REM1100 I know exactly what your talking about. I have been hunting now for about 25 years and have seen a big change in hunting around my part of the state. Almost every piece of land that we hunted on 25 years ago is posted and/or belongs to a club. You either have to hunt public land (which there isn't that much) or become a member...if you can get in at all.

As for ATV's I have had my share of interruptions by ATV while I have been hunting...but it was those non-courteous ATV hunters that ride to hunt. I got mine basically for getting my stand into the woods and setup. I have a buddy ladder stand that I use and that thing is heavy to carry...I know I carried it in last summer and carried it out the end of December.

I like you schedule my time off work around the hunting seasons. Working for the State I accumulate a lot of leave if that is all I use it for...hopefully before I retire (in 12 years) I will have enough leave accumulated that I could take off from October to December...

I am fortunate that I live where I do...we don't have the population explosion like you guys up in he eastern panhandle. But it still is getting harder to find places to hunt and those who are moving in our area are basically non-hunters...they are the new generation...high tech individuals that don't like to get their hands dirty or bloody.