As more and more post 70-75 yr old farmers retire/expire, often their offspring have established off-farm careers away from the farm. If the available acreage is under 3000 and they don't have equipment/knowledge to farm .. it's often sale time OR worst yet ...; place it with a farm management group like a bank. Permission to hunt is rarely granted by the mgt folks; they just don't want the liability or the problems associated with multiple requests. Some awful good goose-hunting fields in central Il have become mini refuges that make hunting in surrounding fields that much more difficult. My guess is in 50 yrs there will be few family farms - as we know them today - in the intense agri-belt of the midwest ... all gobbled up by super large corporate farm organizations. Hunting may become largely high fence and put-n-take.
Hunting Pressure Rant
- Thread starter H20fwler
- Start date
PrairieShadow
5 year old buck +
I rarely deal with other deer hunters. It’s generally the non-resident pheasant hunters who cause me problems. Rules apparently don’t apply to them and some have openly admitted to me that a couple trespassing tickets was still cheaper than paying a guide/lodge. I had a guy this year whose opening line was “let me guess, you own this land” when I confronted him.
I get to the point every single year of wondering why I even try. But I can’t imagine not trying so I keep planting and improving my properties.
I get to the point every single year of wondering why I even try. But I can’t imagine not trying so I keep planting and improving my properties.
Howboutthemdawgs
5 year old buck +
It is amplified 10,000x over come rifle season. Good lord this weekend was a blood bath. People everywhere, shooting everywhere, trucks, 4 wheelers, side by sides everywhere. I have more belief that Covid came from the Chinese banging bats than I do we need more hunters.
Gravel Road
5 year old buck +
Totally different in my area of Kansas. It's 12 miles to my farm and I might see one other truck parked along the way and hunting during rifle season. Quite often I don't see another hunter, especially if it's not the weekend. A large percentage have switched to bow or crossbow.
Wind Gypsy
5 year old buck +
What are the penalties for trespassing to hunt there? Trespassing seems to be becoming a bigger and bigger problem. Need to put some teeth in laws. Confiscate guns and suspend hunting for 3 years (on the interstate wildlife violators pact) to make it dissuade people.
Last edited:
Bill Loser
5 year old buck +
Seems like around my area the DNR and law enforcement don't care a whole lot about trespassing unless there some sort of property damage or other crime involved.
T-Max
5 year old buck +
San Fran?
Mortenson
5 year old buck +
Same here. And now with IL's Safe-T act everything is even worse.
Wind Gypsy
5 year old buck +
I've gotta do some researchin on difference between how trespassing may be enforced by a warden vs sheriff in MN. I know there are frequently different laws surrounding trespass to hunt vs regular trespass but not even familiar with it in my home state right now.
Bill Loser
5 year old buck +
Either way around here it's treated the same.
Angus 1895
5 year old buck +
When I graduated from veterinary school in Minnesota I took the lowest paying job of my class…. By a lot.
But it was in Idaho. U can’t buy anything like the public access I have out my back door. No matter how much money you make.
Trying to hunt back east must be a nightmare.
But it was in Idaho. U can’t buy anything like the public access I have out my back door. No matter how much money you make.
Trying to hunt back east must be a nightmare.
Wind Gypsy
5 year old buck +
It's the truth. I didn't come home to hunt whitetails in MN for years and didn't buy land until a wife and kids ended my ability to spend 3 weeks out west every fall.
Well, I have a rant about pressure after today…
There is a large lake near me that is operated by the Army Corps of Engineers. Thousands of acres spread along the shoreline, creeks, and rivers feeding into the lake. They have gates, fences, and parking lots… and a “walk in only” policy. And YET… I hike in, in the dark, over 3 miles to a remote convergence of ridges to try and hunt a mega hub only to find 4X4 and ATV trails ALL OVER. Fresh tire tracks everywhere back there. I stopped 3.4 miles from the parking lot and the vehicle trails just kept going beyond that…..
On top of that, I found three full blown timed feeder setups with accompanying ladder stands. Each with 2 or 3 cameras.
I still had a decent day (in the hub I found on the topo maps, not anywhere near the feeders and ladder stands littered with Coors cans.
Had a doe walk through around 8:15am, a NICE 9-point about an hour later sniffing her trail. He busted me about 10 yards before my shot thanks to falling thermals. And later in the day, I had a small doe with a young 8 chasing her through. She must have lost him because later she ended up bedding down 70 yards from me for a couple of hours. He made his way back through and chased her a bit again before the winds shifted about 2 hours before dark.
I just gotta say… it is frustrating to follow all the rules, wake up at 1:30 to get ready and drive 2 hours to a parking lot, hike BLIND 3+ miles into a property based on aerial imagery and topo alone, and find vehicle use and baiting all over. I appreciate the nice day I had there, but I won’t be back to that particular parcel.
Edit: I forget many of y’all have high deer densities, so this sounds like a really boring day. This area runs approximately a 5-7 DPSM population, so this was a HECK of a day for public land in this area.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
There is a large lake near me that is operated by the Army Corps of Engineers. Thousands of acres spread along the shoreline, creeks, and rivers feeding into the lake. They have gates, fences, and parking lots… and a “walk in only” policy. And YET… I hike in, in the dark, over 3 miles to a remote convergence of ridges to try and hunt a mega hub only to find 4X4 and ATV trails ALL OVER. Fresh tire tracks everywhere back there. I stopped 3.4 miles from the parking lot and the vehicle trails just kept going beyond that…..
On top of that, I found three full blown timed feeder setups with accompanying ladder stands. Each with 2 or 3 cameras.
I still had a decent day (in the hub I found on the topo maps, not anywhere near the feeders and ladder stands littered with Coors cans.
Had a doe walk through around 8:15am, a NICE 9-point about an hour later sniffing her trail. He busted me about 10 yards before my shot thanks to falling thermals. And later in the day, I had a small doe with a young 8 chasing her through. She must have lost him because later she ended up bedding down 70 yards from me for a couple of hours. He made his way back through and chased her a bit again before the winds shifted about 2 hours before dark.
I just gotta say… it is frustrating to follow all the rules, wake up at 1:30 to get ready and drive 2 hours to a parking lot, hike BLIND 3+ miles into a property based on aerial imagery and topo alone, and find vehicle use and baiting all over. I appreciate the nice day I had there, but I won’t be back to that particular parcel.
Edit: I forget many of y’all have high deer densities, so this sounds like a really boring day. This area runs approximately a 5-7 DPSM population, so this was a HECK of a day for public land in this area.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
SD51555
5 year old buck +
I think the issue is not a lack of ground. It’s a lack of quality ground. As quality acres shrink, pressure skyrockets. For example, the land north and east of this line to Canada and Wisconsin is about 80% public, and it is no longer quality land as far as deer hunting goes. My line may be off a hair, but I wouldn’t guess it’s off by much.
Where do you put all the hunters that don’t wanna hunt there anymore?
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Where do you put all the hunters that don’t wanna hunt there anymore?
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
sandbur
5 year old buck +
I think the issue is not a lack of ground. It’s a lack of quality ground. As quality acres shrink, pressure skyrockets. For example, the land north and east of this line to Canada and Wisconsin is about 80% public, and it is no longer quality land as far as deer hunting goes. My line may be off a hair, but I wouldn’t guess it’s off by much.
Where do you put all the hunters that don’t wanna hunt there anymore?
Generations back, that was the prime hunting area. Since then, forests matured and wolves drastically increased in numbers.
Recent winters and wolves are moving that line south and west, as well as DNR management and management of our federal lands.
County lands are managed the best in northern counties. State forests are somewhat between federal and county lands.
PrairieShadow
5 year old buck +
SD apparently.I think the issue is not a lack of ground. It’s a lack of quality ground. As quality acres shrink, pressure skyrockets. For example, the land north and east of this line to Canada and Wisconsin is about 80% public, and it is no longer quality land as far as deer hunting goes. My line may be off a hair, but I wouldn’t guess it’s off by much.
Where do you put all the hunters that don’t wanna hunt there anymore?
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Saturday was the gun opener here in NY. I have never seen as many vehicles at the state park as i did this weekend (and living here for my entire 46 years). Roadside parking as the lots were beyond capacity. yesterday (sunday, the following day) Id suspect there were 10-15% of the people. The local (middle of no where) processor told me last gun opening day was his best at 80 deer, he shut down turning people away saturday afternoon this year at 150. Same guy will gut deer for $100 atop the cost of cut and laughs at how many pay it. There is also a mobile processor who starts at $250.
Meanwhile, if you manage your place and actually catch a trespasser the state is too busy to help you. If in the lotto winning odds they do report the sneak (with or without killing) will face a $250 fine that is likely to be reduced to the $50 min in local court. While I wont get into politics or stereotypes.....i have opinions.
Meanwhile, if you manage your place and actually catch a trespasser the state is too busy to help you. If in the lotto winning odds they do report the sneak (with or without killing) will face a $250 fine that is likely to be reduced to the $50 min in local court. While I wont get into politics or stereotypes.....i have opinions.
