Where do you deer hunt?

I hunt out back but also have permission to hunt the property next to me.

I hunt a mountain that is half National Forest and half State land. I have hunted the same mountain for 25 years, missed 2 seasons. I have walked it during the off season, know the area fairly well (still won't venture too far from the logging road, GPS is sketchy), and just enjoy being there. I have come home empty-handed more often than not, but there is plenty of wildlife to see, and nice foliage. It is my second home.

I hunt and live in Delaware where 95% of the land is privately owned. I am very fortunate, a farmer that has crop damage tags lets a friend and I hunt a couple of fields and a small piece of woods. The rest of the adjoining property is wooded, private land that is managed for quality deer hunting. This is all flat land so only shotgun, muzzleloaders and this year straight walled pistol cartages in rifles can be used. So I am stoked I got a T/C with an MGM 16.250 long barrel in .357 maximum. As soon as the jiggers die off I will be sitting in a blind on the edge of the field.

This year we will have four tracts of land to hunt. Two awaiting closing. Three more than last year.

In the woods behind my house.

i have some friend that let me hunt they are small peaces but good hunting. i am just used to bigger land. there is 10,000 acre state land by my dad id like to try this year. maybe the week after the rifle opener

I voted "other" because when I lived out West, we hunted on Federal land, but it was NOT designated as hunting land. BLM and USFS own most of the Western states where hunting, hiking, mining, forestry, ranching, and many other uses are happening on that land. No food plots, salt licks, camping by watering holes or sitting in tree stands; just fair chase in the animals' own backyard.

George P said:

No food plots, salt licks, camping by watering holes or sitting in tree stands; just fair chase in the animals' own backyard.

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I sense a wee bit of 'tone' in that comment.

All of the above.

I hunt my father in law’s farm because it’s a family tradition but I also have my own hunting land and in the past I also hunted small wildlife management areas and state forest land.

I hunt on my own land, a 100 acre farm my brother leases, and National Forest. The most fun is muzzleloader only weekend special hunts. We use a tent and fire pit.

In the woods!




Used to hunt our own property years ago but that ended when the parents split and we moved. These days my father,brother and I are part of a 19 member(or is it 18 now??) Club which leases a 1200 acre plot. Half the club is home owners that boarder the lease property who don't venture far from their own property so it works out pretty well. 175 bucks a year in dues is alot cheaper than NY State taxes! Someday I'll own my own property.

I have hunted private land for the last few years although there is 170,000 acres of National forest 7 miles away as well as thousands of acres of State WMA land around our lakes. Tried them all. Even leased a farm that joined WMA on three sides. I like my privacy and will stick to private land now.

I am in a hunt club with 19 other hunters here in ENC. We lease 4200 acres if Weyerhaeuser managed pine forest. Plenty of deer and plenty of acreage for our club membership. We also have a fair amount of black bear and small game.

I just hope one or two of my stands are left after this Hurricane! We are looking to take this one directly as a cat 4.

In central Florida.

CraigC said:

I sense a wee bit of 'tone' in that comment.

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Nope,. not at all. Just a differing view on what "deer hunting" is............

Almost exclusively private land. The Blackwater forest is all around me, along with Eglin. The problem is it seems like there are more humans than deer in the woods there. I am actually afraid for my safety to hunt turkey there.

My buddy has a place and i get to tag along quite a bit.

I also have about 8 other farms i hunt through permission slips and an apple pie as a gift. I used to hunt nothing but public but way too many big bucks came out of here in the early 2000's and now everyone and their brother comes here for "big bucks" If i only had public to hunt id sell everything.

I am blessed to have access to a large amount of private land in Central Texas owned by a deacon in a church my father used to lead.

George P said:

Nope,. not at all. Just a differing view on what "deer hunting" is............

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I've heard this sort of thing more than once out of western hunters. Like everything else, hunting is highly regional. More out of necessity and circumstances than "views". Out west, you have thousands and thousands of acres of public land. For whatever reason, this makes many westerners arrogant about it. Downside is that you have to share it with everybody else. In the densely forested east, 100acres is a big tract and you're lucky to have it. There are no huge expanses of land to wander and hunt. There are pockets of it. Interspersed with houses and small towns. Because deer are plentiful but places to hunt them are not. When you can't go to where the deer are, you bring them to you. So those that hunt, put out things like feeders, salt licks and food plots to lure deer from places where people don't or can't hunt. Personally, I'd rather have 200acres of my own land to hunt in the east than all the many square miles of public land in the west. All the pronghorn and mule deer in the world can't make up for the sense of accomplishment in attaining your own acreage to hunt on.

Or you just have a few thousand acres out West with a spring or two and good habitat....
One thing I do not get here (FL) is using dogs to run the deer. Getting that adrenaline pumping through their bodies usually makes the meat somewhat nasty tasting. It is legal, so that is not my concern. I know a few folks who have several hunting leases (one with 3 in 3 different states). That gets expensive to pay, plus all of the food plots, feeders, maintaining everything, etc.

I never understood that either and I'd never participate. For me, dogs are for bird hunting.

My sister and I have a ranch. We have six stands and eight feeders just to keep the western hunters away.