kickin_buck

This coming deer season will be my 5th year leasing ground. I grew on a farm in Indiana and always had a place to hunt. Back then, bow hunting was not as big as it is now, so it was very easy to find ground to bow hunt. When I moved to Illinois, I knocked on few doors and gained permission to hunt. I exchanged work for hunting rights. It was great until one day I was told (after a long summer of working for the land owner) that he had leased the hunting rights, so I was out. I knocked on a bunch of doors and not able to get permission to hunt private ground. I hunted public ground (which is aweful in Illinois due to high number of out-of-staters that come here) and was determined to find private ground for the next season. I found my private ground, at the cost of $1500 (very cheap my today's standards). The fact is, leasing is here and a farmer would be nuts to turn it down. Would you ever expect a farmer to not plant a crop? No, and that is what hunting is to the local farmer, another crop. I cannot blame him, nor can I blame the guy that cannot find a private ground to hunt without leasing it. It is great for you that you have ground "locked" up, but not everyone has that. I don't see how you can blame a guy for doing whatever he can to get a place to hunt. You state you have three farms in IA to hunt. Can you hunt all three at the same time? Why not give two up so some other guy can knock on the door and get permission to hunt for free. I would not expect you to do that, and I don't expectyou to get upset when I, or anyone else has to lease.