I have given up on the states I used to hunt beyond my own. South Dakota, Wyoming, require so many "preference points" that they are a once every 5 year hunt for deer at best. I plan to hit the road this fall and travel to states with Non-resident over the counter deer and antelope tags if any actually exist. Must have good access to public land. Any ideas would be appreciated. Thought I'd give this stupid question a shot at the risk of being lampooned.
Good states for walk on, gun, deer hunting?
- Thread starter WindSurgeon
- Start date
Wrong.
Public Access Atlas | Nebraska Game & Parks Commission
The Public Access Atlas displays over 1.2 million acres of publicly accessible lands across Nebraska and is available in various formats.
outdoornebraska.gov
Have a look around this interactive map, click on the highlighted tracts of land, should tell you everything you’d want to know. I’m pretty sure the deer permit application period is opening up here in a couple weeks.
Too many out of staters driving the closures of private ground. Hunting is getting to the point that it’s only for the rich in the Treasure State.
Check out PA - has tons of public land open for hunting. Not sure about the non-resident procedure but I'm sure you can find that info on the PA Game Commission website.
In my experience, to be successful on public land in PA, you need to venture far off the beaten trail. The "big wood" of north central PA is a good place to start if you are physically fit. It can be a physical challenge if you are not in shape. Most shots are well under 150 yards for deer and bear. PA as a thriving bear population. Deer can be a challenge, and tend to be smaller in the "big woods".
The really large rack deer I've taken and seen have been on private farm lands in eastern PA. That's not to say you can't land a big buck in the "big woods," I'm just relating my experience of hunting there for about 25 years. Opening day can be problematic in the sense that there tends to be a lot of hunters in the field. By the third day, it drops off dramatically.
In my experience, to be successful on public land in PA, you need to venture far off the beaten trail. The "big wood" of north central PA is a good place to start if you are physically fit. It can be a physical challenge if you are not in shape. Most shots are well under 150 yards for deer and bear. PA as a thriving bear population. Deer can be a challenge, and tend to be smaller in the "big woods".
The really large rack deer I've taken and seen have been on private farm lands in eastern PA. That's not to say you can't land a big buck in the "big woods," I'm just relating my experience of hunting there for about 25 years. Opening day can be problematic in the sense that there tends to be a lot of hunters in the field. By the third day, it drops off dramatically.
Thanks! I have never really thought of going east (I'm in Minnesota) and just might take you up on the invite. Is it rifle hunting?
Tags are getting harder to get there for sure. It is like that in every western state right now. Used to be a great place to hunt, but I think they all just decided they wanted to make money from out of state hunters. Its just like hotel taxes targeted at travelers. Voters don't get upset about them.
They all figured out there are people willing to pay a lot of money in trespass fees to kill a deer.
Montana is tough. High price tags and lots of pref points these days. I have hunted there and it was great and welcoming 20 years ago.
What about Idaho? Seems like the last bastion of reasonable non resident regulations and hoops to jump through, although I hear they have a wolf problem.
NAHH,.. 3 to 4,000 Wolves and Millions of, New People, moving IN, DAILY from,.. Texas, Oregon, Washington, California and, a few places, back East,...
What,.. "problems" ????
I wonder, how many Coloradan's, KNOW THAT,..
the CANADIAN Wolves are being Transplanted,.. THERE,.. soon ???
Colorado, could HAVE,.. learned from, us !
Do People, EVER "know" or, learn anything from, PAST experiences ??
Probably,.. NOT !
the CANADIAN Wolves are being Transplanted,.. THERE,.. soon ???
Colorado, could HAVE,.. learned from, us !
Do People, EVER "know" or, learn anything from, PAST experiences ??
Probably,.. NOT !
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wkdickinson
Gold $$ Contributor
No antelope, but lots of white tails and huge a amount of "public" land in the UP of MI.
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