There still is TONS (600k+) of forested public. I own in seOH. There is a ton of public, more coming BUT there is a bunch (of Wayne NF) that was just opened up for mineral exploration. Like most states OH is pretty diverse, NW is flat and all ag, central is mixed hilly and ag, NE is flat mixed ag, se is hilly and very little ag. People who whine about OH public want to be in the central area where land is 10-15k an ac hunting giant bucks in the burbs but on "free" public. The azz kicker hilly to MTNCMBR stuff of seOH only has a random big buck or two because no one wants to be in there or they cannot physically get in there. Like IA, OH offers me zero advantage for being a NR owner. I purchased in another state that did and just for that reason.
I listen to every Skip pod, have friends that live and/or own in IA. Be careful on wanting more public as it draws more attention, that attention has slipping standards when the outcomes dont align with expectations. One of the biggest issues in all of hunting, and one that isnt shared much, is the number of criminals we have in our fraternity. These folks will roll the dice with trespass, poach, etc. after they realize their free public land is nothing easy like they anticipated. Embrace the draw and challenges. Also embrace that if you dont own premium IA re, you can go to some decent states around you as a NR yourself. While NRs can be bad folks, they can be great ones. I would suspect most landowners from out of state dont get enough credit for what they provide and bring(this doesnt include hunt clubs) and it feels like outfitters are the folks that always get off the hook despite drive the culture like a stolen car.
Never compare with a bait state.....that chit is the lowest common denominator and will ruin everything as the gateway into poor regs and way too many "hunters".
Recently saw an acreage cost report (from an farmers magazine) that showed land prices slightly dipping. While oranges and tangerines to rec land, i havent seen any "good hunting areas" go backwards other than some random sale that likely has a backstory. Another thing noted is both the podcasts and MLS reality of less known areas in popular states pulling up. Not sure if theyre just investors, blue collar dreamers or just trying to beat the wave but 2500-5k ac land with deer, anywhere, now has a following/purchase crowd despite a lesser trophy grade or lacking provisions/civilization. Id suspect any area with firearm restrictions and unique barriers will be a hot subset for deer ROI
Corn pile, cell cam, crossbow guy doesnt need help......or want to learn, let alone leave things better.