JNRBRONC
Well-Known Member
Chapter 11
Finding Your Best Spot
This chapter is probably going to be the hardest for me to write, because I realize it will upset a lot of people to admit the inevitable truth that, except for unique and very rear situations, limited access is just about the only fair chase way to go about tagging trophy bucks regularly. The leasing issue has got many people fighting mad. It has caused rage, jealousy, insecurity, and downright hatred, with tempers, and friendships parting company. I’m sure many of you reading this chapter will not like what I have to say, even though I honestly believe it is the inevitable truth and the definitive answer to quality hunting opportunities in the future.
Times have changed. I remember when hunters used to have the freedom to hunt various species of big game in the Rockies, Alaska and Canada without legally having to use an outfitter or apply for any permit or special license. Only twenty five years ago, I bought a North Dakota non-resident license over the counter for $30. and enjoyed great hunting there. I also remember when I could fill my gas tank for three dollars.
It wasn’t long ago that a courteous hunter could develop a relationship with a landowner and again access to great hunting with little more than a firm handshake, a holiday gift or time and effort spent mending fences, baling hay or whatnot. Offering farm labor during the off season opened doors. Friendships with farmers are still valuable commodities. Framers are the salt of the earth. For many,
105
years I gave away turkeys, hams and fruit baskets, fixed fences and baled hay in exchange for hunting privileges. Those were indeed the good old days. Times have changed.
We have to remember that whitetail deer are an adaptable species. They have adjusted to civilization more than any other big game species in history. This ability to adapt is what sets them apart from every other big game animal on the face of the earth. With little more than food, water, and minimal security for cover, the have thrived.
Probably eighty percent or more of the best whitetail habitat in this nation is on private property- farm land. Cash crops attract and hold whitetail deer. Since cash crops are usually grown on private property that is where most deer prefer to live.
As a youngster, I remember roaming just about anywhere I wanted without worry or concern of trespassing. It was great while it lasted, but like I said, the world has changed. Habitat is getting smaller. Farmers, again, the “salt of the earth” are having a hard time making ends meet. Even thought hunter numbers may dwindle on a national basis, more people want quality outdoor opportunities on limited amounts of land. Deer hunting has become a supply and demand situation. At least quality deer hunting has reached that point. Most hunters will pay decent money to hunt out of state but refuse to pay a dime to hunt good ground in their own state. Some complain about having nowhere to hunt while hauling a ten thousand dollar ATV behind a thirty thousand dollar truck!
Let me build a little scenario here to change the subject. I will divide fisherman into two categories; those who like to fish and those who love to fish. I’m not talking about ability nor technique here, but level of interest. With some people, fishing is a pastime; with others it’s a passion. Passionate fisherman travel to find great fishing. Some may
106
Pursue their interest fairly close to home. Others may even pack up and move in order to reside or spend more of their limited lifetimes near great fishing opportunites. Passionate fishermen go the extra mile to enjoy good fishing. Whether or not the fish are biting isn’t nearly as important as whether the water holds big fish. Other folks stay closer to home, do their angling in public water and catch fish accordingly.
In many ways, fisherman and deer hunters are in the same boat, no pun intended. Levels of interest jump out at us daily. Some magazines represent the type of fisherman who would wear colorful jumpsuits, with patches all over their bodies, electronic depth finders and “play with your fish in the boat” attitudes. Another magazine on the same rack represents fly fisherman. These people take their sport just as seriously, but they care more about how a fish is caught, not the stringer weight or numbers of fish caught. Quality fishing, like quality hunting, has become a supply and demand situation. The first two steps toward management of great fishing are habitat control and selectivity. But there is no catch and release in deer hunting.
Where am I going with this comparison of deer hunting to fishing? Attitude. You won’t find a passionate fisherman standing shoulder to shoulder in some over-fished hole. On the contrary, two passionate fishermen don’t even like to share the same hole at that same time. What does this love lend itself to? Limited access. It is the cause and effect of supply and demand.
Let’s continue using fishing as an example. Lets say a farmer owns three ponds. All three are of equal size, depth and habitat. But in this scenario, the farmer manages each pond differently. On the first pond, he allows free public access. Come on down. Bring your buddies and a big can of worms. Keep all the fish you’re allowed. Use whatever works best. “Let’s rip some lips.” “Just call me Gillcrusher.”
107
On the second pond, the farmer charges a trespass fee, requests artificial lures with barbless hooks and demands catch and release. The fish here are bigger and more plentiful because the place is fished less and anglers don’t put everything they catch into their frying pans. Not a bad deal, except maybe on weekends.
The third pond is leased by half a dozen passionate fisherman. They don’t all fish at once. They not only practice controlled catch and release but restrict themselves in other ways. The do habitat work, care about things like oxygen levels, trash fish, structure, spawning beds, etc. They manage this pond with a long term lease. Fishing is superb, with lots of big, healthy fish. And it keeps getting better. Sure, they had to call the game warden to prosecute a couple of local thieves who ignored the signs, but eventually word go around that the lessees meant business.
Which pond would you rather fish in? Do you like to fish or do you love to fish? What matters is attitude.
I never did like the idea of paying to hunt deer. I still don’t. But I’m honest enough to admit to myself that if that is what it’s going to take, so be it.
Quality habitat is beyond the point of no return. Unless you buy your own ground (or pond), lease or otherwise somehow limit access, you’ll eventually be fighting over a forkhorn; in a sense standing shoulder to should at the “ol’ fishing hole.”
There are a lot more people who like to fish than there are people who love to fish. There are always more fans than serious players in any activity. And that may be exactly the way it should be. The stone hard reality is, every die-hard football fan cannot make the team.
I used to be on the other side of the fence when it came to leasing prime habitat. I compared it to cancer. I wrote anti-lease articles. Yes, I’ve heard all the tired excuses
108
from “hunting will someday only be for the rich” to “I’ll have to poach the King’s game” statements. Sure, we used to be able to roam damn near anywhere outside at will, giving little more than a courteous handshake or a friendly smile. That was then; this is now. Free public access to most quality hunting ground is history.
Look at it another way. Farmers are landlords. Most are having a hard time making money. You wouldn’t expect to live in a landlord’s house rent free just because he is your buddy, would you? As a matter of fact, I’ll go so far as to state that if you are not compensating landowner in exchange for hunting privileges, you are using them, no matter how good a friend you think you are. As the old saying goes, “There is no more free lunch.”
We can’t blame farmers. They have been working that ground hard for centuries, trying to make a living doing what they love to do. They pay taxes, deal with harsh weather and hungry bankers, accept whatever price per bushel or pound the consumer offers, and continue to be taken advantage of by a long line of outdoorsmen, almost all wanting something for next to nothing. Farming is the only business I can think of that allows consumers to set the price of their product! Think about that. American farmers need to say “a bushel of wheat is going to cost you this much this year.” Instead, they allow the government, the system and the consumer say, “We’re only going to pay you this much per bushel this year.” If you can’t see that the American farmers and ranchers are being abused by now, it’s time to open your eyes.
Farmers and ranchers already understand leasing concepts. They willingly lease farming and grazing rights from each other. They don’t expect their neighbors to borrow their land in exchange for a fruit basket or some fence mending. They want and need money to run their business
109
and pay bills. No, they do not own the wildlife, but they are the landlords and they deserve rent as well as respect.
Hunters continue to expect a free ride. Many of you are, in a sense, hitch-hiking cross-country, unwilling or unable to help pay for gas. Complaining about gas prices won’t help. Along the same lines, buying a plane ticket is not “just for the rich” any more than quality hunting is becoming a “rich man’s sport”. You can walk, ride, drive, or fly. The last option is not reserved only for the wealthy people.
Here is another argument for controlled access. I have a friend who took his son hunting for several years on public ground, trying to pass on his love of our sport. They enjoyed minimal success and saw very little game. The youngster eventually took up golf. Several years later, this same guy took his same son to his new lease, where they enjoyed great hunting together as father and son. Today the kid is a passionate hunter as well as a golfer. Why? The answer is obvious. According to statistics of hunter success, the first five years are critical to hunter retention. The quality of the experience is a direct reflection of interest. Sure, the sunrises are just as pretty on a public area, but privacy is worth something there too. It has real value. Woods that sound like a war zone are just noise pollution to my ears.
Many golfers will continue to stand in line every Saturday morning at public courses. Those who really love the game- those who are sick and tired of the negative aspects of public golf- will pinch dollars and willingly pay whatever it takes to enjoy the privacy of a limited access golf course or country club.
I want to hunt quality deer far into the future and although I’m far from a rich man, I’m willing to pay for it. I want to see other people experience the love, follow counsel, and share my passion.
110
This entire idea of limited access is very beneficial to the deer herd. If we are going to manage the resource, we must remember what is best for the deer is not necessarily best for all deer hunters. As a “passionate deer hunter”, I think of it as an investment. Outfitters are not prostitutes. Booking agents are not pimps.
My advice to all passionate deer hunters is to secure long-term rights to your own piece of private ground while there sis still some available. Even blue-collar guys can afford great habitat if they look hard enough and invest their time and money wisely. No, money doesn’t buy everything, but, eventually, every serious deer hunter has to ask how badly he or she wants a quality hunting experience.
Aldo Leopold, considered by many to be the “Father of Wildlife Management,” was more than half a century ahead of his time in much of his outdoor philosophy. As early as 1930, he insisted on compensation to landowners in the form of fees. He suggested clubs that allow limited access in an effort to contain crowds and keep quality outdoor experiences enjoyable. Leopold also suggested that hunting in the future would be best limited to bows and arrows or other short-range tools.
Land values are escalating. Because of recreational value, non-tillable land that was all but worthless thirty years ago in now more desireable than tillable black dirt.
We are witnessing a battle from sportsmen who feel their freedoms are being threatened. The type people who opposed hunting seasons, bag limits and hunting licenses a hundred years ago are the same sort of folks who are fighting tooth and nail now. No one likes change.
This entire limited-access concept quickly reflects the same interest any quality control requires. Opportunities to hunt free-ranging, fair chase, trophy whitetail bucks are definitely becoming limited. Why? Deer are a valuable
111
natural resource. A rancher or farmer should not be expected to allow free access on his private property to cut down a mature oak tree for no compensation just because you promise to plant an acorn to replace it. There is a vital time element as well as value.
We are into a new century. Outdoor recreation now has a price. I recommend we compensate our landlords while we gain their trust and friendship. As in many other modern interests, you’ll have to pay in order to play. State-wide deer seasons open to one and all and unlimited access to public ground are geared toward quantity rather than quality resources. For some folks, that will be good enough; for others, situations will never be as ideal as they could be. It is time to move forward. There is no longer any free lunch when it comes to trophy bucks living on private property. Like many of the finer things in life, you will get exactly what you pay for regardless of the fact you might feel you deserve better.
112
Finding Your Best Spot
This chapter is probably going to be the hardest for me to write, because I realize it will upset a lot of people to admit the inevitable truth that, except for unique and very rear situations, limited access is just about the only fair chase way to go about tagging trophy bucks regularly. The leasing issue has got many people fighting mad. It has caused rage, jealousy, insecurity, and downright hatred, with tempers, and friendships parting company. I’m sure many of you reading this chapter will not like what I have to say, even though I honestly believe it is the inevitable truth and the definitive answer to quality hunting opportunities in the future.
Times have changed. I remember when hunters used to have the freedom to hunt various species of big game in the Rockies, Alaska and Canada without legally having to use an outfitter or apply for any permit or special license. Only twenty five years ago, I bought a North Dakota non-resident license over the counter for $30. and enjoyed great hunting there. I also remember when I could fill my gas tank for three dollars.
It wasn’t long ago that a courteous hunter could develop a relationship with a landowner and again access to great hunting with little more than a firm handshake, a holiday gift or time and effort spent mending fences, baling hay or whatnot. Offering farm labor during the off season opened doors. Friendships with farmers are still valuable commodities. Framers are the salt of the earth. For many,
105
years I gave away turkeys, hams and fruit baskets, fixed fences and baled hay in exchange for hunting privileges. Those were indeed the good old days. Times have changed.
We have to remember that whitetail deer are an adaptable species. They have adjusted to civilization more than any other big game species in history. This ability to adapt is what sets them apart from every other big game animal on the face of the earth. With little more than food, water, and minimal security for cover, the have thrived.
Probably eighty percent or more of the best whitetail habitat in this nation is on private property- farm land. Cash crops attract and hold whitetail deer. Since cash crops are usually grown on private property that is where most deer prefer to live.
As a youngster, I remember roaming just about anywhere I wanted without worry or concern of trespassing. It was great while it lasted, but like I said, the world has changed. Habitat is getting smaller. Farmers, again, the “salt of the earth” are having a hard time making ends meet. Even thought hunter numbers may dwindle on a national basis, more people want quality outdoor opportunities on limited amounts of land. Deer hunting has become a supply and demand situation. At least quality deer hunting has reached that point. Most hunters will pay decent money to hunt out of state but refuse to pay a dime to hunt good ground in their own state. Some complain about having nowhere to hunt while hauling a ten thousand dollar ATV behind a thirty thousand dollar truck!
Let me build a little scenario here to change the subject. I will divide fisherman into two categories; those who like to fish and those who love to fish. I’m not talking about ability nor technique here, but level of interest. With some people, fishing is a pastime; with others it’s a passion. Passionate fisherman travel to find great fishing. Some may
106
Pursue their interest fairly close to home. Others may even pack up and move in order to reside or spend more of their limited lifetimes near great fishing opportunites. Passionate fishermen go the extra mile to enjoy good fishing. Whether or not the fish are biting isn’t nearly as important as whether the water holds big fish. Other folks stay closer to home, do their angling in public water and catch fish accordingly.
In many ways, fisherman and deer hunters are in the same boat, no pun intended. Levels of interest jump out at us daily. Some magazines represent the type of fisherman who would wear colorful jumpsuits, with patches all over their bodies, electronic depth finders and “play with your fish in the boat” attitudes. Another magazine on the same rack represents fly fisherman. These people take their sport just as seriously, but they care more about how a fish is caught, not the stringer weight or numbers of fish caught. Quality fishing, like quality hunting, has become a supply and demand situation. The first two steps toward management of great fishing are habitat control and selectivity. But there is no catch and release in deer hunting.
Where am I going with this comparison of deer hunting to fishing? Attitude. You won’t find a passionate fisherman standing shoulder to shoulder in some over-fished hole. On the contrary, two passionate fishermen don’t even like to share the same hole at that same time. What does this love lend itself to? Limited access. It is the cause and effect of supply and demand.
Let’s continue using fishing as an example. Lets say a farmer owns three ponds. All three are of equal size, depth and habitat. But in this scenario, the farmer manages each pond differently. On the first pond, he allows free public access. Come on down. Bring your buddies and a big can of worms. Keep all the fish you’re allowed. Use whatever works best. “Let’s rip some lips.” “Just call me Gillcrusher.”
107
On the second pond, the farmer charges a trespass fee, requests artificial lures with barbless hooks and demands catch and release. The fish here are bigger and more plentiful because the place is fished less and anglers don’t put everything they catch into their frying pans. Not a bad deal, except maybe on weekends.
The third pond is leased by half a dozen passionate fisherman. They don’t all fish at once. They not only practice controlled catch and release but restrict themselves in other ways. The do habitat work, care about things like oxygen levels, trash fish, structure, spawning beds, etc. They manage this pond with a long term lease. Fishing is superb, with lots of big, healthy fish. And it keeps getting better. Sure, they had to call the game warden to prosecute a couple of local thieves who ignored the signs, but eventually word go around that the lessees meant business.
Which pond would you rather fish in? Do you like to fish or do you love to fish? What matters is attitude.
I never did like the idea of paying to hunt deer. I still don’t. But I’m honest enough to admit to myself that if that is what it’s going to take, so be it.
Quality habitat is beyond the point of no return. Unless you buy your own ground (or pond), lease or otherwise somehow limit access, you’ll eventually be fighting over a forkhorn; in a sense standing shoulder to should at the “ol’ fishing hole.”
There are a lot more people who like to fish than there are people who love to fish. There are always more fans than serious players in any activity. And that may be exactly the way it should be. The stone hard reality is, every die-hard football fan cannot make the team.
I used to be on the other side of the fence when it came to leasing prime habitat. I compared it to cancer. I wrote anti-lease articles. Yes, I’ve heard all the tired excuses
108
from “hunting will someday only be for the rich” to “I’ll have to poach the King’s game” statements. Sure, we used to be able to roam damn near anywhere outside at will, giving little more than a courteous handshake or a friendly smile. That was then; this is now. Free public access to most quality hunting ground is history.
Look at it another way. Farmers are landlords. Most are having a hard time making money. You wouldn’t expect to live in a landlord’s house rent free just because he is your buddy, would you? As a matter of fact, I’ll go so far as to state that if you are not compensating landowner in exchange for hunting privileges, you are using them, no matter how good a friend you think you are. As the old saying goes, “There is no more free lunch.”
We can’t blame farmers. They have been working that ground hard for centuries, trying to make a living doing what they love to do. They pay taxes, deal with harsh weather and hungry bankers, accept whatever price per bushel or pound the consumer offers, and continue to be taken advantage of by a long line of outdoorsmen, almost all wanting something for next to nothing. Farming is the only business I can think of that allows consumers to set the price of their product! Think about that. American farmers need to say “a bushel of wheat is going to cost you this much this year.” Instead, they allow the government, the system and the consumer say, “We’re only going to pay you this much per bushel this year.” If you can’t see that the American farmers and ranchers are being abused by now, it’s time to open your eyes.
Farmers and ranchers already understand leasing concepts. They willingly lease farming and grazing rights from each other. They don’t expect their neighbors to borrow their land in exchange for a fruit basket or some fence mending. They want and need money to run their business
109
and pay bills. No, they do not own the wildlife, but they are the landlords and they deserve rent as well as respect.
Hunters continue to expect a free ride. Many of you are, in a sense, hitch-hiking cross-country, unwilling or unable to help pay for gas. Complaining about gas prices won’t help. Along the same lines, buying a plane ticket is not “just for the rich” any more than quality hunting is becoming a “rich man’s sport”. You can walk, ride, drive, or fly. The last option is not reserved only for the wealthy people.
Here is another argument for controlled access. I have a friend who took his son hunting for several years on public ground, trying to pass on his love of our sport. They enjoyed minimal success and saw very little game. The youngster eventually took up golf. Several years later, this same guy took his same son to his new lease, where they enjoyed great hunting together as father and son. Today the kid is a passionate hunter as well as a golfer. Why? The answer is obvious. According to statistics of hunter success, the first five years are critical to hunter retention. The quality of the experience is a direct reflection of interest. Sure, the sunrises are just as pretty on a public area, but privacy is worth something there too. It has real value. Woods that sound like a war zone are just noise pollution to my ears.
Many golfers will continue to stand in line every Saturday morning at public courses. Those who really love the game- those who are sick and tired of the negative aspects of public golf- will pinch dollars and willingly pay whatever it takes to enjoy the privacy of a limited access golf course or country club.
I want to hunt quality deer far into the future and although I’m far from a rich man, I’m willing to pay for it. I want to see other people experience the love, follow counsel, and share my passion.
110
This entire idea of limited access is very beneficial to the deer herd. If we are going to manage the resource, we must remember what is best for the deer is not necessarily best for all deer hunters. As a “passionate deer hunter”, I think of it as an investment. Outfitters are not prostitutes. Booking agents are not pimps.
My advice to all passionate deer hunters is to secure long-term rights to your own piece of private ground while there sis still some available. Even blue-collar guys can afford great habitat if they look hard enough and invest their time and money wisely. No, money doesn’t buy everything, but, eventually, every serious deer hunter has to ask how badly he or she wants a quality hunting experience.
Aldo Leopold, considered by many to be the “Father of Wildlife Management,” was more than half a century ahead of his time in much of his outdoor philosophy. As early as 1930, he insisted on compensation to landowners in the form of fees. He suggested clubs that allow limited access in an effort to contain crowds and keep quality outdoor experiences enjoyable. Leopold also suggested that hunting in the future would be best limited to bows and arrows or other short-range tools.
Land values are escalating. Because of recreational value, non-tillable land that was all but worthless thirty years ago in now more desireable than tillable black dirt.
We are witnessing a battle from sportsmen who feel their freedoms are being threatened. The type people who opposed hunting seasons, bag limits and hunting licenses a hundred years ago are the same sort of folks who are fighting tooth and nail now. No one likes change.
This entire limited-access concept quickly reflects the same interest any quality control requires. Opportunities to hunt free-ranging, fair chase, trophy whitetail bucks are definitely becoming limited. Why? Deer are a valuable
111
natural resource. A rancher or farmer should not be expected to allow free access on his private property to cut down a mature oak tree for no compensation just because you promise to plant an acorn to replace it. There is a vital time element as well as value.
We are into a new century. Outdoor recreation now has a price. I recommend we compensate our landlords while we gain their trust and friendship. As in many other modern interests, you’ll have to pay in order to play. State-wide deer seasons open to one and all and unlimited access to public ground are geared toward quantity rather than quality resources. For some folks, that will be good enough; for others, situations will never be as ideal as they could be. It is time to move forward. There is no longer any free lunch when it comes to trophy bucks living on private property. Like many of the finer things in life, you will get exactly what you pay for regardless of the fact you might feel you deserve better.
112
