Purity?

[ashersdad]

The vast majority of my hunting is done on public land. But I do hunt whitetails every year in a state that has very little public and I can't say as I value the animal or the experience any less because the hunt takes place on private.

I like the competition of public land but I must say that I also value the experiences I can have with my boys on some private land where I know we will have some solitude and not have to deal with alot of the cluster that can come with public land hunting.

 

[rtraverdavis]

I’ve hunted both and felt a far greater sense of adventure and accomplishment on public. It had nothing to do with the size of the animals.

 

[ImBillT]

Depends on the private, depends on the public.

I get to hunt(free of charge) three sections of private that has quite a few deer, but also has 4-11 other hunters, and most of the properties in the area are heavily hunted as well. I’ve always been able to kill a buck. The youngest was 3.5, the oldest was 8.5. All have measured pretty close to the same. I’ve seen two MONSTERS out of season. I’ve seen a handful that weren’t monsters, but were bigger than anything I’ve shot. It may be private land, but a lot of guys in the area hunt the whole season and claim never to see anything but spikes and does. If I ever kill a really nice buck there, I’ll consider it a trophy and an accomplishment. Both of the out of state, public land bucks that I’ve killed are substantially bigger than anything I’ve killed on private land. One came with equal pressure, but there were more deer, and on average they were higher quality. The other came in a small unit with limited public land, almost zero pressure, and almost zero deer. I have permission to hunt 3-4 pieces of private land, but I completely expect to kill bigger deer in my life on public land.

It’s hard to pose a comparison as simple as “public vs private” and get a valid answer. There is some private land out there that is better than the vast majority of public land hunts, and there are some public land hunts out there that are better than the vast majority of private land hunts.

 

[SFC B]

I've done both. Private is easier. mtmuley

This^^^ Not that there isn't value to ALL trophies but it is definitely more difficult from many different angles to harvest (especially mature) animals on public land. My best scoring animal, a WT, came off of a ranch in Texas. It looks nice on the wall but doesn't mean nearly to much to me as the cow I worked my butt off for last year in WY.

 

[Gerald Martin]

I prefer to hunt public simply because as long as I follow the laws, I can hunt according to my discretion.
No worries about drama if I shoot a big buck or not knowing if permission will be pulled at a landowner’s change of mind.
However, I have hunted a lot of private property as well. If I pull the trigger on public or private it’s because I have sorted through my incredibly arbitrary definition of “trophy” that day and I am going to be satisfied with the results if I am successful killing the animal.

 

[HSi-ESi]

To me it's not really a Private/Public distinction but rather the amount of work to put in on the hunt. I've taken some white-tail does with my bow on private that I was extremely happy with. I do hold my public land elk hunts above the others because it was so much more work, time invested and learning a specific area.

I can still appreciate the "easy" hunt and take more time on meat care and preparation.

 

[Ben Long]

Define trophy.

Any animal or experience that has special meaning for you.

 

[Dsnow9]

I hunt both and have hunted both on the same tag. I highly value public land animals more for a number of reasons, the antlers on the head not being part of that equation. To me they are just a nice reminder of the hunt.

I started adopting @wllm1313 hunt a place you want to spend time strategy last year and putting it into full swing this year!

Private land for me is a great last day of the season contingency plan to put meat in the freezer or a quick hunt. Although not guaranteed the odds are much better and usually a whole lot less time committed if your just hunt for meat.

The meat is my trophy! I’ve never been patient enough to hold out for a trophy, first mature legal animal hits the dirt. Maybe that will change some day... I doubt it

 

[Shangobango]

It depends.

All private lands and all public lands are not created equal.

The wariness of the animals is a major factor in “trophy” for me.

I’d wager that the deer on the private land I hunt here make the overwhelming majority of deer in the west look half tame.

Public land definitely has more physical difficulty most of the time in my experience. That adds “trophy” to the experience for me.

Consistently taking quality deer off of a small parcel of private property that is surrounded by “if it is brown it’s down” neighbors that hunt for months is more of an accomplishment in my mind then consistently taking big animals off of large intensely managed properties

I think taking quality animals off of highly pressured public land is more impressive, therefore more “trophy”, than taking a monster specimen in an extremely limited draw area.

 

[Hydrophilic]

I much prefer public land simply for the adventure and experience. I have the money and options to hunt private land in the west but it does not even enter my mind! Maybe when I'm older but there are too many beautiful places out there and too little time. I'm thankful for every animal I harvest on Oregon's public lands - everything from 6 pt bull elk, 4 pt mule deer, to spikes.

We have 1,000+ acres in Michigan and I will be hunting Whitetail this fall if all goes according to plan, it will be my first time hunting private land and not hiking a lot!

 

[Big Fin]

Hmm. Never thought of that.

From the standpoint of "Purity," I make no distinction. Whatever a person wants to do, knock yourself out.

I often get cornered that because we promote public land hunting, I am somehow against private land hunting. Those who draw that line are completely wrong. If you have access to private, I encourage you to go for it. No purity issues involved

Our WHY is - "To promote self-guided hunting and create advocates for that cause."

That WHY was formed out of my frustration and concern of seeing how much access we were losing, how much attack was being made on our public lands, and was cemented to the reality that 70% of hunters in the west hunt primarily on public lands. Without advocates for those who hunt these public lands, my worry was, and still is, that 70% become 50%, then becomes 25%, then we just throw our hands in the air and give up.

I worry that hunters are not aware of the efforts often made to reduce or damage their public lands. Or efforts to defund management of those lands such that it is easier to sell them. Hunters need public lands and those lands need hunters.

I get that others will take up the cause of guided hunting or private land hunting. Good on them.

We get up every day and look at the whiteboards that have that WHY written on them. That daily effort is not because I feel that public land hunting has a higher "purity," rather because I feel public land hunting is in great jeopardy of loss, compromise, or reduction.

 

[Pucky Freak]

I value the meat the same. I butcher and process my own and I enjoy cooking, and where the meat comes from doesn’t affect the taste.

I have more of a sense of accomplishment getting an animal on public. Especially if I hunted hard, or had a tough season, or hiked a long way, etc.

I’m itching to arrow a mature whitetail on public ground. It’s a lot of what’s been keeping me up at night lately.

 

[timmy]

Hmm. Never thought of that.

From the standpoint of "Purity," I make no distinction. Whatever a person wants to do, knock yourself out.

I often get cornered that because we promote public land hunting, I am somehow against private land hunting. Those who draw that line are completely wrong. If you have access to private, I encourage you to go for it. No purity issues involved

Our WHY is - "To promote self-guided hunting and create advocates for that cause."

That WHY was formed out of my frustration and concern of seeing how much access we were losing, how much attack was being made on our public lands, and was cemented to the reality that 70% of hunters in the west hunt primarily on public lands. Without advocates for those who hunt these public lands, my worry was, and still is, that 70% become 50%, then becomes 25%, then we just throw our hands in the air and give up.

I worry that hunters are not aware of the efforts often made to reduce or damage their public lands. Or efforts to defund management of those lands such that it is easier to sell them. Hunters need public lands and those lands need hunters.

I get that others will take up the cause of guided hunting or private land hunting. Good on them.

We get up every day and look at the whiteboards that have that WHY written on them. That daily effort is not because I feel that public land hunting has a higher "purity," rather because I feel public land hunting is in great jeopardy of loss, compromise, or reduction.

The message has been heard loud and clear.

 

[Khunter]

Nope. No difference. just comes down to what went into getting to success. same experience could happen on either.

 

[Mica Man]

No difference to me. I hunt a lot of private ground enrolled in access yes here in Idaho. I don't mind knocking doors and have gained access to some great hunting areas while meeting some dang cool people along the way. I do however relish the hunts I've had in the Frank Church.

 

[Addicting]

I’ve done both, they tasted the same. I’m gonna go with whichever is closest and easiest to get back to the truck. I don’t have anything to prove to anyone anymore on a purity scale. Doing things the hard way just to prove that I could do it sailed the day I retired.

 

[hank4elk]

Done both and see little difference in many cases.
Pretty sure the big Blacktail that hangs on my wall means more to me than a bigger one that's in a tree in my yard. The one I look at all the time was on my tiny place in a canyon. Just outside my orchard.

This little 6x6 bull ,hanging next to the deer racks in same tree, means more than one hanging over a buddies mantle in the Jemez to me,a 320. Lil guy was right here on my place.
Taking an elk is pretty cut & dry here. Get out in the dark,sneak down/out thru sparse PJ/rabbit brush cover,find out where they are in 1st light,sneak into range & cover without being spotted nor winded and take the shot without being spotted nor winded, before they leave when the sun rises, on 140 acres.
My new goal is to do this with a unit wide draw tag. Came close to a 350+ 2 years ago. Right here on my place.
Those elk in the Gila area I have taken mean a bunch. All of them here in NM have meant a bunch. Some tough hunts.Some walk in EZ ones.

Taking a good one here on my own place. Dunno,that might be priceless.
Let the purity gods decide.

 

[mtmuley]

I honestly don't give a shit if I ever have access to or hunt private land ever again. mtmuley

 

[Carl 9.3x62]

I think for me it all depends on the experience. The cow elk my son shot, as his first big game animal, on private land will hang high in our house. I don't know if I would have been prouder or happier had it been on public.

 

[Carnage2011]

I don’t care either way. I’ll hunt public or private and have no shame on either.

I do have to laugh at the occasional hunter that leases a ranch and kills a bull on a landlocked piece of public and claims it as a “public land” elk.

I killed my biggest bull on block management and my second biggest bull on public. They were both great hunts with different challenges.