I went out this evening and on my walk to my stand saw a nice main frame 8 bothering a doe. Got to my stand and watched a doe and her fawn feed for a while and then move on down the ridge. Following them was another doe to the same place. At just about the end of shooting light I hadn't seen anymore deer and I was thinking this was a pretty good night even though I hadn't filled a tag. Just a moment after that I heard a car slam on their brakes and horn.This made realize that our hunting areas are getting smaller and smaller. There had been houses popping up all down my road and just everywhere. Where do you guys think our kids will be able to hunt after all the contractors and carpenters are done building there houses? Just realy got me thinking.
Some counties require a minimum of 5 acres to build (new) some as high as 20 acres min. to build (new)! Unless it is an existing homestead site! It is and will continue to be an issue! Population will always go up!
There will always be farmers. Have you been to Kansas, Nebraska, Texas, and pretty much the entire western US? It is very desolate in many places. The eastern US might grow to where only the rich will be able to afford to hunt on large private tracts, but there will always be large public areas in the west.
He's right. Take a flight from NY to souther California and grab a window seat. Once you pass the Appalachians there really isn't a whole lot and very far between sightings. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
The places are gettin' a little more cramped no doubt, and by keeping in good graces with the farmers, and other various landowners, hopefully there will be plenty of places for us all to hang a stand and still have ample room to hunt. I'm lucky enough to have some LARGE sections of public land in close proximity to me as well.
Here in the south east,it's already to the point that hunting choices are limited.You either join a club,own property,or hunt public WMA's. The WMA's are way over crowded with hunters and isn't a safe plce to hunt,especially with kids.The clubs are expensive and property taxes are outrageous. That being said.I own 55 1/2 acres and family owns another 300 acres around my property.Plus I'm on a lease/club that has 17000 acres and limits the members to 55 members a year.It cost my $580 for dues.But we have a 2 bucks a year limit and any buck under 100 inches cost you another $400,under 90 inches ( buttons count as a buck under 90 inches ) and your done and dues don't get refunded.Were also limited to 4 does a year.
That's really a reasonable lease price. Maybe I should look into something like that around here. The buttons would be terrible though, as I have a hard time differentiating a doe from a bb with my eyes. Astigmatism is a guy's best friend! "Here in the south east,it's already to the point that hunting choices are limited.You either join a club,own property,or hunt public WMA's." You can add to that list "friends that have land". When you add that, what other options are there? I think the OP was basically saying we're basically tearing down all the wildlife to build stuff. I think humans are probably the worst thing that ever happened to this planet. Still, I'm ok with that, as I am human.
Getting harder and harder to find a place to hunt. Leases are getting so expensive that only people with money can afford to lease. Buying you own farm, or paying a guide are options.
buying land wont stop neighbors from shooting guns and riding the fence lines with atvs a prime times no matter who much land you have, i deal with it everyday.
I know where the OP and you are coming from. One of my favorite hunting spots years ago is now a subdivision.It was a razor back ridge on Cagle mountain in Dunlap Tn. called Lou Issa Ridge.The last 3 or 4 years that I got to hunt it,I was averaging seeing 10-15 a setting. Now there are houses all up and down the ridge.Most of em owned by bleeding heart misplaced yankees ( retired folks) from Florida. And your 100% right about humans being the worst thing to happen to the world.
The housing slump and economic down turn have been the best thing to happen to my areas wildlife in a long time. In few years a lot of the vinyl villages will have to be torn down because of the shortcuts that were taken when they were being built while the inspectors turned a blind eye.
Funny thing is, your dad is a carpenter. 50 years from now, all that will be left is leases. Or private farms. FYI Chatham has a 3 acre building law.
