A Rich Mans Hunt

[catfishrus]

i want to start this off by saying i dont what to step on anyone toes here but i just want to get other peoples thought on where deer hunting is headed in the future. i started deer hunting 30 years ago. where i grew up at there wasnt any deer in the area. i could hunt small game all i wanted and nobody said anything. now deer have moved in for the last 15 years and it seem that you cant go hunting in any direction without running into a posted sign. i use to have a pack of deer dogs that i love to listen to running. i hear some people say thats cheating and thats ok with me i understand but i started out stand hunting and killed alot more deer stand hunting. dog hunting your always chasing the dogs.i hear people say the dogs are running the deer off man i could turn my dogs lose in the same field every night. human scent will run a big buck out quicker than a dog will. we have areas in this state that you can still run dogs. now i see people go to these area and lease up land to trophy hunt. they dont want any dogs on there land. i understand that but why did they come to this area to trophy hunt to start with. so i see dog hunting is going to be a thing of the past. i use to hunt the state of s.c which was covered in game lands until some one decided to offer the land owners more money than the state. now that more money has turned into 10-20 dollars and acre. now in order to hunt you got to jion a hunting club which start at 300-2500a year or you can go lease your own land( which eats up alot of wasted time ). seem like if you find something it only last for a year or two and somebody comes along and leases the land out from under you so the price keeps going up. so ive just came to the conclusion that i can hire a guide for the same price. time i figure (time missed at work scouting and posting,gas,lease,food plot cost and the list keeps growing). i know you get out of deer hunting what you put in but what ever happened to a couple good ol country boys going hunting? i see the pictures from back in the early days of 8-10deer hanging on the meat pole and 7-8 hunters standing there. i bet if the men in those pictures hunted today they would quit hunting. they would say we are crazy to pay that much for a deer. is this going to turn into rich mans game?

[cook]

A rich mans sport.Yep!In some states.
I'm lucky I live in Mo.,lots and lots of public land.First deer hunt I ever had was 12 years ago.Just walked across the street.Started with a SKS for 99$,shells 2.99$,tag was 12 bucks,orange hat and vest was under 10$.
Things have change since then,but private land is all but impossible for me now.Money rules the world,as it should.

[derbycitycatman]

This isnt pointed at anyone but I see more and more people that feel they are entitled to hunt other peoples land. WHY??? They are always crying about no access to private land, yet they do nothing to help the landowner. I know how hard and expensive it is to maintain and pay off land and when someone asks or begs or tresspasses on my land and doesnt offer anything in return it really gets my goat.

Why do people think they should be allowed to hunt my land? Especially if you only see them the week of opening season. Do they help with bush-hogging, clearing trees off the road, putting up stands or anything?
Can I go and use their backyard swimming pool and grill because I dont have one? Ive asked tresspasser before if I could borrow their truck while they borrow my land yet Im the crazy one. :rolleyes:

The free passes are gone friends, as they should be. If you want to hunt and dont have land you better pony up some cash, roll them sleeves up for some gool old fashioned hard work, travel to public land or be out of luck. Its up to you. Sorry if this is out of line but this is a touchy subject for me as Im sure it is for alot of landowners.

[catfishrus]

thats funny brian but i do see your point. i think you said you was hunting your families land and they were going to sell the land. i hate to hear that for you but alot of hunters dont have family land to hunt. i dont think any true deer hunter is going to be trespassing. now you told me on and early post that you where the cheapiest hunter on this thread. are you going to to be willing to pony up the cash as you said others need to do when they sell the land? by the way all the hunt clubs i have been a member of bushhoged the roads,put up gates,built bridges where they where need,and anything else that was needed. the problem with the clubs, someone has to play a big part in them. they dont take in enough money to cover the lease let along the insurance. as for buying land thats out unless you are a millionarie. with leads back to is hunting going to turn into a rich mans game?

[derbycitycatman]

Actually Ive got plenty of places to hunt and do own a small piece of land. Just the one your talking about is only 5 minutes away, and the one Im going to miss the most. I could still hunt on a neighbors land but theres already plenty of hunters there so Ill move on. Though I may bowhunt or crossbow hunt a day or two just because its so close. I chop alot of firewood to squirrel hunt there cause I dont squirrel hunt my deer woods. Everything else is at least 30-45 minutes away and Im going to need to get me a 4wheeler. Big hurt on the wallet. :crying:

I gotta disagree a little about having to be rich to buy land, at least around here. Ive seen plenty of places less than $1000 an acre within an hour of Louisville. Ten or twenty acres is huntable for me and most should be able to pay that off. I think it comes down to money management. Just depends on what you want to spend your money on. If I had to, yes I would join a hunt club or lease.

[Mutt]

i dont deer hunt anymore at all here in cali you put in for a area and a couple of others first choice first and so on. well i always got b zone wich is a min of a 3 to 4 hour drive one i dont know the land i dont like the quality of deer there etc. so i just dont bother anymore. will i ever go back to deer hunting more then likely i wont not as long as i live in cali. pheasant hunting i love used to be able to go hunting in most farmers lands not a lot of open free range around my area no days you cant and yes i always asked the land owners where there is public lands you have to cross private to get to and they wont let anyone pass. reasons why is simple to many idiots shooting up the farmers equipment etc i dont blame them for saying no. one place i used to hunt along the river for quail and other birds the land owner who would hunt with me a lot of the time called me up and said he has to stop aloowing huning on his place and allowing people to use his road to the river becasue of vandals with thier guns. cant say i blame him. its a sad state we are living in anymore all because of a few idiots no matter what state you live in its happeneing everywheres.

[Whistler]

I own about 43 acres here in middle TN. I have 3 or 4 people I let hunt my land besides myself. We take care of our place and keep it in good shape for hunting, we're gonna clear some areas and put in some food plots this year. Gonna also get rid of a bunch of deadfalls and just generally clean it up again this year. The guys I allow to hunt with me help me out anytime they can. One of them left for Iraq today, but did a lot this past fall to help. I also have access to about 100 acres of a neighbor's property to hunt. Though about 80 of his acres are pastures for cattle. We are looking for a good place to lease as well. Very hard to find here. Most of my neighbors that have good hunting land are into deer hunting themselves, so they aren't interested in sharing. Not a problem for me. If someone asked me for permission to hunt deer on my place, I'd be forced to say no because with 3 of us regularly hunting it and sometimes 4 of us it's pretty well full up. Now if in the early part of the year or after deer season they wanted to hunt squirrels or turkey's in that season I'd probably allow that as long as they didn't leave trash or do any harm to my property. Rich man's sport? Yep, it's probably gonna be that way someday unless you live in a western state like Colorado where there's millions of acres of U.S. Forset land that's open to the public for hunting. I paid about 60 K for my place, house and all about 7 years ago. I got lucky I guess.

[catfishrus]

hey brian there is a lot of differnce in the cost of land where you live and i live. if i could buy land for a thousand an acre i would have not even started this thread. if you buy land here for that price you would have to add a depth finder to your hunting gear. land here is worth to much to hunt on i guess. i live in the country and just passed on buying land next to mine. it was four and a half acres and sold for 75 thousand. you cannot find land here for less than 10thousand a acre and you would have to buy at least 5 acres to get it for that. i wouldnt mind buying 50 acres up your way. developement is just running the prices up here. if i were you i would buy some land if you can afford it. thats the best thing to do as far as i can see it. i was looking at another hunting cite on internet and alot of kanas hunter complaining about no where to hunt because the guides had lease it all up. hey realtree has been hunting kentucky for the past few years so get ready its coming. i got a hunting magizine laying on my desk now says larry weishuhn killed a 182 gross whitetail in kentucky 2005. going to be on tv too. hey your already ranked number two in the b&c books for places to hunt. you know how many peoples going to what to go to your state after thats on tv. buy the way your state has alot better hunting than mine. you guys are up there passing up small bucks and down here if its got horns its down. up until a few years ago we could kill 5 bucks a year. now its two in some areas. i guess what got me to thinking about this was i took a guided trip to canada in 2000. i hunted 93,000 acres of indian land with five other hunters that week. most of them had money running out there ears so i didnt fit in too good. now on a indian reserve money is the rules. this wasnt a fenced in hunt it was a free range farm land with alot of canyons and draws running thru it. one of the fellows i hunted with killed three bucks in that week. two high 140 class and one mid 150 class buck. he spent over 13 thousand dollars that week on them deer. now he got lucky to see them. i hunted daylight to dark in minus 35 degrees for 6 days and passed on a 140class eight the last day. why i dont know. now when i see someone spending money like that for deer it got me to thinking. sorry for the long post

[Mutt]

wish i could get land for 10k a acre seen acre go for over 75k here sad thing is too if i owned land up in the zone i want to hunt wouldnt matter if i didnt win the draw for tags for that zone i wouldnt be able to hunt on my own land even.

[catfishrus]

hey mutt caxxxx might have a hunt for ya. i just got the paplet today. they have a big horn sheep hunt this year in some state. they are auctioning off a governors tag for the sheep hunt in that state. caxxxx has a outfitter that already has a true trophy sheep located. the price for the gude is 25 thousand. the tag should sell for 100-180 thousand. but this hunt is tax deductable. now if thats too high i got a old billygoat.

[Mutt]

LOL i think thats a wee bit out of my price range lol

[brad kilpatrick]

Damn guys You all have probs! I'm not exactly sure where in Kansas those guys are talkin about guides having all the land leased up. with all the walk in hunting land the state leases and good old knocking and asking permission i've had plenty of land to hunt. Yes there is some land in Kansas under private lease and the public walk in land gets tramppled early in the season I havn't had a prob with geting on some pretty good land just for asking. I only hunt upland birds but know plenty of deer hunters also. Not much complaning 'bout access round these parts!

D-city catman I for one understand your concerns as a landowner. When ever I gain access to a farm for hunting I make it a point to take care of My landowners. I give the landowner My home phone and ask them to call if they ever need a hand around the farm. Around the holidays I always take some small gifts with Me to give them maybe a plate of homemade cookies and a nice bottle of wine/whisky. If nothing else I want them to know That i appreciate them allowing Me the privilidge of hunting there land.

[derbycitycatman]

Your not going to be able to get land for cheap anywhere near any city.
The cheaper land is a good hour away from most major city limits. The land Im losing was valued at 25-50K an acre. The land Ill be hunting is valued at $750 an acre. What pains me so much of losing the land so close to louisville is now Im going to have to drive 45 minutes each way. Oh well, Ill just make a camping trip out of most trips down there.

Im with you Brad, every deer season I take all the neighbors a big batch of deer jerky whether I hunt on their land or not.

[derbycitycatman]

Hey catfishrus,

I know you guys have more deer than us or at least it sounds like it. I think if they would drop the buck tags to just one and have unlimited does you may see bigger horns. I only seen 1-2 bucks all year and very few does. Same thing with TN, I heard about people taking 2 small bucks and then talk about not seeing anything big. You have to let the little ones go to grow.

I know what you mean about shows bringing in outsiders that crowd the public land and lease up all the private land. Thats why I havent registered the buck in my avatar, 170 class and was told it was B @ C. That may change if its a world record or something.:rolleyes:

[catfishrus]

brad i not sure about the area either. i here alot of talk about units 14-17. its kind of like you where talking about taking a friend that had another friend that went bird hunting with you. the one you didnt know that good leases your spot the next year. its like you are giving cookies and whisky the other man is giving big money. that state land you are talking about is the same as s.c. ten years ago. states paying .37 cent an acre. greedy hunter pays 1-2 dollars to land owner to have it all to thereself. now that 1-2 is 10-20. this was happening to land so fast in one year it wasnt funny. s.c doesnt play with tresspassers and they supply all the best game land maps you want. i use to order them every year. now i go scout for deer season find where i want to hunt and go back two weeks before season to put my stand...land is posted. pissed off go home and get a call that night. do you want to jion a hunt club in s.c. same one that posted my game land....HECK NO. by the way it was 550.00 dollars back then. now small game is not as bad to me. but you do have to wait until deer season is over. brad what kind of cookies you using maybe i need to try them? i hope your not giving them the whisky before you ask about hunting.....lol

derbycity you are right i wish they would just shut the buck season down for two years. never happen. they are doing better now for sure. two bucks and i think four does anytime during the season. that will help the ratio(buck/doe). two years would put every buck out there now at 3 1/2 when season opened back up. now that would be great hunting.

[John Rogers]

This post is a little late, but better late than never. In my neck of the woods one who hunts can find some private land to hunt, some public land to hunt for minimal costs. The averag club dues are $500.00. When I shot at my first deer with a bow in 1977, (3rd grade) I was the only person within 10 sq mi that hunted with a bow. Could pretty much go any place you wanted and never got questioned by any land owner. Those days are long gone. When I lease or obtain or buy a peice of property and someone wants to hunt it I tell them "rock on, bust whatever you want to eat"! The hunt is more expensive every year, thats why I jam with the bow, blackpowder, and by mid November I'm ready to turn the hounds loose along with my 7mm mag or 870!!!!!!!!
The out of towner's that come here and buy 10 or 100 ac's think they own the world and think they can manage their land for big bucks. Most don't like the dog hunting. When ever these confrontations occur, I explain to them that central VA is BIG TIME DOG TRADITION and they should respect that. Also, no person in this country owns land, they buy the right to pay taxes on it!! I say you hunt your way and I'll do the same and plan on the good areas to get less and less.

[coalminer78]

My grandpa get 1000 dollars a week for 2 hunters in November, but I can anytime for free. He still let his friend hunt then the hunters are not hunting. I can hunt when they are there and I have better stands. Fulton County here in IL is a big buck paradise.

[coalminer78]

Just found out last night that my grandpa may sell his farm that I hunt. It is 150 acres in Fulton County, IL. Some millionare afford him five hundred thousand dollars. Big money taking land away from the working man.

[David Knotts]

Any body lease any I.P. land? They are selling all thier land in the south, from North Carolina to Texas, this could be bad for people who lease that land, catch is I.P. wants to sell it all to one person, or company.

[catfishrus]

john i agree with on this dog hunting issue but the only problem with this is the law is for the land owner always. maybe it should be. ive seen it happen on a dog club i use to hunt. we had land leased for 15 years (400-500 acre track) and someone buys a little 10 acre track in the middle and stops the good old days of dog hunting. i had some to tell me they would shoot my dogs if they got on there land. they dont realize them dogs are well taking care and cannot read a posted sign. some of the paper companies a starting to stop dog hunting on there land as well. everybody wants to kill a "big buck "but i think this maybe the start of all these changes ive seen over the years. coalminer i hate to hear that but its going around. i dont think you will be able to hunt in 25 years if you dont own land. i dont see any of the younger generations buying up big tracks of land. most of these old farms are split up and sold off as small tracks.

[John Rogers]

Catfishrus,

I agree with you, It would be nice though for anybody buying a small tract of land to consider the history of how things have been done before they were there. No matter what activity may be invloved. I personally don't care to see hounds running through the woods befor the rut has taking place. But if they do come by I just say thanks to the Lord for me being able to be in such a wonderful place and hope for the best.

Coalminer78
I know its none of my business but I would tell your Grandad not to take a penny less than $4,200 an acere. In your neck of the woods, one who has prime hunting land is getting at least that. Especially for smaller tracts, (10 to 200 acres) Me personally, would be begging him not to sell !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!! Good luck

[Darrell]

When I was a kid, my hunting areas were unlimited. I could go anywhere and simply ask to go and was ussually allowed. Ussually the farmers wanted the deer killed to save on crop damage. Later, as I got older, the areas I was allowed to go were getting limited. I have harvested several large bucks in the area. Come to find out, a farmer told me that I was being accused of poaching deer from other hunters who were jealous. I challenged anyone from that point on to prove it. NO ONE had the guts to confront me or provide any evidence.

A plot of land came up for sale and I bought it for my hunting purposes only. Just a place to teach my kids how to hunt. It is 80 acres of tall timber will great possibilities that I have hunted all my life. Needless to say, I discovered that the same "hunters" who have accused me of poaching large deer have deer stands on my property. I told my cousins to tear down the stands and take them to our local conservation officer.

You know, it just chaps my butt. I have a bad attitude about the whole thing. I try not too let it ruin my fun but when you take your kids out to teach them the right way you dont expect to find others setting a bad example. You spend too much time explaining that what they are doing is wrong instead of teaching what is right. I guess you have to be a little mean about it for people to get the point. If people would just ask I really wouldnt have a problem.

I only have the privledge to pay taxes on the property. So I figure anyone taking something from the property is stealing. Whether it is deer, mushrooms or rock collecting. Do I really have to prosecute to get the point across?

Darrell

[buzzgator]

I have hunted since I could carry a gun killed my first deer at 8y/o. I own a small piece of property 40 acres in Hog eye SC right down the road from Lake City. My dad owns about 500 acres right down the road from there mostly open farm land his is mine is all wooded and swampy loaded with deer so is his for that matter. I used to dog hunt every saturday with a club that we let run on our property but I got really pissed at the fact that many members would shoot the first deer they saw any thing from nub bucks to does and their yearlings in SC I have seen many with spots during the season county I hunt in starts Aug 15 ends Jan 1 with a 2 buck a day limit there where 10 doe days at 2 a day not sure if thats changed or not and dang near unlimited crop damage tags. Getting back to the club hunters we have tried stopping them from hunting our land problem being they unload their dogs on the dirt road hunters never enter our property just the dogs they end up on another cty road that borders northern side of dads propertyand shoot the deer as they cross the road trespassing to recover the most of the time but unless you are right there what can ya do? I was a member of a club 80 miles away from there until I moved up here to Wisconsin (plan to move back to SC SOON) club is outside of charleston in Ravenel called Beuloh hunt club that bunch of guys are some of the most respectful hunters I have ever had the pleasure to hunt with we run dogs and still hunt the property it is 1600 acres if I aint mistaken dues are only $500 yr for turkey, deer and hog if ya see 1. We also do alot of metal detecting on the property it was a plantation and had several home sites on it back during the civil war era. Getting back to my land I wouldnt have a problem letting someone hunt it if they just agreed to follow a few rules like dont shoot the little ones and nothing smaller than 8pt I hate seeing little forks or 6s gettin taken out before they have a chance to grow.... Oh yeah and land around here is still pretty cheap I paid $350 an acre for mine 12 yrs ago and it can still be found for under $500 if ur willing to buy farm land with not much timber or logged off land.

[JNANCE]

My hunting partner and I have plenty of land to hunt on here in Arkansas. We are willing to share with other people, but only if they ask first. These guys that get out and poach on other people's land aren't in it for the sport, they're in it just to kill something. I admit that I've lost some deer that I've downed, but I always look until I'm out of options. If anyone is interested, we might be able to work out a swap for some duck hunting or some grade A fishing.

[buckie02]

I think Deer hunting is turning into a rich mans sport. I live in very southern Illinois. Outfitters are leaseing ground for 5- 20 an acre and bringing people in for up to $4000 to hunt for 5 days. Some of them will go out and POACH a big buck for them. I own 80 acres and have Corps ground on 2 sides, but one side is leased and I wouldn't put anything past them. I am lucky, I have my own ground and have a few farmers that have offered to let me hunt.