Lots of good advice here. Public land can be awesome, it takes hard work, dedication, and scouting. Many just aren't willing to do this.
Those that do put in the work won't advertise their public hunting spots online. =)
Originally posted by jbwhttail:
DNR survey says.......... 25% of landowners have NEVER been asked for permission to hunt. That would tell me you need a few days of knocking doors and then you are back in the game.
Here is what IDNR has found from surveys...........
We as hunters are unwilling to drive more than 30 miles one way to deer hunt.think about it, you may need to drive farther for that great hunting spot!
I own my hunting ground and it is 95 miles from my home........ worth every gallon of gas and the time to drive.
Great deer hunting is equal to the effort we the hunter put forth.
My buddy BZeb (on here) kills a nice buck each year on public property, he lost his private land in 2005. He hunts Splinter Ridge F&W area each year, he scouts and hunts where most people are unwilling to trek. again effort and dedication = success. Killing a 160+ buck on public land is not luck.... you have to be dedicated to research and persistance on public land.
As far as being "life threatening", another deer hunting myth.......lol. Again research is the key, I have another friend who hunts a "state forest". he has found a 300 acre parcel that only has an easment access. It took buying maps and some "road miles". He has hunted it for years, the surrounding landowners have only asked him to not advertise the location.
You just have to be willing to work for public land as you would private....
