Public land hunts

[elkaholic]

Enjoy your hunting season. Hunting private property is a blessing.
Majority of huntimg here is public national forest. Season opener was the 25th.
I was basically scouting for elk.
Lots of big rv camps, lots of atvs. Quads trucks with 3,-4 hunters, cruising the rds.
One big meadow had at least 30 rvs.

Can't blame people for wanting to get out and enjoy time in the woods. But hunting has changed here. Especially the last few seasons.

Seems like no rd was missed by cruising atvs. Camped on a small desdend side rd. Leads to a small seep.
Only about a mile long
Dozens of hunters coming and going in and out.
Some blasting music. Crazy.

I saw 1 doe with a new born . I'm packed up and heading home.luckily only an hrs drive. Maybe make a day trip mid week. Next weekend is labor day be a zoo again

Archery otc hunts are now quota hunts . This unit 15 bucks killed it season over. With the several hundred hunters that I saw, its probably over anyway..
Definitely looking for a different unit next season

Archery otc is unlimited tag numbers for residents. With a 2500 approx. limit for non residents.

Still have to make a few day trips scouting for elk. Only 2 weeks away . Was hoping to see some elk. Nothing ! Not unusual . They are starting to rub antlers, so hoping the rutting should be good this yr.

Its been a wet summer , tons of bloodsuckers. Everytime I stopped , cab would fill rather quickly . No fun bathing in spray . Hopin for cooler weather.

[AJ01]

I feel ya... as the younger bunch would say.

When I was in my 20 and 30's we would make the trek to Colorado or Wyoming every year. Didn't see much in the way of RV's and such. Then came the 4-wheelers and RV's and pretty soon, the hunting went all to hell. Folks let their kids run the 4-wheeler all thru the woods like a bunch of raiding Comanches. No respect for others.
Prices and lotteries went into effect about that time, and I just quit going. Started being MORE SELECTIVE in my travels. That actually made things enjoyable again.

Since Texas is roughly 95% privately owned, one has to "lease" a place to hunt or own his own property. And folks are REAL peculiar about who hangs out on their property. And with the craziness that is now America, I've seen 20 acres lease of $4,000 bucks in places I wouldn't hunt if you let me for free!!

I consider myself VERY fortunate, I have the 2 places I own, plus the roughly 70 acres I inherited, plus another 40 That a friend allows me to hunt plus we "lease" a large parcel from a rancher outside of San Angelo, Texas. The deer out west are small, but they make up for it in the sheer number of critters on that place.

I also apply for the "Draw" hunts offered by Texas Parks and Wildlife every year.
TPWD has a Desert Bighorn Ram hunt that is a "once in a lifetime" draw. Draw that tag once, and you'll never get it again. It cost you $10 bucks to put your name in the hat. It's FREE after that. ALL inclusive with guide, meals lodging....YES Everything!

Name me another state that allows DBS hunts where you can hunt an animal of a lifetime for $10. Most of us spend more than that every week on junk food and sodas.
Texas has a lot to offer if you're willing to travel.

I'm waiting on the lottery results as you read this!!

When I was a kid, East Texas where I live had a Black Bear season in several counties, including the one I reside in. TPWD has been doing Bear studies for several years again in the area. I'm just waiting for another Black Bear season, then I won't have to travel out of my state for anything!!

Good luck in all your hunting adventures!!
AJ

[Carnivorous]

We have the opposite problem here in Southern Ontario. Absolutely zero public land. It's getting harder every year to secure permission on private land. If all the farmers here decided someday to deny permission. We would be SOL for deer hunting.

[Boo]

We have the opposite problem here in Southern Ontario. Absolutely zero public land. It's getting harder every year to secure permission on private land. If all the farmers here decided someday to deny permission. We would be SOL for deer hunting.

A lot of private land is spoken for around here for deer. Because of that I bought 2 parcels of land just to hunt. Fortunately, they aren’t making any more land so it’s not only hunting land but also an investment.

[AJ01]

We have the opposite problem here in Southern Ontario. Absolutely zero public land. It's getting harder every year to secure permission on private land. If all the farmers here decided someday to deny permission. We would be SOL for deer hunting.

A lot of private land is spoken for around here for deer. Because of that I bought 2 parcels of land just to hunt. Fortunately, they aren’t making any more land so it’s not only hunting land but also an investment.

Yes Sir Don, as the little boy said, "Buy Dirt"!!!

[grouse]

I bought my first farm in 1985 and since then, I've never hunted a year when I didn't get at least one deer with either bow or rifle. We have quite a bit of public land in Missouri and I had decent success when I hunted it. My farm is 87 acres with a 38 acre crop field and a modern (small) 3 bedroom house. The crop field provides food for deer and turkeys and income to offset farm expenses. The house means I can sleep until 45 minutes before shooting hours begin, instead of getting up at 3 am and driving somewhere.

I realize that 87 acres wouldn't be enough land for elk hunting in Arizona. It is enough to make a whitetail hunter in Missouri happy!

[xcaliber]

We have the opposite problem here in Southern Ontario. Absolutely zero public land. It's getting harder every year to secure permission on private land. If all the farmers here decided someday to deny permission. We would be SOL for deer hunting.

A lot of private land is spoken for around here for deer. Because of that I bought 2 parcels of land just to hunt. Fortunately, they aren’t making any more land so it’s not only hunting land but also an investment.

Yep.

[xcaliber]

I bought my first farm in 1985 and since then, I've never hunted a year when I didn't get at least one deer with either bow or rifle. We have quite a bit of public land in Missouri and I had decent success when I hunted it. My farm is 87 acres with a 38 acre crop field and a modern (small) 3 bedroom house. The crop field provides food for deer and turkeys and income to offset farm expenses. The house means I can sleep until 45 minutes before shooting hours begin, instead of getting up at 3 am and driving somewhere.

I realize that 87 acres wouldn't be enough land for elk hunting in Arizona. It is enough to make a whitetail hunter in Missouri happy!

I had my best hunting on my in laws farm, and now our farm lease that we finally got back. I truly feel sorry for the young kids though. We still have a great deal of Public Land to hunt in Indiana, and they provide lots of opportunities for hunters.