...."PUBLIC HUNTING".
Yep. That.
FWIW, I wouldn't be hunting at all if it weren't for PHL (public hunting land). Illinois has set it up so you really have to want it bad to get it.
Examples:
*Archery PHL hunters need to arrive at many designated PHL spots and wait your turn (first come, first served). There are a limited number of slots, so hunters begin lining up around 3am to see if they get in, or go home (you can imagine taking the day off from work, driving an hour or more to the PHL and being told they are full?)
*No tree stands are allowed overnight. This means carrying your stands, ladders, climbing sticks etc. in with you, and carrying them back out at night. So much for a scent-free sit. By the time one drags in his gear and sets it up, if you haven't spooked every deer within 3 miles, the remaining ones will smell you a mile away since you now smell like a rancid warthog.
*No screw-in steps, bow hangers, etc allowed.
* How nice to get set up and as the sun greets the morning, discover you're perched in a tree 15 yards from another guy, or worse yet, be set up and have the other guy fumbling in an hour after everything has finally settled down...
But, for some of us, this might be as good as it gets, so not knocking the whole system. It's better than not hunting at all. Just wondering how some of the rest of you deal with public hunting and if your state requirements are stifling to your hunt?