Who hunts public land

[ja]

My moniker says it all - I hunt the Rum river area in Minn. as well as private land when I can get it. THe private lands are not what they used to be as they have been chopped up in little pieces and crowded with lots of poor hunters- with high powered rifles! I hunted the BP season this year as well as rifle. Did not score on BP but as stated in other posts its a matter of getting back even further in after the regular season is over. I have used the snowmobile trails with a hand cart and this eases the haul out quite a bit. Since the winters have warmed up the deer pop has risen. IN many areas you can get 5 tags and in '04 I filled them all. I plan to scout out a few more places for next fall. Shoveling snow is always a pain in the neck, but I never lack energy to drag out a deer!

 

[Walks Alone]

Probably about 50/50 for me. I do ADC for ranchers who also let me use their land for non ADC hunting and fishing. But living in the wide open spaces of the west, I also do a lot on public lands.

 

[jdixon]

Whether or not the public lands are going to be worth the effort depends on the area. I used to live in N.E. lower Michigan. We wouldn't even go out in the woods during the regular gun season up therre for all of the people shooting at everything that moved. There were certain roads that we knew we shouldn't drive during this time for fear of getting struck by a stray round. This was during the 70's, maybe better now though I doubt it. Now in Kentucky - very fortunate - the Daniel Boone N.F. is only 30 minutes away. Better yet, they have set aside a healthy chunk of the forest, in a beatiful area as sidelock and bow only - no scopes. It is very rough country which also serves to keep the number of hunters down. This is my favorite hunting ground anymore. Usually have the place to yourself. Very safe hunting there due to the restriction. Nice, though not huge deer and turkey populations, fair for grouse, even the occassional elk wandering through, sometimes hear reports of black bear out there. For my money, that sidelock only restriction makes this tract of public land far more enjoyable to hunt than any private land in this area.

 

[Rocky Johnson]

I hunt in the Ottowa National forest in Michigans upper for the frist week of the season and almost never see another hunter. Then I hunt private land here in Allegan county and see a lot of hunters at times. :winking: Rocky

 

[Deadeye]

We have a lot of public land here, lot of it rough and steep. If your willing to climb you won't find many other hunters. Here's a pretty good buck taken on public land, still hunting alone.

 

[Rebel]

Nice buck. How wide was that guy?

 

[ja]

What part of the state do you plan to hunt? I know of a peice 60 square miles in size that I plan to check out over the summer.