ORIGINAL: jmccoy_77
ORIGINAL: ABarOfSoap
hunting public land makes me want to quit every year, but i never do.
I feel your pain. I don't mind bowhunting public land so much, but rifle hunting is awful. This past opening day, I hiked about 2 hours from the access area, with a climber on my back, to an area that I had scouted extensively. This was literally as far away as you could get from an access area. Right at first light, a guy came tromping through the thicket I was set up in. Shined my light at him and he kept going, only to sit down about 70 yards from me (I couldn't see him) and he shoots a nice buck an hour later that was headed straight towards my thicket. I got home that night and told my wife that if I didn't find private land to hunt before next rifle season, I was done with rifle hunting all together. You guys and gals that have private land to hunt are lucky people and I hope you realize that. Never take it for granted either...10 years ago I had several properties to hunt, totalling around 900 acres. In the years since I've lost it all, mostly to development.
So, to answer your question...Yes.
exactly, ive had such bad experinces on public, people hunting to close to me, walking through your spot, have to carry those have a$s climbers on your back, not knowing where your going,i even had a shotgun hunter shoot towards me, as the pellets bounced off the trees around me, and he new i was there [:'(]