Land Access Cited as Top Problem

[smudd55]

I enjoy reading all of the comments.  You each have valid input.  These past 5 years it seems that land access has become an issue.  This has made me appreciate where I hunt all that more.  I have been hunting the same spot since I was 12 and now I am 30.  I baled hay for the farmer when I was 12.  I have kept that land by making sure I leave it as I found it.  I always call ahead when I am hunting to let him know.  The calling ahead lets him know that if he sees someone out there and I didn't call then it isn't me.  I have a trail cam a ground blind and two treestands out there and nothing has ever come up missing.  It sucks for the guys that just found out they didn't have a place to hunt.  If you know well enough in advance you can prepare.  Don't approach a farmer or other landowner during season wearing your best camo bibs.  Dress nicely and do it in March.  You can even provide an access contract which can be found on the field and stream website.  Even with all the niceties you can still get a big "shove off"  Lets face it guys, that is mostly our fault.  We have been careless for many years and taking for granted what we have.  I am also in that group, but as I get older I began to heed the teaching that my father gave me for free no doubt.  Respect what is yours and respect more what is not yours.  It always sucks when I hear of somebody losing there land because that may be just another person that is leaving the sport for good.  Hopefully with a little work and some sweet talk they will find ways to hunt.

[scottflesher]

I didn't read the entire chain, so sorry if my opinion is redundant, but I think hunting has gained popularity in the past 20 years. My father (62) grew up very poor and hunting and always wanted to buy a piece of property to call his own. He's done well enough for himself that 2 years ago he bought 83 acres about 15 miles from his home. Being from a small town, he knew most everyone and always had hunting permission from landowners. As hunting began to gain popularity, his old hunting spots began to disappear due to sales, landowners kids growing up watching hunting shows and wanting to hut, etc. Luckily he found a tract of land that wasn't too expensive and was able to purchase it.
As much as I hate to admit it, we do restrict the hunting privelages to our family only. I certainly understand if the previous hunters of this land are upset at us, but they could have bid on the land also. It's easy to be upset at the new owners, but I think the public should be upset at the states who allow hunters to kill muliple deer per year, allow ATV's back into the woods (unless your handicaped), modern technology such as muzzleloaders that shoot like rifles and crossbows. This equipment eliminates the need to put in the hours practicing and only encourages every Tom, Dick and Harry to hunt. I agree about the decreasing habitat due to urbanization, however if we restricted that, we'd put alot of folks out of jobs too. Guess we're in a catch 22.

[DayneShuda]

Three seasons ago I lost out on some prime private property in Buffalo County Wisconsin. It wasn't a surprise as my Uncle had been discussing selling his 500 acre ranch for a few years. After ten years of learning the ins and outs of the property it was a big loss.

Today I find success putting an ad in the local classified each season stating that I'm an honest hunter looking for private land to lease at a reasonable rate. This year I had quite a few calls and was able to pick out a pretty good spot. While I haven't found the success I had at the old ranch I've found some success. It's difficult learning new property each season, but it's nice knowing that landowners are out there looking to honest hunters to lease their property. It puts extra money in their pocket and perhaps a little venison in their freezer if they'd like.

For those looking for access to public land, here is a resource: Federal Recreation Areas That are Open for Hunting.

Try out a few ways to approach landowners. With some landowners looking to pay increasing taxes, there are opportunities to find private land to lease for reasonable rates if you look for creative ways to contact landowners. Think about the places they visit, read, and view and put yourself in front of them as an honest hunter.

Best of luck this season.

[DeanoZ]

In being honest I have a new perspective as a result of losing the spot I'd been hunting, only 5 days before the bow opener.  I was scrambling to find a spot and decided i would see what public land Jersey has to offer.  Upon cruising the NJFW website, i was astonished to find there was over 750,000 acres of public land open to the public.  I quickly perused through the maps and came across  a couple spots that were within proximity to my old spot and another closer to home. Then the fun really began as I quickly speed scouted these two areas, selected sights, cleared shooting lanes and figured out my track plan in and out of these sets.  It was a rush!  Being forced to do all this at the last minute, while unfortunate, was probably the best thing that could have happened as it really opened my eyes to what was out there and honed my scouting skills.  I found that researching and picking apart of piece of property you've never set foot on, finding likely funnels and then seeing the results in actual deer sightings was almost as rewarding as the hunt itself.  Of course the same ole pitfalls are still there as I also found out..over crowding, someone setting up next to you, inconsiderate hunters and people, but I've managed to find ways around that as well and am confident I will fill my tag this year at one or both of those properties.  Would I love my own "private Idaho"?  You bet, but the fact that I don't right now won't preclude me from hunting public land and if anything its set the stage for me to try some DIY hunts, on public land, in other states.

[awiersum]

I just lost my hunting lease 2 days ago. Now will have to hunt public,but i live in MI where you are lucky to have a job so I have lots of time to get out during the week wacth football on weekends

[jsjandro]

not to be crass, but i feel no pain for most whiners in this. 10 years ago when i started hunting at age 12, i sat on pub land in a stand with my dad- both new to hunting - and said "im going to own my own woods someday. im sick of orange deer!" 3 years ago i did just that, and bought and own and live on 20 acres.
 
how? i used my brain, i worked and served this country, i saved every penny, and when my buddys were buying new trucks - i was still driving junk.
 
smartest move i ever made. and every one can do it if you're a hunter i know u blow money left an right on it so dont say you cant with time.
 
i still hunt and trap pub land - but mostly deer hunt private. i put sweat, blood, pain, and time into my patch and when arrogant dinks come thru that didnt ask and find out i have some simple rules and you can hunt - i get #@!#@!!!
 
i know how tuff it is to get permission - i grew up south of the twin cities by faribo. seems like land i had everyone else did too, until someone screwed up and got all us the boot at once.  i preach buying a piece somewhere and if you dont let no one but fam and friend on it - good for you!  post it too!  it sends the message to responsible level headed people to simply ask and it lets them know who owns it. as for the dinks, they'll never learn. dont assume its gone forever and hate the guy, if i did that growing up i would never been able to ever hunt private land at all! 
 
im not rich - never will be and i bought a chunk, so can u!  and no one can take mine but the tax man if i dont pay him once a year!
 
 

[scotman]

ORIGINAL: Admin

Restricted access to hunting lands in the past three seasons, especially on private property, has reduced opportunities to hunt, according to a recent survey.

In the survey of about 2,000 hunters conducted in April 2008, just over one-third (34%) of hunters reported that restricted access to hunting lands reduced their hunting time over the past three seasons. Private hunting lands were more likely than public lands to have had restrictions placed on them, said 80% of the surveyed hunters.

Perhaps offering a glimmer of hope to those who love to hunt, exactly half (50%) of surveyed hunters said that their hunting opportunities had been "reduced" due to land restrictions, rather than eliminated entirely. Only about 7% of hunters reported that previously available hunting lands had been completely closed to them.

"Restricted land access continues to be a major issue affecting hunters," commented Rob Southwick, designer of the survey.

Of the hunters who said their access to hunting lands had been restricted, more than half (about 58%) said that previously available land had been sold to a new owner who restricted hunting access, or that the landowner had given, leased, or sold hunting rights to others, making the land less available--or unavailable--to the survey respondents. More specifically, of those who said that previously available lands had seen new restrictions, about 31% reported that a new landowner had restricted their access for reasons other than providing hunting access to others, while about 28% said that hunting access had been granted to others, reducing or eliminating their own opportunities to hunt the land.


Source: Rob Southwick and HunterSurvey.com.

This is one of my main concerns to where our hunting tradition is heading and has already headed. Huge tracts of land being bought up by profit hunters looking to make money selling "Quality Whitetail Bucks". This trend will only increase. We talk about ensuring our hunting tradition for future generations to come but that is exactly the opposite of what is taking place. These profit hunters are not only limited to land purchases they have well known deer biologists backing them compromising our ideals we once held, that legendary deer hunting forefathers have instilled in us. 

One may say well that sounds like a quacky conspiracy theory? I say this is not the first time where deerhunters had to contend with profit hunters trying to take over our tradition. If you look at the almost near extinction of our whitetail population in the 1800's when the profit hunters through the fur trade took over our tradition is a telling fact. Only 100 years later in 1908 did conservationists setup departments of conservation in 40 some states to protect not only whitetails but to protect other wildlife.

Now though we have things called Antler Restriction and other forms of "deer management" that these conservation departments are trying to enact across the states. This will not only stifle new coming hunters but it will drive up the cost of hunting licenses. All of these extra programs will require whole new departments within DEC's. This will cost money and we as hunters will inevitably pay for it.

[crazybull]

Though I agree that finding good hunting ground is getting more difficult with a little research and creative thinking it can still be found.  I'm a DoD contractor and with the exception of my days off when I get off work at 8 a.m I take a trip into the woods on base.  Most military installations allow civilians to hunt in some areas when training is not being conducted.  This includes reserve and national guard installations as well.  Some of these areas are quite large which gives you a bit of elbow room.  All military installations have a natural resource manager that you can get info from.

[Randy3003]

I have hunted practically all my life, and even though it was my Uncles land we still would ask every year, knowing the answer to be yes made no difference, it's a respect thing.  It's amazing how people have grown to forget that word recently.  I don't blame the land owners for feeling the way they do, if this is their reason, however we hunters still preform a service to the farmer, by eliminating a few more hungry mouths, thus leaving a little more crop in the fields to be harvested.  By the way I'm 52 and have been pretty fortunate in acquiring permission to hunt on new land just by asking and giving the prospective land owner references (phone #) to call,to help set him at ease.  Usually they will give me permission right away without even making a single call, if the land is not leased.

[deerslayer333]

I have asked three people after moving from Kansas to Ohio to hunt on their private land and all three said yes but two of them wouldn't allow hunting on Sundays. I don't know if it is a religious thing or what because I never hunted on those two properties since I can only hunt on the weekends. I guess Ohio used to not allow hunting on Sundays, maybe its because of that but I plead with landowners in Ohio to please let us hunt on Sundays. One day out of the week just isn't enough for me to get some venison on the table with only a bow. I'm just not that good yet and definately not that lucky.LOL.