Getting Downhearted

[Sir-diealot]

I have purposely moved twice in my life to find better hunting, once I moved out west to experience everything it had to offer and 10 years latter I moved back south but made sure I located very near a large track of public land. I'm sure a lot of you can't do that because of bla,bla bla but that fact is everyone really does have an opportunity to do what they want in life.
If you wan't it bad enough you make it happen, other wise you roll back over into that warm bed and come up with reasons why it ain't your fault.

Horse pucky as Colonel Potter would say, not everybody has that ability.

[Southerngobbler]

This Coronal potter buddy of your sounds like a democrat. Is he on welfare?

[silvestris]

Perhaps the leasing up North by those from the South is just a delayed payback for the invasion of the 1860's.

[idratherb]

 

[POk3s]

I feel strongly that every "issue" has a solution. In this case there are many solutions but a lot of them as you've mentioned are not feasible.

I will start with saying I am from Wyoming and I don't know how leasing works. But the very first solution that comes to mind is talking with these landowners about permission to hunt or "leasing" for a small price during the spring. As you've mentioned these landowners can do whatever they want and further supplementing their income by showing them you'll give them a couple hundred bucks to access the property during springtime might be enough for them to let you hunt the place.

The other solution, which has been mentioned a few times is hunting public ground. You say there's none close to you but then say you have a newer, dependable vehicle. HAVE TAG WILL TRAVEL! Take a weekend and go to a part of the state where there's more public, or a neighboring state. Last year I took a week off work, headed east to Iowa (the land of virtually no public land) and killed a bird on public ground, then hunted my way across Nebraska while heading home, and killed a bird there. It's some of the most fun I ever had traveling around the midwest, hunting, talking with folks, and all around having a great time. I stayed in a tent at a campground. My major expenses were tag costs and gas. I brought a propane grill to cook dinners, a cooler full of sandwich stuff, and breakfast bars. I "roughed it" but it was a blast! That is a very viable option! I believe I did the entire trip for less than $1000 but I could've been just over. It's pennies compared to what some people will charge for a weekend on their land, let alone hunting two states and 9 days of hunting.

[renegade19]

I hunt public ground.  A lot.  I also hunt private ground some.  As far as I can tell, the birds are the same.  I'd say 75% of the birds I've killed over the years have come off of public ground.  They're there and can be killed.  Don't give up.

[renegade19]

There are still some areas where a friendly handshake and a return favor or two can get you access.  I personally don't pay to hunt unless you count crappie fillets and deer jerky.  If you pay, cool.  It's just not for me.  This year, I lost an amazing piece of deer ground.  Got lucky and found another that's better.  It cost me nothing until I gave the guy a deer jerky sample!  I don't mind one bit.  Here's the buck I shot Monday on that ground. 

[renegade19]

Another pic.

[Sir-diealot]

This Coronal potter buddy of your sounds like a democrat. Is he on welfare?

Never watched M.A.S.H?

[eggshell]

POK3s - Done the cheap road trip thing and I agree it's fun to see new areas. Killing birds are only a bonus. Way back in the day we used to take off and hunt some of the states surrounding us that have pretty big National forest. west Va., Va. and Kentucky. we camped or stayed in cabins. We actually picked up access to private land sometimes. So there are solutions, your right. Your not familiar with leasing....once leased the leasing person/persons control all the hunting, even over the landowner. I suppose the landowner could buy out the lease if he wasn't happy. So permission would have to come from the lease holder and probably won't happen. That's the idea of a lease, control.

Renegade,

That a nice deer anywhere.

[POk3s]

If not the landowner then I'd still be having a conversation with the guy leasing it. There's always a chance!

[eggshell]

That is a good point. One lease close to me is all deer hunters and they said go for the spring turkeys, they had no plans to turkey hunt.

[Cut N Run]

I don't have very deep pockets and I don't have the luxury of leasing or traveling to hunt.  Instead,
I exchange hunting rights for basic farm work at a couple of horse farms near where I live.  The farm owners are women who don't do much fence repair or wood cutting on downed trees themselves.  I also keep the horse trails trimmed and clear of debris, which makes it easier for me to move around quickly & quietly when I hunt.  It's not for everybody, but it works for me.  I have taken some great gobblers and deer off those farms and plan to keep on as long as I'm able.

Jim

[johnski]

I don't have very deep pockets and I don't have the luxury of leasing or traveling to hunt.  Instead,
I exchange hunting rights for basic farm work at a couple of horse farms near where I live.  The farm owners are women who don't do much fence repair or wood cutting on downed trees themselves.  I also keep the horse trails trimmed and clear of debris, which makes it easier for me to move around quickly & quietly when I hunt.  It's not for everybody, but it works for me.  I have taken some great gobblers and deer off those farms and plan to keep on as long as I'm able.

Jim

This works.  My brother in law is a licensed election and he offers to do electrical work in exchange for hunting rights.  He only started hunting 5 or 6 years ago and has gotten permission to hunt deer and turkey on several properties.  So far he has only had one person call in the chit (and if I recall he said that was a really small job), just offering the help is enough for most people. 

[DTGobble]

 I feel your pain.  I have no problem with leasing land personally, but it has affected me somewhat.  My main problem is farms being broken up and sold as lots.  Again, it's their land to do what they want with it, but it isn't a good feeling when it happens so frequently.