All I have to say is be happy you have public land to hunt, Period. In ND where I live, if it wasn't for publiuc land I probably wouldn't be hunting anymore. This is a guesstimate but I'll bet 90% of private land in this state is posted and the 10% that isn't posted, isn't worth hunting.

Thanks the the Game and Fish dept. they started a program where they pay landowners to open land to hunters. Its mainly for pheasant hunters which I don't do anymore. These sections can be seriously overcrowded on any given weekend.

Its turning into a pay-to-hunt deal for resident landowners. Plus you have out of staters buying up land strictly for hunting. Which I don't blame them if I had money I'd be doing the same thing.

To say that I am greatful for public hunting land is an understatement. I honestly can't see how having to much public land to hunt could be a problem.

With dull broadheads on really light arrows.

So you want what most land owners have? Ability to "control" pressure. Fact PA was like MI is now. A quanity base state, not quality. Now that the quanity is down(deer herd/land to hunt) the pressure for tagging a deer is waaay up, and the availbility of land is way down. Thus putting a majority of hunters hunting the same deer/land and causing stress in the said areas.

I just thought of this for PA as well... You guys can't even have weekend warriors, just Saturday warriors. Most folks work a full 5 day week, and then everyone only has ONE day to be out there. Maybe if Sundays were allowed, at least the pressure MIGHT drop some by spreading out more days for people to be out there???

Here in IL some of the Public lands are limited to a certain # of hunters per day. You have to apply or draw for some. Up north (Chiland aka Population center) really has it bad in public land per capita. Way down here in boonieville, it isn't so bad as we have a lot of public land access that is too far for most to drive 4 or 5 hours for a weekend.

Kinda weird, I've never thought of Public Land as being a "bad" thing, per se...

But when youstep outside "the box"and think about it - how does a state like PA or Michigan amass such a volume of hunters? It's simple,3 things:
[ul][*]Hunting is fun[*]It takes little/no effort[*]Lots of public land to hunt on (easy access)[/ul]

So, when you have some wayward soul, nagging wife at home, looking for a new pastime (or just an escape from the grind of everyday life)- hunting looks like an attractive option. All the other guys do it, why not him? Go borrow Uncle Slim's .30-30 and pick up a license at Wally World. He starts hunting the public land and blasts a doe every year. Eazy PeazyJapanezy. Congratulations, your state hasjustacquired a new hunter who will buy a license forever.

Now he starts getting into it a little more. He'swatching hunting showsand hearing about the wonders of private land. Now, you have an individual who has just graduated from Public Hunting, and has now become an officialthorn in my side. He refuses to hunt the public ground ever again, unless all other options are exhausted.

So, if you have no public hunting, you have effectively constructed a barrier to entry for beginners. I think, in some twisted way, that that could be a good thing - as far as quality deer hunting goes.

Germ - buying land around here isn't an option. It would seriously take a solid half-million dollars to lock down a prime chunk of ground that is big enough to keep the deer safe from the neighbors. I'm po', so that aint hap'nin.

move

Is this a "PA accessto easyproblem" or a hunter created by TV issue?

Here in Tx there is precious little public land. 3% of the state is public land. That is the smallest percentage of the 50. Of that 3% not much is open to hunting. Free private land here in Tx is just about unheard of. If you want to hunt you have to be a family friend or you will pay for it, and pay dearly. Our population of hunters is on the increase rather than a decline as many states are experiencing.And throw in the states many high fence "trophy" ranches and it is just a mess for the average blue collar guy like me. I will continue to pay and pay more until I can't stand it. Then I'll go back to fishing.

I think it's both. If it wasn't so easy to get started, he would have never started in the first place. But oncea new hunter does getstarted,it's a snowball rolling downhill - perpetuated by the magazines he reads and the shows that he watches.

You could move over here to Louisiana, we have plenty of public land. During bow season, I rarely see another hunter out in the national forest. We get overrun for 2 weeks after gun season starts, then most of the hunters vanish. In the past month I have seen 2 other hunters out there.

In WI, there is a lot of public land, just as you describe for PA. Also a lot of hunters, long, deep deer hunting tradition. Up until 20 years ago, even less in some areas, there was also a strong "free access" tradition, where it was fairly easy to get permission on private land. No more. Posted land, leasing, outfitters, etc., is now the rule. A fair amount of land owned by non-hunters, no hunting period. Also in those 20 years, the herd reduction has taken place, but not antler restrictions like in PA. Lot of the private land is "QDM", and that's spilling over onto public also, with all the hype guys are just not shooting as many small bucks period, no matter where they're hunting.

I know of a few agricultural tracts up near Rhinelander that were just covered with deer. Nobody could hunt except a select few for gun, they'd take one or two deer out of hundreds, and they were like livestock, herds of them just hanging around out in the fields 24/7.

Hunter numbers in WI are declining. They probably will in PA too. My take on all this is just to roll with the punches. I hunt public land, and I can find good hunting with some effort. My expectations are low. I know there's plenty of deer on public land, and Iknow there are good bucks, but I expect to get skunked a lot, shoot small deer when they come by, work hard for the deer I get. If I get a big one, it's because it's a gift, not because of anything I did particularly right. Come new years, my freezer is almost always full.

I'm worried about conflicts with other hunters. I carry a cell phone and firearm at all times. I try to avoid confrontation at all costs, and don't screw with people. My broadheads are always razor sharp.