Hopefully this won't turn into a I'm a better hunter type of thread.
I hunt both and see advantages and disadvantages to both. I'm only commenting on the places I hunt.
Public Pro's
[ul][*]I can go where ever I want. I hunt some large tracks of public land and you don't worry about property lines.[*]Pressure= meduim light to medium. I drove around one morning 15,000 acres and there were seven or eaight cars parked.[*]no feeding of birds.[*]Plenty of birds[*]Can scout entire area[/ul] Cons
[ul][*]Safety, don't kow who is around you.[*]People will cut you off.[*]road hunters[/ul] Priviate Land Pro's
[ul][*]I know who is hunting the land.[*]No one on the proerty to cut me off.[*]Can get info off of land owners.[/ul] Con's
[ul][*]The land I have permissionon is quite a bit smaller. I know where birds roost but can't get permission etc.[*]Hunting pressure= meduimto Heavy. Small acreage and a lot of the neighbors either hunt or will give permission to hunters.Plus these birds get called to a lot from of the road.[*]People feeding birds, there are tons of bird feeders that throw off the Turkeys patterns.[*]People off property cutting you off.[/ul]
What are some of the Pro's and Cons of area's you hunt?
__________________
You're only one post away from a federal watch list.
Sorry. But I dont think I would want to hunt turkeys, that are use to hanging out in peoples back yards feeding off of bird feeders... I wounder if that could be concidered baiting
I would much rather hunt big woods weiry gobblers... Kinda makes you feel like you did something when you put your tag on one
__________________
"public land will make a turkey hunter out of ya"
Great incite Charlie....One thing that should be takin into consideration on public(Con) is not all of us across the nation are blessed with thousands of public acres that have plenty of birds so consequently small areas of public grounds have most of the birds usually adjacent to private.This can create alot of pressure from potential hunters.(Pro)But then again finding these small pockets usually on the roads less traveled away from the urban areas can be sweet little gems especially if your the first one to find it.
As far as private is concerned(con) dont always consider your the only one out there(have had some very bad experiences from tress/poachers..always be a defensive turkey hunter.(con)Livestock can have a real negative impact on your hunt,so can working ranch hands...(Pro)Nothin like hunting a well manged piece of private ground,in my experience the birds are just more vocal creating more hunting opportunities...Bob...
__________________
Monarch isn' t a butterfly it' s the King of the Spring!
I hunt on the 100 acres I own and the 113 acres I lease from my cousin, (she lives in Colorado and doesn't hunt), that borders my land. There are very few if any cons with hunting private property. My only con would be if the gobbler roams on to a small lease next to mine and is killed. The guys who lease it mainly deer hunt, but they are always out there opening weekend of turkey season. They really don't know what they are doing and it would be pure luck for one of them to bag a gobbler, so I'm not extremely concerned about that.If they don't kill one of the usual two or three longbeards that hang around the area, then I know I'm going to have fun the rest of the season. As stated earlier, I'm glad I don't have to rely on public land hunting. At least I don't have to worry about someone working the same bird I am or some yahoo walking up and ruining my hunt.And once again Mr. Longbeard, private land turkeys can be just as difficult to kill aspublic land turkeys.
The cons of public land in my part of the world is that they are extremely overcrowded. Imagine 40 cars with untold numbers of hunters descending on to 1100 acres.... and thats just the main parking lot... no control...no order... just hunters everywhere. People driving down access roads in the dark... rolling down the windows and blowing crow calls...never again around here... never.
Cons of private land are that leases are now going for top dollar. As much as $100/acre and in some cases more. Of course if you are a land owner... then you have to pay the taxes, which are in most cases not that high, but still are not exactly cheap.
The pros of public land in most parts of the world that have less population density are that its basically free hunting land. Tracts are usually very vast, and largely unmolested due to the simple fact that most people are lazy and will not put the shoe leather into hunting that is often required.
Private land offers privacy. You can adjust it or do whatever you please with it. Thats the beauty of it. You can take solstice in not having to be secretive with your spots... or where you are hunting etc. You can also control who is or isn't hunting there.
__________________ You get what you put in, and people get what they deserve. - Kid Rock
Why is it assumed that private land turkey's come with bird feeders included?
Charlie, you didn't want this to become "a better hunter" type thread... it already has.
Yes, I hunt private ground, that I worked my arse off to attain and keep, threw good
relations with the landowners.
"Some" people on this board are well known for the "assupumption" that public land hunters
can walk taller, and prouder out the woods with a Tom, than us pen raised private land hunters.
I'll try to get the feeder in a harvest photo this year!
Why is it assumed that private land turkey's come with bird feeders included?
Homer, Was talking about the land I hunt. There are houses where people have bird feeders in their yards,have seen birds at them many times.I'll call they will gobble and I know right where they are and my chances of calling them in are slim to none because of it. It isn't a good thing nor does it make my hunting easier in any way.
Quote:
Some" people on this board are well known for the "assupumption" that public land hunters
can walk taller, and prouder out the woods with a Tom, than us pen raised private land hunters.
Some people have to use strange things tomake them feel superior makesme wonder why?
__________________
You're only one post away from a federal watch list.
I hunt both Private and Public. Here are my pros and cons.
Public
Pros:
- The public land I hunt is huge, with vast amount of woods. I can walk and hunt all day without seeing another hunter. Just have to get off the roads.
- Little pressure on most birds.
- FREE!!
Cons:
- Not that many birds. Must scout alot to find birds.
- The potential for other hunters working the same bird you are without you knowing.
Private
Pros:
- I hunt a 1,200 acre lease with only me and another guy. So, not many hunters. I know usually where he will be hunting.
- More birds in a smaller area.
Cons:
- The other guy that hunts my lease is retired and he will hunt everyday, while I only hunt the weekends. He puts alot of pressure on the birds. I mean....ALOT.
- The birds can leave the property and often do.
- $$$$$$$
For me, I like to find birds on the public land as well as on the private land I hunt. If I can't get on any birds on the private land, then I always have the public land as backup. I also sometimes just like a change of scenery.
Public and Priviate Pro's and Cons
