Land Access vs the Average Guy

[Craig S.]

I live in AZ & I have never hunted outside of AZ. I started applying for NV, CO & Utah 5 years back. I apply for some quality hunts because if I am going to spend the money I want a quality tag. I also have started participating in several larger coyote hunts that will eventually led me away from AZ.

Now with that being said we have a problem in AZ with human encroachment, developed checker board land & many of the bigger ranches have closed their doors. Do you guys have these same issues?

AZ has very hunter friendly laws, as a private property owner must post such land properly. I know in several other states it is up to the hunter to know where he is & where private property begins. If we had these same rules, it would be a NIGHTMARE & the G&F would be buried with trespass pass cases. Honestly, many average hunters would probably turn it in, as many places are checker boarded & developed.

So, what is an average hunter?

Too me an average hunter is a guy that hunts local & does not stray to far from home. Maybe he shoots his rifle once or twice before the hunt & heads out to his general deer hunt the night before season. Bottom line is he doesn't make it a priority...

I have several friends that over the years have also begun applying for out-of-state hunts. I would not call these guys average, as they are some of the best hunters I personally know. If you look at the stats we are losing hunters & I believe it's the folks that don't value it like us. At some point I think applying out-of-state is going to be average because we will be the ones left & the ones that value it enough to fork out that kinda cash.

Your thoughts...

 

[6speed]

Arizona sounds a lot like Idaho but you have a better trophy average over the last several yeas. Idaho requires private property to be posted. A lot of ranches are being bought by rich anti hunter types while some of the old family places are selling their hunting rights and the average hunter can't afford to pay to hunt there anymore. IDF&G just posted last years tag sale numbers deer down 9% elk down 8%. I met an out of state guy this year that was hunting with his buddy. Only one had a gun the other claimed he threw away his tag and would never buy another one. They both blamed the wolves. I know wolves have had an impact in the are but so has the unlimited tag quota. The bad thing is these guys have been hunting here for 20 some years and they're not coming back. There were several campsites that were empty this year where large groups of out of state guys used to camp. The biggest problem is as these guys get tired of the 20% success rate and stop hunting they don't become spokesmen and recruiters for the sport. I can't imagine how many of these guys go home and tell people how bad it was. Those of us who enjoy the hunt for every aspect even if we don't fill a tag are getting fewer and fewer.

 

[jlmatthew]

In Colorado landowners are not required to post their land, it is the resposibility of the hunter to know where they are at all times. Tresspassing can be up to a 20 pt offense which could lead to the loss of your hunting/fishing license for some time. Just about all the private land west of I-25 with Deer & Elk on it has been leased up by out of state hunters or outfitters, and east of I-25 is going that way fast!

Unfortunately the last 10 years things have been turning for the worse here as more folks move to Colorado, and with just about every other hunting show being in Colorado, crowding is a huge problem. And to throw salt in the would, our DOW is now trying to get more hunters here to make up some more revenue

 

[Craig S.]

jlmatthew,

Yeah I think Wyoming is that way also... That's tuff! I would say a couple of big ranches in AZ have closed thier gates & for the most part those are easy too identify with a little effort. I have don't have any problems with someone closing the doors on private property, if indeed it is private property, as we all know people can sure mess stuff up.

In Arizona I believe the two biggest land access issues are rural development of checker boarded land. A few ranches trying to close access to public land & not just their private property. Again, private property is private & I don't pay their taxes, so I have no problem with these guys charging fees to gain access.

Here is what my home county looks like on a GIS land status overlay:

Mohave County HOME of the Strip & Unit 10

General areas around my home town are getting piece milled too death! We can't all draw strip tags or unit 10 elk tags every year. The local areas that once held decent deer, pronghorn, elk, desert bighorn & predator hunting opportunities are getting developed to death. It's my opinion that this is major force in driving the average guy out of hunting & is taking the more serious guy to a new level. I did not apply out-of-state until 5 years ago & some of my friends are now also applying because the general units all have issues. Access, crowding & low deer densities...

My question is, as we lose more hunters (1990's AZ 165K, now 148K) are the guys left the ones willing to travel further & spend more money? Basically, what was the average hunter 10 year's ago, may no longer be the average hunter because the other guys aren't willing to adapt & spend the money.