Hunting Public Land? It was BAD

[GingivitisKahn]

Lol Recurve50LBS - way to freak out the bikers.  That's got me giggling.

[Eric Krewson]

I hunted Lauderdale mgt area in N/W Alabama yesterday evening. I drove through several miles of area and only saw one other hunters car pulled off the road. This is a foot traffic only area past the gates. No one was hunting at all and it was opening day. Probably 18,000 acres in the area.

[strick9]

I believe it is our duty to let those with no ethics , mainly due to ignorance and lack of home training know with authority,, Let them have a piece of your mind else wise they just keep on being freaks....

[DeerSpotter]

I did at one time, I was in a tree stand just off of a small path, and this guy came through riding lawnmower, and I just said " HAY, what you doing !"  And I said it so loud he about fell off the riding lawnmower, I told he was a supposed we can pass through there house can talk to the DNR about it. His comment was " on doing it for you hunters", I said no you're not, you do it for those houses a quarter-mile back, this is not a city park, and then he drove off.  Still cutting grass that is.  But that was last year, I went there for opening day this yr.  There were no cut paths or any lanes of any sort, it pays to open your mouth sometimes,

I went to another WMA, this year that was a small 40 acre plot, my idea was that others would think it was too small, it was close enough, about a quarter-mile, to a small city of about 500, somebody they're locked the gate open, and there was a deer road beyond the gate all the way to the Boardwalk through the swamp, and all the way around the oak grove's was a 10 ft. wide path around the whole area, sometime near future and the complain to the DNR and see if I can get that stopped.

I don't know if you've heard about some of the things that have gone on in our area, but we had to hunters killed so far in the season, that was last year.  Just because somebody open up their mouth, and told a league off their land, six people were killed in Wisconsin, and one person was killed in our area in Minnesota, so I'm cautious, when talking to others about what they should do.  I did ask those hunters what their intentions were, because they had just a knife on your belt and no weapons or bows, the reason I was cautious is because there is three of them.  Now day she just never know.  There is a lot of our hunting land slipping away from us, because somebody wants to make some money.  Even in our state Minnesota I saw one area that was a wetland, that was state land, but there was a sign on it, FOR SALE,     so even the state wants to make money    

And now the state Minnesota, moved the legal poundage for both hunters down to 30#, they want to try and get more kids involved in hunting, but at 30 lbs. you need to have the discipline to know when you can take a shot and when you should, and when you've got on educated adults, supervising inexperienced kids, it's a bad mixture for 30# bows.

And they legalized crossbows for rifle season, it makes a difference when you gotta Legislature that thinks the idea of woods, are golf clubs !

Carl

[SOS]

A canoe can often work to get across a little water that will limit traffic.  Gotta be creative!

[DeerSpotter]

I do have a mad River Explorer, there is an area called Carlos Avery, where they tell me that if you go in really deep, there are some large near there.  But it has been too warm, it would take me more then two hours to travel out, that means icing coolers, and quartering deer, but that's illegal in our state, you have to check again with hide & head, but once it becomes cold enough and the rivers are still open, it would be a great option, we have a wilderness north of us the boundary Waters, I told my wife and number times I would like to take a week and go up there, but they are smart deer, their wolf dodgers up there, so there pretty elusive.  But it still would be fun, but right now it's winter up there, the nights are down about 17°.

Maybe next year maybe next year I do plan to week trip up there, and to stay until I get a deer.

Carl

[ks_stickbow]

Originally posted by Bonebuster:
I do not own property to hunt. I do have permission to hunt some very nice pieces of land,
and do put in time there. But I love to hunt big places. Public land is much more challenging for a number of reasons. The thing that makes public land the most challenging for me is disturbance caused from other hunters.

I put alot of effort into preventing others from knowing where I hunt, and I usually have to do alot of walking to get into areas where the type of people you describe are not willing to go.

I wish I could buy some property, but my priorities do not include a land payment, insurance, and property taxes.

On a good note, I find myself driving past my private land access to our our beautiful tracts of public ground simply because its more fun.

My scouting cameras prove that the big bucks are there, and the big bucks prove that they are much better at avoiding me than I am of finding them.

you put cameras up on public land and the are there when you get back......LUCKY DOG......I put a crawfish trap up at my hunting spot (a creek runs by there). I put the trap out at 8:30am and went back at 6pm and it was gone....I have so far lost 3 stands 3 locks, 3 cables, and 3 sets of steps.... public land....very public


Dude, public land sucks. I'm not saying I haven't seen great deer on public land, but I have seen alot more people walking then deer walking....walk in further if you want....but you aren't the only one that has been given tht advice.

[laddy]

I am now hunting on dnr land to get away from all the fourwheelers and pickups that were constantly cruising the private land looking for a monster buck that never showed up on that land.

[LV2HUNT]

I hunt public exclusively and like others have said I either go deep or expect the potential for disruptions.

Last year some chowderhead let me climb a tree and get setup 30 yards away from him. I climbed down and asked him what he was thinking.

I then moved down the ridge, setup and 15 minutes later shot a nice eight pointer, go figure.

Another time I got clever and stuck my blind in some really thick stuff adjacent to a road. Two morons came through jump shooting deer with crossbows. That was the last time I did that!

[waknstak IL]

Public land is just that "public".  If you can't get used to the fact that others will be there and sometimes they will mess you up. Then you aren't going to be happy. Ive hunted public land exclusively  for 18 years all over IL. It's the same everywhere and at least here it's getting more crowded all the time. I counted license plates from 11 different states last year on one of the public areas I hunt. You just have to learn to make the best of what you have. Even with the negatives it is still better than sitting at home.

[Recurve50LBS]

Waknstak,
I know that our WMA's are "public". There is a very good chance of bumping into "others". Others meaning hunters and non hunters. I always try to make a positive impression on whoever I may meet in the woods.
I get frustrated and angry when I see bone heads blaintly breaking posted laws on our WMA's. These folks need to pay for their law breaking. If I shot and killed an animal out of season, I would suffer under the full weight of the law when I got caught. Rightfully so.
But it's the same old tune. Not enough law enforcement officers to be in all the places where they need to be.
So as positive represenitives of our sport. I feel it is our duty to remind others when they are breaking the laws as long as we can do it and stay safe while doing it.
We are the ones who have paid money through our Pittman Roberts tax and licence and permit fees that have paid for all of these WMA's for the whole public to enjoy. Since they belong to all of us, shoulden't we be the ones to help police them from law breakers like ATV riders as well as the occasional slob hunter? After all, the anti hunting public would like nothing more than to kick all of us hunters off these public lands,regardless if we are law breakers or not.

[DeerSpotter]

It makes it difficult when we have society that has a " I don't care attitude", and then we have the other problem that society gives us the attitude that we should feel guilty for doing what's right, and when we report others for not doing what's right, were looked down upon.

I remember seeing a quote

" evil thrives, when a few good men, do nothing"

I I don't know if that's the exact words but that's the gist of it.  

And you are right, we need to keep it is positive is possible, so that were not the time has heretics, I remember my business, it was 3% of the customers that made up the rules for all the rest.  Just because they won their way, it makes it difficult, what if all the police officers just let everything slide, we have difficult society, and when you look at the percentage of policeman, compared to population, they do a fine job, except for when politics get involved.  It's easy do nothing, but then you better not be complained about those that are doing something.  It's just like Minnesota, we have only 3% of all the wetland that never existed in the state, because a lot of people did nothing.

Carl

[fyrfyter43]

Recurve50LBS, keep after 'em. And don't be afraid to make a call to alert the COs.

I'm also involved in the offroad community (Jeeps, not ATVs) and it seems that more and more people think that they are entitled to use WMA land as they see fit...even those that know better. I simply remind people that they are in the wrong, and point them in the right direction to verify what I'm telling them. I even let them know of a few places where they can ride legally. If they still insist on going where they shouldn't, I let them know that I will not hesitate to turn them in.