Whether It's private or public land, what do you have for hunting pressure? What do you consider heavy hunting pressure? The reason I ask this Is I just got back from a bear hunt In northern Minnesota on public land and the hunting pressure was nothing like I've ever saw In 18 years of hunting this area. People were literally lined up on the roads heading In to the woods. There were bear hunters every 2 to 3 tenths where I was hunting all week this week, bear hunting was damn near Impossible. This Is extreme hunting pressure to me and nothing like I've ever seen, one could almost say unhuntable.
During bow season I am the only one who hunts the 2 farms I have permission to, so there is very little pressure. You see deer on fields any time of the day. There were times last year I was walking to my stand that was on the edge of a clover field and deer were out in the middle feeding, and this was with 3-4 hours of daylight left.
We have what I would consider very light pressure for Georgia, but with a few new landowners the pressure has increased greatly the last couple years. The numbers are still low, but their interaction with the land is massive. I watched them scout and hang stands for 2 days last year while I hunted...Nov 7th and 8th. This was the first time we saw them after opening day, and we did not see them again...they hunt weekdays. Sorry to hear about your troubles, I really wanted to see you behind a bear.
thankfully i am one of the few bow hunters on most of the land i hunt. if I cross paths with 3 other guys all year in bow season it will be impressive. One plot actually breaks the 900 acre farm into 6 150 acre plots to sign into and no more than 2 guys can be on one plot. My favorite place is 1400 acres and Shotgun is a big deal out there, but waterfowl is bigger, So there will be a bunch of guys shooting ducks and i will be all by my lonesome bow hunting. And the last club has no archers, so that makes it easy! WOOT
Well, my honey hole property usually has my grandfather, my best-friend, my fiance and I hunting it... but the property surrounding it is private land that is open to all hunters so it is pretty bad in my area. The properties I hunt are small and the deer pushed off the surrounding properties that run through mine will spook the deer pretty bad. During rifle season, I have seen over 30 guys hunting a section of woods that is less than 100 acres.... lined up along a hillside sitting on buckets about 15-20 yards apart. Last year in one evening sit during rifle season I heard well over 300 shots.
Consider yourself very lucky to have land like that, let alone almost to yourself in this part of the state... I do not have exclusive access to any land or anything near that in acreage except for public land down at camp.
On the lease i have had for awhile,,,,next to nothing including the surrounding property's. My new lease, I have no idea, but soon to find out
Thanks Michael! It may not be over yet though, I might head back up In another 3 weeks In hopes that allot of the other hunters have called It quits.
Well say im lucky all the years I have been hunting ive only crossed paths with 1 other person and it just so happend to be one of my best friends..
I can't recall ever actually seeing another person hunting on the same property as me, while I was hunting. Unless they were hunting with me. I consider myself very lucky and try not to take it for granted.
Pressure I hunt 160 acres of land that is bordered by WMAs on two sides and weekend hunters on one of the other. Once gun season starts our property is loaded with deer. We just have to be patient enough to wait out all the shooting around us.
We have a 30 acre parcel that my dad and I mainly archery hunt and some of the neighboring property. Dont see too many others. All other hunting is done on Pa public land, use your imagination.
Its worse now on the land that I hunt because I no longer have exclusive rights to any of the private lands I hunt here in Illinois. I find my best hunting during weekdays where I am usually the only one on those properties. I'll be hunting some local public land this season for the first time in years also. I am sure its more crowded than when I used to hunt it.
During archery season there isnt much at all. I really couldnt say how much pressure. Honestly there probably isnt enough people hunting the properties surrounding the 200 I hunt but its nice because the deer move well all the time. It's only myself and my fiance that hunts the 200 all the time and we hunt together.
It depends on the time of the season. I hunt a mostly Public Areas. I do have 4 Farms I hunt, but they are smaller tracts. I don't have exclusive permission on any of them. Opening day and weekends (near Rut) are usually very busy on the public areas. Heck, I've pulled up to a parking spot were I'm usually alone and counted 18 cars and trucks. But I can predict where most hunters will go and do my best to distance myself from them. This leads to long hikes carrying a climber. Then once small game comes in, it gets really polluted with people and dogs. They are more spread out and seem to cover all the fringe territory. I've actually used this to my advantage but again it requires a long, hard, entrance and exit!
I am really lucky in this regard.I have right at 1000 acres that either I own or have exclusive rights to. I don't have any neighbors who bowhunt, so the first 30 days are pretty much me and whoever I invite along. The last 70 days receives a lot of gun hunting pressure, especially on the parcel where we contain the ag fields that are the major food source for the area. Our neighbors have a tower blind about every 1/2 half mile around the perimeter and not more than 100 yards off the property line. But hey, I believe in property owner's rights, so that is their pregorative......I guess.
Through bow season, the pressure is light. As gun season arrives, it increases tremendously. 6 weeks of bow season followed by 6 weeks of gun season. Of course, here in Virginia you can hunt with a bow during gun season. I would rate the pressure on the public land which I hunt as below average as compared to other public land spots. Lucky I found it.
I haven't seen another person while bowhunting in at least 5 years, so I'd say the pressure is pretty low. Shotgun season, you almost have to take a number to get a stand. It's nothing to see 4 or 5 people a day within 150 yards of your stand.
