Hunter overcrowding and the privatization of access

[Buzzard Breath]

When TWRA started the tiered system for duck hunting, I lost my deer hunting buddies to the ducks. Maybe, if they converted more year long blinds into tier 2 blinds, less people would be leasing and/or hunting public land for deer.

Go ahead and boo me now. I know its not a popular answer, but its true.

 

[recurve60#]

Gotta realize how the population has grown here since the mass exodus also.
A bunch of those hunt. I get asked all the time where to hunt. I always reply i dont know. Ive been squeezed out myself.

 

[MickThompson]

Gotta realize how the population has grown here since the mass exodus also.
A bunch of those hunt. I get asked all the time where to hunt. I always reply i dont know. Ive been squeezed out myself.

Exactly. TN is like #6 fastest growing. That's not good for public or private land hunters or the wildlife we all pursue.

 

[Lost Lake]

Gotta realize how the population has grown here since the mass exodus also.
A bunch of those hunt. I get asked all the time where to hunt. I always reply i dont know. Ive been squeezed out myself.

This.


Since the Great Exodus, it's really gotten crowded.

 

[paboom]

I think the pressure we're seeing on public lands will be significantly decreased over the next 20 years. You have to realize that the majority of hunters are 40+ years old and so when they start to either die off (harsh but true) or don't have the health to hunt anymore, then it will ease up. The numbers of hunters behind the boomers are much lower.

 

[BPhunter]

I think the pressure we're seeing on public lands will be significantly decreased over the next 20 years. You have to realize that the majority of hunters are 40+ years old and so when they start to either die off (harsh but true) or don't have the health to hunt anymore, then it will ease up. The numbers of hunters behind the boomers are much lower.

Going to be fortunate if there's a Country left to hunt in in 20 yrs.

 

[deerhunter10]

I don't see a fix. I am blessed enough to be able to buy some hunting/farm land and hopes to add more to ensure my hunting future. The biggest problem I have seen is the just pure recklessness and neglect of people leasing land. A lot of people have no respect for others people's land so many are reluctant to lease. Then the other side is affording the leases now days. As bad as I hate to say it but it has turned into a "rich man" game and I do not see any way around that at all. I used to turkey hunt public land years ago and it was outstanding. Now, honestly if I were to be forced to hunt public exclusively I would be looking out of state. I live close to many gates of yanahli and there are people at 1 of those gates every single day of season except some very bad weather days. The saving grace could be hunter recruitment seems down to me personally. I only know very few kids (18 and under) when 15 or 20 years ago they seemed to be everywhere. Not to mention a lot of people have quit because of the mess. But of course with lack of hunters opens up many many many other problems. There's land around me selling for 20 to 25 thousand dollar an acre for raw land without a bat of an eye.

 

[AT Hiker]

. But what is the answer to this in a free market capitalist society? ….

Ideas?

To the answer of this specific question, please note I do not want it to necessarily happen, is to use capital to solve the access issue. At least in theory it could work here, in TN.

For example; a large corporation could come in and gobble up as much access as its capital would allow. It would be governed by a board of directors and financed by members.

Basically just one big hunting club. Dues would be manageable and not a complete burden on its members. To achieve this the corporation would lease up duck property, small game property, fishing property, camping, turkey, deer, bear, etc. The corporation would have "buying" power and pass the cost savings on to its paying members. The duck hunters would subsidize the deer hunters, the turkey hunters would subsidize the rabbit hunters, etc. So, instead of having one big deer hunting club you'd have one big recreational club spread throughout the state.

Access would be granted via a reservation system. Membership would be granted based on hunting preferences, so not to have too many deer or duck hunters.

Or, these non profits who claim to want to preserve the hunting heritage would simply invest their money into access.

 

[AT Hiker]

When TWRA started the tiered system for duck hunting, I lost my deer hunting buddies to the ducks. Maybe, if they converted more year long blinds into tier 2 blinds, less people would be leasing and/or hunting public land for deer.

Go ahead and boo me now. I know its not a popular answer, but its true.

Another campaign slogan for "The Breath".
Make duck blinds tier 2 again!

To your point. If current available public access was higher quality, pressure wouldn't matter as much. Just imagine if LBL actually had turkeys? Many people could enjoy it, instead many people fight for the few birds that exist.

 

[recurve60#]

To the answer of this specific question, please note I do not want it to necessarily happen, is to use capital to solve the access issue. At least in theory it could work here, in TN.

For example; a large corporation could come in and gobble up as much access as its capital would allow. It would be governed by a board of directors and financed by members.

Basically just one big hunting club. Dues would be manageable and not a complete burden on its members. To achieve this the corporation would lease up duck property, small game property, fishing property, camping, turkey, deer, bear, etc. The corporation would have "buying" power and pass the cost savings on to its paying members. The duck hunters would subsidize the deer hunters, the turkey hunters would subsidize the rabbit hunters, etc. So, instead of having one big deer hunting club you'd have one big recreational club spread throughout the state.

Access would be granted via a reservation system. Membership would be granted based on hunting preferences, so not to have too many deer or duck hunters.

Or, these non profits who claim to want to preserve the hunting heritage would simply invest their money into access.

So the poor cant afford to hunt anymore? Exactly where its headed though.

 

[wcw280]

You will hunt what you own in my lifetime is what I think.

 

[Chiflyguy]

Can't blame a farmer or rancher for leasing their land.
If the government gave 1/2 a care for them as they do illegals……

 

[mike243]

Loosing hunting property has nothing to do with the government, $$$ is what is driving leases, trophy hunting is what's driving folks to leases, not wanting to hunt public and share the resources, reckon it could be classified as greed to drop out as many competitors as possible. No nice way to put it but it boils down to the same thing imo. I'm not against leases by any means but it's a way to control how many folks are hunting Your deer.

 

[wildlifefarmer]

Growing up I was a countryfide city boy. Neighbors helped kill hogs for meat to eat. Walking through the grown up fields to kick up rabbits and quail on any of those neighbors fields was the norm. Our grandad passed away and grandma some years later sold the farm. 40 years of dreaming and saving, plus fighting the public for hunting space, we were fortunate to purchase our piece of paradise to enjoy. The way the world is today, I would not lease or just allow the public access due to the lack of respect some have for each other or property. I would be more inclined to grant hunting permission if you were to come introduce yourself to me and look me in my eyes. Unfortunately most folks won't lift a finger to help their fellow man. Sorry about that rant but the only way out is to get your own piece of paradise.

 

[CrossVolle]

Walk In Hunting Area type program where landowners are compensated by the state for allowing hunter walk in access. Tax break, direct payment, etc. Yes TN hunters will screw it up a lot and tick off landowners by violating rules but it can successfully work.

Cig butt trail to the stand sites, Debbie wrappers, etc. I would not let a Joe i did not know step foot on my land after some of the neglect and disrespect of our public lands i have stumbled across.

 

[kaizen leader]

My guess is that some landowners would open their land provided:

• Tax break or income from state
• Printable permit placed in dash of vehicle
• Release of liability
• Signed agreement by hunters to respect land and follow game laws
• Reduce liability by not allowing any tree stand hunting
• Potentially shotgun/ml or archery only
• Walk in or bike only...no atvs
• Hunters buy a an additional access permit for these lands
• Hunters reserve an online permit/spot to control access, checkin by 8am or lose spot
• Game seen and taken for data at check-out
• Quality buck standards to protect 1.5 aged bucks
• Area closed to either sex or doe only once some quotas met so not over hunted- none of this is difficult

I have 53 acres to enroll. $25 an acre should do it.

I think you have a great list here. Land owners just don't want the hassle of worrying about lawsuits, rude hunters, and lack of respect. Maybe TWRA could have a hunter respect certification where hunters have to take classes on private land owner expectations. Certify them along with a commitment to follow those expectations or loose their hunting and fishing privileges for a year. Then reach out to private land owners with an agreement that those certified hunters cannot enter in litigation against the land owner. Maybe land owners would agree to something like that. It would require TWRA to respond and enforce these agreements and manage the training. All at a cost to the hunter.

 

[woodsman04]

I don't see a fix. I am blessed enough to be able to buy some hunting/farm land and hopes to add more to ensure my hunting future. The biggest problem I have seen is the just pure recklessness and neglect of people leasing land. A lot of people have no respect for others people's land so many are reluctant to lease. Then the other side is affording the leases now days. As bad as I hate to say it but it has turned into a "rich man" game and I do not see any way around that at all. I used to turkey hunt public land years ago and it was outstanding. Now, honestly if I were to be forced to hunt public exclusively I would be looking out of state. I live close to many gates of yanahli and there are people at 1 of those gates every single day of season except some very bad weather days. The saving grace could be hunter recruitment seems down to me personally. I only know very few kids (18 and under) when 15 or 20 years ago they seemed to be everywhere. Not to mention a lot of people have quit because of the mess. But of course with lack of hunters opens up many many many other problems. There's land around me selling for 20 to 25 thousand dollar an acre for raw land without a bat of an eye.

I agree with all of this. There is no fix, and it is weeding out the common man like myself. In not way am I against capitalism, but so much land like the timber companies is owned by one person or a group for a club. No more 5$ permit and unlimited access.

 

[woodsman04]

I don't duck hunt, but I think it has been affected the most just from hearing folks complain.

Turkey hunting has been hit very hard too. Cant find anywhere on public or private. Turkey didn't get bad in my opinion until the you tubers made it popular.

We do not need more hunters. We need more people that care about the resource.

Sorry. But some of these guys I run in to on public lands don't care about the resources. Just themselves.

 

[Gravey]

There's land around me selling for 20 to 25 thousand dollar an acre for raw land without a bat of an eye.

Better buy it. 5 years ago 5 acres in Rutherford county was in the $125-150k range. A farm several miles up the road auctioned late last year and I was told some of the 5 acre tracts went for over $400k. I'd have to put a tent on it for that.

 

[BPhunter]

Canada's wide open and we aren't that far from it. However, I despise spending money anywhere they have the same or worse Nazi government that we do. Wyoming, Utah, Idaho, just to name a few, still pretty much wide open public land, but for you folks East of the Mississippi, that be a might pricey to travel, license, etc.

There is one thing I do like about Canada. Very unpopulated and you can disappear in that wilderness.