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hunting the public

The younger generation creating hunting shows on you tube have got my attention lately. Especially those that focus on public land bowhunting. Many are well made and fun to watch. However i started contemplating the impact these shows have on Iowa's public lands. So i started looking at some numbers (public acres available to hunt). Colorado has 23,397,000 acres pennsylvania 4,170,000 acres Iowa 266,000 acres of which likely a small % is deer habitat and a small part of that is good deer hunting. With the poularity of Iowa deer hunting I wonder how many of the NR's hunt public land exclusively. Another obvious reality is the huge percentage of Iowans that have no private land options and are forced to hunt public. This creates some strange management problems ,I'm sure. I wonder if you guys could offer civil opinions on all aspects this issue. I know this subject has been visted before but I have questions.

Plenty of public land close by but some is nearly impossible to hunt. Crappy habitat, and the decent parts get hit hard during gun season.

What is everyones opinion on a percentage of NR tags being private land only? And could this help in some way.

Heres a good info source: https://www.backcountrychronicles.com/public-hunting-land/

I empathize with you Dave. Your suggestion is reasonable. Your state could have seasons or areas that are only open to residents. But, just limiting public tags can lead to more outfitting and leasing of private and will reduce resident's access to them. Many states with good game and trophy populations have crowding issues whether it be whitetail, mule deer, elk. While there are many solutions that may work one of the most straight forward to me is - raising NR fees to bring supply/demand in line and reduce the number of NR permits. I feel for everybody that has a hard time finding uncrowded ground - esp residents.

Many landowners are just starting to realize the value of wildlife and those that will pay to hunt. Raising non resident fees can have the effect of more money people buying local land also. I personally don't have a problem with paid hunting and it will get worse, landowners will and have every right to gain something MIwith the taxes, insurance etc. they have to pay

How many NR tags does Iowa issue every year? One could do some division using the total acres of public land in order to get some sense of hunting pressure on public property, but that wouldn't account for NR hunting on private land. I don't apply for nonresident tags, preferring over-the-counter opportunities (less stress). Good luck this fall.

Omg the sky is falling. Non Residents will probably shoot every last buck on public in Iowa!!

firsty, my post had to deal with the promotion of public land hunting in iowa, which by my observation is very limited in comparison to other states. It was not intended as a knock on NR hunting iowa in general, only a discussion of public land hunting.

2101 nonresident tags this year. If every nonresident hunted the same week or two of the year and all only hunted public land. That would put 1 Hunter on every 126 acres if there is only 266,000 acres. From what I seen the total acreage is 300,000.

How many are hunting private land already? How many hunt more then a week or two a year?

I doubt many nrs are hunting public in Iowa. It can take up to 5 years to get a tag on prime areas and most want at least a shot at a good buck and are willing to pay for it !

I have 7 nr pts.. i will not be hunting public when i go.. it’s just too expensive and time consuming to try to scout and hunt public that locals already know.. I’ll find private or hire a guide..

I am a resident & bowhunt 2 properties in Ia. (my home state was Ill.). 1 Private, near 400 acres. 1 Public small , under 80 acres. Private gets gunned hard by the family, brown n down. Public, NO ONE seems to think its worth hunting as I have it to myself. I rarely see bucks in it until nearing rut & then it's very good. I have bowhunted 15 states over the years & always public, DIY. True, seems more bowhunters now but still lots of room. I have never let the word "public" determine how a bowhunt would be. I have had great & succesful adventures in all but these in particular. Co., New Mexico, Wy., Wisconsin, Ill, Ia., La., Mn., N.C.. I have taken Elk, Mule Deer, Whitetail, Black Bear, Antelope & all on public DIY.

I am a resident & bowhunt 2 properties in Ia. (my home state was Ill.). 1 Private, near 400 acres. 1 Public small , under 80 acres. Private gets gunned hard by the family, brown n down. Public, NO ONE seems to think its worth hunting as I have it to myself. I rarely see bucks in it until nearing rut & then it's very good. I have bowhunted 15 states over the years & always public, DIY. True, seems more bowhunters now but still lots of room. I have never let the word "public" determine how a bowhunt would be. I have had great & succesful adventures in all but these in particular. Co., New Mexico, Wy., Wisconsin, Ill, Ia., La., Mn., N.C.. I have taken Elk, Mule Deer, Whitetail, Black Bear, Antelope & all on public DIY.

I think this whole debate gets beat to death. Go hunt. If it’s important to you, lease or buy your exclusive rights. Other then that, just hunt and quit complaining about others hunting. That’s my thoughts.

It definitely has impacted things, but in states like Kansas and Iowa I think the impact pales in comparison to say Nebraska, Ohio, or Oklahoma where over-the-counter non-resident sales have skyrocketed many times over the last decade.

Satellite mapping systems I believe play the biggest role. There are no secrets anymore.

On the flipside of things it has gotten young hunters involved on their own, displaced some unnecessary emphasis on antler size, and really breathe life back into Whitetail hunting practices. All this and at the same time putting an emphasis on woodsmanship.

I really do think the media exploitation of public lands may fall out of vogue in the next 3-5 years. The public land is full and has hit a tipping point.

I get salty every once in a while but it’s just hunting trends and they change with time as they always have. Successful hunters will always be trying to compete with others and hopefully in a way that builds up the overall hunting atmosphere/community

Recurve point taken and I’m not trying to be an ahole here but the are called The Hunting Public. Their focus is not necessarily to hunt public land, but rather to represent the average “Joe” in the hunting public across the country. They do hunt public land most of the time but also hunt private when an invitation comes up. I say this only because they have brought it up from time to time on their show.

I the Hunting Public show is by far one of the best hunting shows ever made. I hunt public land and private in Virginia. As hunter number start to drop it seems I have more and more woods to myself.

I appreciate everyones input. I was hoping for some input from guys that hunt Iowa public ground. I for one have hunted Iowa public and have taken a number of archery bucks over the years. I rarely have encountered other hunters either, although i do what i can to stay away from easy places. Most of my bucks have been harvested on private ground, family or otherwise. I really enjoy "hunting the public", I have no agenda in asking the questions, only curious what others are encountering on public land in Iowa, Dave

I think it's a good question to ask, and one I was actually wondering about for you guys in the US. Here in Manitoba we have so much public land that it doesn't really affect us, plus most Canadian hunters are not hardcore "bush" hunters.

Here in MI, hunting private land, I am never more than a couple of hundred yards from another tree stand on adjoining properties. Public land is even worse. You guys in the "midwest glory states" have no idea what hunting pressure is. Iowa public land is a different world. In 10 days in 2019 I passed up over 20 bucks in the 115 to 125 range. Saw a few big ones. Came home with tag in my pocket. It would take me 5 years to see the same thing here in Michigan on what most MI hunters would consider great ground. Most guys in MI never see that many "decent" bucks in a life time of hunting.

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