Hunting on public land: the good, the bad, and the ugly

I can say right off that I am very lucky to live in a state with a good deal of public hunting land. While not always the best, at least there are some. And without it I fear hunting would just go away in my state of South Dakota.

Today, private and commercial hunting have taken over much of the very best when it comes to land that has game and is worth the trouble to walk or drive to during a hunting trip.

Thanks to some far-sighted planners many years ago, we have parkland and public hunting land that give individuals the chance to get into the field at minimal cost to the hunter.

Some states, Texas for example, have almost nothing to offer that is not a pay-to-hunt experience. The landowners own the hunting right completely, and the state owns the game. This is just one example of a system gone too far.

I know this situation well as I have hunted the state for many years as an industry invitee, and always on private ranch land, with the exception of hunting the gulf coast for waterfowl. We still have a public sea out there, without which it would get real rough on folks who want to dust off a saltwater-based duck or two for the table in the Lone Star state.

How do you get onto the free hunting land? The first thing is to contact the DNR or game and fish agency in the state you want to hunt. These agencies retain hunting guides that can be obtained over the internet or as hard-copy directly from the departments.

South Dakota offers a complete guidebook showing state land, federal lands, school (public) land, and land set aside by farmers and ranchers, as well as walk-in lands that can be rented and paid for via fees hunters pay for hunting licenses.

This process is so complicated that, lacking the support of the hunters’ funds, the land and natural resources management would fold overnight. In other words, the American hunter pays his or her way without question.

When deciding to hunt public land, there are some things you can do that will enhance your chances of becoming successful. When reviewing maps, or even plat books of different areas that are marked public, check for both water holes and flowing water on that land.

Waterways carry game movement all the time, and if your choice is to set-up, say, for deer two miles away from a river or small stream, take the wet path every time.

One tip is to select land that fits the game you’re hunting. If hunting whitetail deer, for example, don’t hunt wide-open grazing land, but stay with the cottonwood thickets and tree lines in the western states, and heavy timber in the eastern part of the country. Whitetails like to move near cover when possible.

In most cases, when checking maps and marked public hunting areas, move to the deeper spots a bit off-grid. There is more chance that the area has not been overrun by hunters. Actually, the over-used part is a bit of a myth in some ways. I have had outstanding hunting on public land and, in many cases, it is under-used.

While you’re there, for faster, more accurate hunting, you might also wish to consider a new scope. If you need a scope for small game hunting or big game, HuntingMark explains which one you need to consider for your rifle on a budget.

When I lived in Minnesota, I hunted for a refugee system just outside Minneapolis. You would think that would be a bad deal, right? Well, not at all. The game and fish folks worked with it in terms of good game management, and I liked to night-hunt there for coyotes, and during the day, shoot/call crow.

As a young man, I hunted a place called Grayling Marsh in north central Minnesota that was a massive swamp, and it was good whitetail hunting for many years.

When hunting public land, you just have to do some research and pay attention in terms of working with your game plan. Last year, while doing some warm target-field testing with Backridge Ammunition out of Tennessee, we crossed three southern states and hunted two of them.

We used all public waterways, and often just set-up in the middle of mud flats for ducks that anyone can hunt at any time. The amount of public land is massive. In many states, all you need to do is your homework.

When you’re hunting for a full month and need to get new test-loads on birds, you can’t just buy your way across the country on private land every day. That is the case, however, more and more in the United States.

Pay hunting is becoming the norm. But for those who are willing to work at it. Public land is there and available to anyone willing to search for it.

Hunting on public land: the good, the bad, and the ugly

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