Have hunting opportunities improved or not?
 

I'm curious how many of you think hunting opportunities in your area have improved or not improved in the last 10 years or so. Also where do you hunt, the Northeast, South, Midwest, or West.

RE: Have hunting opportunities improved or not?
 

With the price of a good lease going through the roof in TX and public land being scarce and crowded I have to say definitly not improved for the average Joe. A decline in quality unless you got the big money.

RE: Have hunting opportunities improved or not?
 

Improved. Emphatically! Public land hunting is really gettin phenominal in MO. I love it!

Man, there I go tellin all my secrets again.....I hate when I do that....[&:]:D

RE: Have hunting opportunities improved or not?
 

Lehigh County PA is very good, mostly suburbia but its hard finding and keeping a good place lots of new homes going in all the time. I would have to say itHas not improved for the average hunter here.
bowstringpa

RE: Have hunting opportunities improved or not?
 

improved here in central wisconsin where i hunt. i have seen nothing but improvement since i started hunting 7 years ago. of course ive hunted a lot more too, but ive started letting little bucks go and we plant food plots now.

RE: Have hunting opportunities improved or not?
 

Not improved here in Illinois. More outfitters, harder to get and/or keep permission, and non productive farmland is now being auctioned as recreational land selling for as much as good cropland, mostly by wealthy investors from both instate and out of state. Most public land is getting crowded in hunting season.

RE: Have hunting opportunities improved or not?
 

The quality of what hunting there is available(IF you can afford it) has been getting better as the concept of Management has been slowly gaining steam.

HOWEVER... this new emphasis on quality has caused the overall cost of hunting(everything from equipment to property to lease) to sky rocket. When I was a kid, venison was a STAPLE of our diet. We ate venison EVERYTHING. From tacos to lasagna, to chili, stew, and chicken fried venison(man this is making me hungry) because it was cheaper than beef. Now days Pound for Pound, venison is some of the most expensive meat we can get.

Overall, it's becoming harder and harder for the average joe to take advantage of the "quality" hunting oppurtunities, and the "average joe" hunting has been slowly fading.

RE: Have hunting opportunities improved or not?
 

I live in southeast PA Schuylkill county. I think there are more oppurtunities for people to hunt. But I also believe finding unpressured land is getting somewhat harder.

RE: Have hunting opportunities improved or not?
 

Here in Wisconsin I think it has improved due to cwd. I have seen more big bucks each of the last four years than i did all my years before that. Cwd has caused more does to be harvested, you have to earn a buck somore hunterspass on the two year olds( which were most commenly harvested before). I call cwd the dnr way to forcetrophy management. I'm very happy with the hunting in my area.

RE: Have hunting opportunities improved or not?
 

Here in CO we have seen a major change in the way the DOW in handling things, not better. The dry years have hurt us a lot, animals have gone to water where they can get it and a good portion is on land that you will never get on. Hunter numbers are on the increase along the front range and the gas prices are keeping people closer to home. Drawing tags has become a joke. No things are not better.
Gselkhunter