Real Hunters!

[BLUEDOT 72]

THe good old days when discussions ran to "where and how", rather than "what outfitter" is truly missed. I have been to the range recently and have been involved in converations with shooters about the upcoming hunting season and am totally flabergasted on how many depend upon outfitters and guides to get their game for them! WHere are the real hunters now! Yes I am bitter! I am almost 70 years old and when I recieve a letter from an outfitter telling me that for $1200 they can get me onto all of the farms in a particular area to hunt turkeys, I get sick! WHen I go to ask permission to hunt , and I hear,"Sorry, I am obligated to the agreement I signed with the Outfitters", then I want to puke! (Yes this is in the West and hunters license fees paid for them turkeys in the first place) )
Yes, I know they pay a lot for adds in magazines, forums and sportsman's organizations but when I think of that bunch, I think of parasites! Like used payday loan brokers, tow truck operators, bail bondsmen and trial lawyers!

How many hunters out there hunt their own game? Except the Texas feed lot shooters who I don't guess need a guide to find their hunting lounges!

Face up to it, Hunters, try it like your Dad and Grand Dad did, "ON YOUR OWN!

[quigleysharps4570]

Here's one that still hunts on his own Bluedot. Alot of it going to leased hunting around here. I refuse to even do that.

[Adam Helmer]

Bluedot 72,

I understand your feelings. In our weekly newspaper, I see ads asking for farms to lease and other ads have 1500, 4,000 or how many acres and are offering for people to buy into the club. We are blessed with 1.5 million acres of Game Lands in 260+ tracts throughout the state and about 4 million acres of state forest open to public hunting. Some of that open land is remote, rustic and as grandpa used to hunt it. It may be too rough for some modern folks.

Adam

[larryours]

Bluedot 72,

Here in West Virginia I still hunt on my own, I have permission from a good friend to hunt his property and adjoining property belonging to another friend, Since they all mostly rifle hunt, I spend a week each year bow hunting at the hunting camp.

I've been going to Canada since 1990 bear hunting, even though it's a outfitter( in Ontario to bear hunt you have to have a guide/outfitter to bear hunt) but mostly your hunting on your own, they provided a palce to hunt and bait, your on your own, but each year to cross the border there's more and more restrictions, now by Dec.2006 you have to have a passport.

It's beginning to be more of a hassle, with the restrictions and the long drive, and each year it(the drive) seems to get longer and this past year with the gas prices it just does seem worth the effort anymore, does anyone else feel the way I do ?

[rubicon]

I hunt on hunt club land back at my deer camp -but- growing up I hunted, fished and trapped on railroad land, power company land , and a couple of farms.These two land owners had the entire area and welcomed all hunters. Times have changed in the mountains though. The farms are now resorts for granolas, the power company land has been sold to the government to preserve the furry little bat, the green eyed salamander and hence NO HUNTING. the railroad property was saved though, while negotiations were on the table to lease this land an executive of the rail company stepped in and quickly met with individuals and lawyers and signed contracts to lease their property to a newly formed hunt club with dues being one hundred dollars yearly per family split 50/50 with the clubs half going to insurance, security, and office expenses and the rail company.s half going to property maintainence. I certainly miss the way it used to be but I pay my bucks and drive 200 miles each way to hunt thousands of acres seldom seeing other hunters. Here where I live I just go out in the boat and chase the duckies. Although I dont want to join, I definitely couldnt afford the upper crust hunt clubs around me anyway.

[rainydays]

Still do all my own hunts here in state as well as out of state. I consider it part of the hunt. Like all other areas, its getting harder and harder to hunt here also. Hunting is now a business and there are alot of people that are willing to pay for the priviledge of hunting. Even here, the fat cats are steadily buying up all the good hunting land, and they don't let anyone else hunt. Is pretty discouraging to live in an area and can't take advantage of the good hunting because you are not a fat cat. But that is definetely the wave of the future. I believe that is the way it in Europe now. So if you and your kids want to hunt in the future, become a Fat Cat. The rest of us, enjoy it while we can.
This is only one man's opinion, take it for what it's worth--tr

[steven gordon]

Here in Iowa I hunt private land. I also have a farm I hunt, but the hunting is pretty lousy there. If it was good, I would be tempted to lease out the hunting rights. I am in a position to know a lot of people, and some of them have land. Because I'm not a complete jerk, I get invites. Actually, they say, Would you pullease come out and kill Bambi's mom cause Bambi keeps messing up my garden/trees/front end. But that's city limit hunting and confined to archery.

In Nebraska I hunt leases or private land. I do n ot pay for the lease but I, once again am not a complete jerk, and those hwo hold leases invite me because they know I am not a trophy hunter and I will improve the buck:doe ratio.

[Mad_Jack]

I hunt mostly in southwestern PA. Most of my reenactng friends, and I, hunt exclusively with flintlock weapons. When I hunt with my other friends, we hunt public and private properties. Never has anyone said they didn't want to hunt with me, although, a lot of the modern guys say they enjoyed the outing, even though they may go home empty bagged. They say they get to enjoy a sight most don't get to see; someone doing it completely the old way. ME!
Me with my second of four bird.
Magnificent high mountain view.
PA Primitive Season harvest.

[fabsroman]

Great thread. I can't believe that I haven't responded to this before. I have generally always hunted without a guide, with a couple of exceptions, and I have hunted a lot. The couple of exceptions are when I go to bird farms to shoot the planted upland birds. I do this every once in a while, maybe 5 times total in my entire life. The initial reason for the first couple was because my uncle and my brothers really like it (i.e., they are assured some shooting). They are shooters, not hunters. The last time I went was to get my dog some work on upland birds. Now, I want to do it again, and maybe twice this upcoming season, because my dog loves it.

Due to development, I am about to lose two farms that I have hunted for decades. My problem is that I have no idea where to get additional access. However, I have run into some new friends and I do have an idea to try this summer, so that might work out for new access to land. The other alternative is to pay $1,800 for a waterfowl hunt club on the eastern shore that lucks really good. However, that will not happen until I give this new plan a shot this season and see how it goes.

At the end of the day, it is all about the money. Too many people are about money, and fewer are about principles nowadays.

I could start with my rant on hunting shows and how they are almost all about slaughtering animals and making the killing of animals the only important thing about hunting, but that would take a lot more typing.

[Lilred]

I think ole Mad Jack bout got it all figgered out..and a nice lookin piece to shoot too. Make that there gun yerself?
Uncle Clarence makes loaders..beautiful ones. Course, he'd just as soon shoot you with one than sell it to ya.

As fer as the topic, I think ole Lilred done made a rant er on thatun....I can understand maybe a guide fer a vacation er somthin...er just to try somethin new. But not all the time.

There's actually a "guide service" fer the state forest here...the guy makes a fortune...unbelievable. Sorry, but I can find better things to spend my money on. Man...I could buy me a nice old fox double fer what it costs to git somebody to show ya where a deer is.

[Dghantt]

the hunt club i belong to is going to lose its lease to a "gentilemans hunt club" where people pay almost 4 grand a year to shoot stuff someone else builds stands grows the food plots they call em guarented hunts no more dog huntin all the fun and excitement will be gone whats the thrill of just showin up knowin your gonna shoot a trophy deer . i am glad i cant even remotely afford it . i guess whats next the guides will shoot em for these rich guys ?

[larryours]

I've hunted Canada for the past 16-17 years, most of my hunts have been with bear guides, they furnish bait & place to sleep and we furnish our food, getting out and skinning our own bear for less than most family of 4 will spend a week at the beach, someone once asked me "Why don't you go to the beach?" My answer was "I'd rather have a tree stand under my butt, than sand pounded up it" Which means I'd 100% rather hunt than go to the beach, but back to the Canadian bear hunts, one place we went to a couple years ago, we knew more about bear hunting than the "guide" did, this was from what we learned from an excellant bear guide(now deceased) back in the 90's. If the Canadian law let non-resident hunters hunt without a guide, than I'd probably be pitching a tent and hunting on my own.
But it seems like for the past several years more restrictions are added and the older I get, the long drive seems less attractive
My hunting buddy is older than me by 11 years and he's been feeling the same way, so after this year it might be up for grabs the States or Canada

[rickjordan]

I have hunted game on my own since I was 16 and could hunt without my Dad- I have NEVER had a guide for hunting and don't think I ever will unless I go hunt caribou or some animal where I have to have one. I live in Maine where there is plenty of good public land to hunt on-the great spots require a little work and ambition. I hunt on two posted farms- one about 500 acres and the other one around 800. I got permission to hunt one place because I got off my ass, apprached the farmer &him if he had any machinery repaired or any help with planting or haying. I helped him with a bailer and a tractor and he offered to pay me for my help-I am a diesel mechanic and do know what I am doing. I said I don't want a penny of your money- just let me hunt your land and he said anytime I want, help myself. I still always leave him the liver of any deer I shoot on his land and I am the ONLY person with permission to hunt on his land. He also knows I run any people I see off his land and I shoot crows, groundhogs and coyotes for him whenever I get the chance. I had a guy stop in to his farm one day and say that some guy shot a turkey that he was supposedly calling in. He asked him what kind of vehicle he was driving and he told him my truck. The farmer just smiled and said, "He is the ONLY person that has permission to hunt on my land" and the guy left.

[savageman270wsm]

I LIVE ON MY FATHER IN LAWS FARM OF 380 ACRES THAT IS VERY EASY TO HUNT AND KILL DEER. HOWEVER, I STILL CHOOSE TO GO ONTO ARMENIA MOUNTAIN IN TROY, PA WHERE THERE ARE 4500 ACRES OF BIG LAND HUNTING. I DO NOT SEE AS MUCH OR TAKE AS MANY DEER AS I COULD, BUT IT IS THRILLING WHEN YOU DO FILL A TAG. JUST MT TAKE.

[Singer]

I Still have the ability to hunt on about 350 acres of private land leased by a good friend of the family. BUT the kids and I still head up to Northern Wisconsin to the family cabin for whitetail gun season. Here to we have a epidemic of out of staters buying up everything then posting it all off, private "hunt" clubs, executive retreats etcetcetc.
There is still allot a open land and yes allot of us would drop over dead before we'd "hire" someone to show us how and where to hunt... GASP!