary the metrics. I've seen counts that included kids hunting, which are statistically irrelevant until they are old enough to drive.
Anyway , sure seems like a ton more bowhunters vying for a shrinking resource (access).
The take aways from this thread seem to be:
1. If you don't want to lose hunting land you have to buy your own (or hunt public).
2. You not only have to make friends with landowners but also their kids and grandkids.
3. Nothing lasts forever.
Lost multiple in the past. The last 2 were because my father sold the properties. Now he wished he hadn't sold one of them since he now has no place to hunt except the over crowded public land.
I lost a great ranch in CO. An old widow owned 7000 acres and when she died she left it to her nephew who was a young city boy punk. Me and 3 buddies were the only ones allowed to hunt it and when we heard who got the property we knew our days were numbered. He had it sold off in 2 years and we were out. I had a great whitetail place here in OH that I hunted for years all by myself. When the owners grandson got old enough he started hunting and bringing all his buddies, then his buddies started bringing others and before you know it, he said no more hunting. He did apologize to me. He said he never had a problem with me in all the years I was there but if others knew that it was getting hunted he would always have to deal with more people trying to get permission. So now it has no hunting signs everywhere.
I agree with the "who hasn't" statement.
Lost hundreds and hundreds of acres in Ohio over the years....some great places too. Variety of reasons....some from sales, some from others ruining it, some because the landowner just decided no more hunting.
I lost 994 acres back in 2011 when the landowner took ill. His great-niece got the house (built in 1826) and his great-nephew got the land. Niece told me I could still hunt but I would have to get permission from her cousin-the nephew. Took a few years of stopping by to finally get an answer. She "forgot" who I was and what she told me,finally telling me the agreement I had with the owner didn't mean s*** anymore. She went on to tell me they still allow people to hunt but not people they don't know-like me. Since this whole BS conversation was a lost cause I told her it's not nice to tell somebody one thing then conveniently forget what you told them. Then I mentioned a cousin of mine by name lives up the road and then the niece suddenly remembered me. The deceased owner and his family along with my mom and her family had been friends since the 1890s. My dad started taking me hunting on that land when I was seven in 1966. So 45 years of having access to private land is gone. Besides myself he allowed one man with a bad heart to get one deer. Otherwise my kids and I were the only ones to hunt that land. Most of the time I had to myself.
Yep. That bullshit about our "North American Model of Conservation". It was a grand idea but it is dead. Yeah we don't market hunt anymore but trophies, ahem, "mature specimens" are an open marketplace.
I wouldn't go so far as to say it is dead, but certainly moving in that direction in some locations. I've lost a couple spots. It's crazy to me what some of the posters on this thread have had. All the private land hunting I've done has been on relatively small parcels, but I've enjoyed my time and am thankful that I've had what I did, and still do. I've always been of the mind that if someone else bowhunts a property I don't try to gain permission, with the exception being if the bowhunter was a friend of mine; just my own personal policy. Having said that, if a landowner came to me and wanted me to hunt in that same situation, I might. There are times when I really enjoy hunting public. Then there are times when it is frustrating as hell. That applies to public here in Illinois, but I would just as soon hunt public out west.
I lost access to 70+ acres that blocked National Forest access to some great land. My Dad hunted that area for 30 years and I got 12 out of it, but landowner sold to state and the best part of the ranch became public land- can't even find a track there any more. As time went on, the landowner moved to assisted living and the relatives, which had built enormous 4000sq' "cabins" closed area to hunting. I lived on an 80 acre ranch as caretaker with deer the size of which I'll never see again being far from uncommon. Big-money Texas moved in, bought it and closed it to all access. Makes me sick. I hunt public land now, but I always have to some extend anyways. The difference is now I've given up on filling my tag and I am just hunting for a good time.
Several bird hunting spots in E. Colorado. Some to aging landowners passing the torch, but several others because slob hunters soured the landowner’s perception of hunters in general.
Where I grew up in CA the private ranches we hunted on would either go to wealthy people from southern California who wanted a hobby ranch, or to vintners for grapes. Kelly LeBrock bought one, Matt Leblanc bought one...I still can't drink wine from Kendall-Jackson Vineyards because I hold a 20-year grudge, they made an offer my buddys' folks just couldn't refuse and bought out one of my favorite pig-hunting ranches.
"That bullshit about our "North American Model of Conservation". It was a grand idea but it is dead"
Wow, you must be from the East Coast...
I used to be able to hunt so much land in Kansas that dad and I never got to see it all. When the leasing to nonresidents started, we lost it all after the ranchers died and their families took over. This put into motion a series of events that helped me buy the best place I've ever hunted. I've known several guys that gave up deer hunting because they had nowhere to go. Now they just hunt waterfowl and doves.
I guess I have the inverse as well. I had a private land spot that is now a public land spot if I choose to hunt it which I don’t. I sold half a property to the DEP and it is now and perpetually Open to public access. I have another 140ish acres next to it that I held back as it had way more development potential. However I am thinking about selling that to the DEP as well. In effect it is pretty much open to the public as well as I don’t keep anyone off it. On the inverse I have lost several good spots in NY over the years. Two excellent spots in Suffolk county, one in westchester. I also lost an amazing property in south eastern CT, it was huge compared the surrounding propertys in the area. Unfortunately after my friends divorce she listed it and sold it. Truth be told I don’t miss Northeast whitetail hunting much at all, I would rather hunt two weeks a year in the Midwest then two months in NY
i live in kansas. prior to allowing non residents into our state, i had the privilege of hunting on thousands of acers of private land. i now hunt the over-crowded public. land does change hands. however, the vast majority has been leased by folks with deep pockets. the medium average income here is 40k or less. we just cant compete. i do know several guys that have quit hunting and shifted to fishing.
I, as many of you, am in the same boat...lost hunting permission due to landowner dying, selling or leasing. Many years ago when leasing came about I diagnosed it as a cancer.
Jaquomo quote "Charlie, I missed that UU Bar ranch show, but in N. CO the only "spillover" of elk is from public onto private by the thousands within the first week of archery season, and the elk stay there until they move to winter range. The wealthy ranchers also routinelyp overgraze the surrounding NF and there's no enforcement of allotment abuse, and when they finally getting around to moving the cattle it's in the middle of September. I'd love to hear interviews with some of the public land hunters who hunt around that ranch. On two of the big ranches where I guided, the first week of archery was pretty slim pickings. But by the second week it was like Yellowstone in there. We've watched strings of 50-100 elk lining out across the sagebrush to reach the big ranches after the public land pressure hit.
If I was the UU Bar owner, I'd say the same thing (and I've heard that from CO ranchers too)."
I'm glad you addressed this I don't think I could have bit my tongue much longer !!
I agree with Trial153 about the Midwest. Just sold my last deer hunting ground in New York State and now spend all my time in the Midwest.
To qualify that last statement I'm not opposed to a landowner charging a fee to hunt his property...he's got taxes and such. But leasing allows but a select few to use it.
Another aspect is the desire for a more quality experience with a better age structure which has caused certain landowners to buy up larger and larger chunks of land. As more importance is put on producing 160-180 inch class bucks we will continue to see the control of land continue to increase and cost more. I myself have continued to buy land and add to my farms in Iowa and Missouri. It costs money but is certainly the trend where I live.
More land with less hunters isn’t a good thing for the sport but it’s the way we are presently headed.
I agree with Trial153 about the Midwest. Just sold my last deer hunting ground in New York State and now spend all my time in the Midwest.
So, in a nutshell, archery numbers aren't necessarily growing, it's just that NRs and residents alike are leasing up the prime areas/spots? Spots that generations used to hunt with their kids and grandkids are no longer accessible due to leasing or selling off. Do I have that right? If it is, it all seems fair to me. It sucks, and it's most likely going to happen to me someday. Grandkids are getting older and showing an interest, owner is getting older... that kind of deal.
Where I grew up I hunted 2000 acres with no one else there but me. I now am down to sharing 100 acres with some relatives. The rest has all been leased. Not naming names but thanks for making Iowa the archery tourist destination of the past decade.
Lost a great spot in Ohio a couple years ago. We got permission because my cousins buddy married into the family. They got divorced after 18 years so that was the end of that!
Lost about 7K acres to hunt in Ia. from being sold, leased or put under to black earth, had some great hunting from the late 60s-2000, it was open to whoever wanted to hunt which was very few. Seen an whole section that went to black earth in 3 wks time, it was a honey hole for game. I go on google maps and can see the the destruction of habitat from farming practice that I use to hunt, sad to see that it effects the future generations of hunters that will not be there, it is like the Native Americans watching the slaughter of the buffalo.
I've lost a bunch of them over the years for the same reason Jaq mentioned.
The one whitetail spot was different; The rancher told my buddy [who had the connection] NOT to shoot a resident buck that was a main frame 12 point...but only scored about 140. The buck was pretty distinctive as he was fairly wide and flat....and of course had all of those small points sticking up. There were other really nice bucks cruising through..."Just don't shoot that one"
Not only did he get flustered and shoot the 12....but he shot and lost it, had to fly out the next day and the rancher had to find it. I think the flying out part was contrived as that rancher was livid when he found the buck. Oh man was he ticked off...and I don't blame him. When he called me there was nothing to say but, "Yeah, I understand"
Apauls, your internet connection must be faulty. I haven’t been receiving any trail cam pics of the buck you’re saving for me. Or maybe too monstrous to trust a public internet?!?
Trial123 I 100% agree. NY has become terrible, I still have good access but their are so many guys poaching it is not funny. These guys shoot a 110" buck and think they have killed a monster. The deer do not get a chance to get enough age on the to be a trophy, not where I hunt anyway! Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa public is way better than even the best private in NY! Shawn
Growing up we had almost 20 farms to hunt, mostly because we also spent a lot of time over the summers shooting groundhogs. Every farmer welcomed us, and really didn't know that one of the reasons we weren't there every day was because we didn't want to 'shoot every farm out'. Spent at least 3-4 evenings a week doing this, so needed a lot of farms to be able to not shoot each one out. Very fortunate that in the early 2000's in PA my father realized that we were losing farms to sprawl, older farmers passing on and the kids having no interest in it, 'city folks' wanting out of the city and not wanting to deal with 'hunter types', etc. We were lucky he was in a good situation at the time and was able to buy some cheap land. I love that place. Still have two farms I can go shoot some woodchucks, but my son and daughter are certainly not growing up like I did.
The guy next to me lost his private land spot. The farmer caught him bringing in guests without asking. Now he is probably on here complaining about the greedy landowner and the almighty dollar. The landowner asked me if I knew anybody that would rent it for hunting, and of course I told him I would if the price was right. Now I’m the bad guy who leases up all the hunting ground that people used to hunt for free.
Dad and I used to be able to hunt so much land we never set foot on all of it. He sold crop insurance and knew everybody. We could start at the county line and hunt here and there for ten to 15 miles. Lost it all to leasing and landowner die off. Managed to get 1500 acres back but the owners are older so time is limited on it as well.
Just like most others I have lost everything I ever had to hunt on over the years. Some do to not being able to get licenses every year which makes it hard to keep permission (mostly for out of state spots). Some other have beat me to it by contacting landowners earlier than me. Occasionally I may be able to get to hunt certain spots every few years if it is not leased or sold. Everything keeps changing and not for the best but it is what it is, also every year it get harder and harder to find new places to get permission on.
