drive time/public or private

L

ljckr

New member
I drive about 3 hrs one way to go hunting on mostly private land was wondering what everybody else drives and do you all hunt on public or private?
 
drove 6 hours one way this weekend for private ground, of course, I drive 6 hours if I hunt public ground as well.
 
I have gone on five hunting trips this year and the average drive time one way has been ten hours. Two years ago when we still had birds I would hunt just about every weekend and drive about 30 minutes. I don't really know how far is too far and I hope I don't ever have to answer that question.

I can't complain because I have seen just about as many and came close to shooting just about as many birds as I have ever taken in one season. I love hunting wild birds and as long as I know they are out there running around somewhere then I am going to drive as far away as somewhere is.
 
3 1/2 hours to hunt private land and 2 1/2 to hunt public. I usually opt for the 3 1/2 just so I can see more birds.

Rod
 
@Tphark--Dang, you da man!!! :eek: In younger years I was right there on your tail & could maybe even make you huff & puff a little to keep up - nothing was ever too far or too early to leave, but I have reigned back in JUST A TAD as the years go by. I could maybe do what you do once or twice a year now...

@FCSpringer--I hate you!!! HAHAHA-JK :D There have been times in my life that I lived that close to excellent hunting - & several times literally out my back door (for deer, turkeys, ducks, geese, dove, wild hogs, & the list goes on-&-on--but NEVER for wild pheasants)...

I consider myself really lucky to live within a 3 hr one-way drive now of some pretty decent wild-rooster country here in eastern CO...A typical day-hunt for me (which is mostly all I am able to break away for) - consists of leaving Denver at 3-4 a.m. & getting back home at 8-9 p.m. - and very HAPPY to be able to do so!!! :thumbsup:

I hunt a mix of private & some public, but the ratio is swinging heavier & heavier to the private side the longer I live in CO & have time to knock on doors and get to know people (I have only been here for a little over a year now)...I would drive the extra hour for some good, solid private any day of the week!!! :10sign:
 
I drive 45 minutes one way to hunt private in SD and 1hr 15mn in MN. I could hunt some public ground around here that is 10 min away but it gets hit a lot.
 
Driving to Hunt

Three and three-quarters hours one way to hunt private and some public land in the same area.
 
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cost to much to hunt private for me , so most hunting is public, packsattle,& cooper are good if you know were to look
 
3-3.5 hours one way to hunt ruffed grouse.

3-5 hours one way to hunt wild roosters

9.5 hours last year to chase Bob's & Prairie Chicken

All on public land
 
3.5 hrs one way to hunt private to my spots
3.5 hrs one way to hunt public around my private
15 min one way to hunt public around my home
5.5 hrs one way to hunt public/private mix around my contractors spots.

Traveling with friends to get to and from the hunting grounds: Priceless.....:thumbsup:
 
Living in central Texas, I have to drive a good ways to hunt pheasant. I’ve made 6 trips so far this year anywhere between 400 to 700 miles one way. Obviously I make multi-day trips each time and usually do most of the driving at night so I can maximize hunt times during the day. The 700 mile trips I usually make over two days, but the 400 mile trips I make in the evening.
 
I enjoyed thinking back to my hunting trips the past two seasons;

2008/2009 & 2009/2010 Kansas Upland game hunting seasons:
Hunting lactation; Drive Time; Times Hunted; Ground type
Wellington to Bucklin 2.5 hours (3) Private & WIHA
Wellington to South Haven 20 min (2) Private
Wellington to Caldwell 30 min (3) Private
Wellington to Ulysses 3.5 hours (3) Private
Wellington to Med. Lodge 70 min (1) Private
Wellington to Harper 40 min (1) Private
Wellington to St. Johns 1.5 hours (2) Private
Wellington to Liberal 4 hours (1) Private & WIHA*
Spots around Wellington 5 to 15 min (30+) Private & WIHA**

*Headed there this weekend to hunt Saturday and will end the season with a hunt Sunday just me and my son after church around Wellington.
**I have never harvested a pheasant on WIHA land in the Wellington area.
 
hen said:
@Tphark--Dang, you da man!!! :eek: In younger years I was right there on your tail & could maybe even make you huff & puff a little to keep up - nothing was ever too far or too early to leave, but I have reigned back in JUST A TAD as the years go by. I could maybe do what you do once or twice a year now...

@FCSpringer--I hate you!!! HAHAHA-JK :D There have been times in my life that I lived that close to excellent hunting - & several times literally out my back door (for deer, turkeys, ducks, geese, dove, wild hogs, & the list goes on-&-on--but NEVER for wild pheasants)...

I consider myself really lucky to live within a 3 hr one-way drive now of some pretty decent wild-rooster country here in eastern CO...A typical day-hunt for me (which is mostly all I am able to break away for) - consists of leaving Denver at 3-4 a.m. & getting back home at 8-9 p.m. - and very HAPPY to be able to do so!!! :thumbsup:

I hunt a mix of private & some public, but the ratio is swinging heavier & heavier to the private side the longer I live in CO & have time to knock on doors and get to know people (I have only been here for a little over a year now)...I would drive the extra hour for some good, solid private any day of the week!!! :10sign:
Click to expand...

Yea it's nice, It is all private pretty much. There is 160 acres of public 400' out the front window but I hunt everything all around me instead. But it's not great for anything else by the house,a few ducks, couple deer once and a while, but there has been pretty darn good pheasant hunting. 95% of the time your going to get all your birds for the day. Hope it keeps up. There is literaly 1,000's of acres of public anywhere from walking distance to a 1/2 hr away.
 
It seems the older I get, the longer the drive. When I was in high school, I could walk out the door and be in good cover (private land) in 5 minutes. When I started taking it more seriously, I lined up a few spots within 10-30 minutes from the house but would drive 1-1.5 hours to hunt public land. Then I started heading out west, Kansas was 14+ hours to hunt public land. Where we've been hunting the past few years in South Dakota, it's 16-17 hours to hunt both public and private. I envy the folks who live near the prairies, but I'm planning on heading that way each fall for as long as I can.

Scott
 
wow the drive times are as wide of spectrum as the people and their dogs on this site, i think it would be nice to have birds right out side my door to hunt and train especially after a crappy day of work, but it's also nice to drive a few hours down the road with my dad and boys it's kinda nice i look at it as a little extra time with them i wouldn't have .plus me and my dad like to open up a big bag of those hot pork rinds in the truck my boys can't stand the smell of those chips they call them the fart chips but me and the old fart love 'em.
 
I drive about 1 hour each way. Heck I see more birds in the city than do out where I can shoot at them. Maybe that is why they live here in the city.The only good point is Tony gets to "point" them when we see them.........Bob
 
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