gotta agree about the landowners giving free permission to hunt. they gain nothing and take a great risk and responsability. plus they gotta worry about someone shooting their livestock and once locals see people hunting there poachers/trespassers are not far behind.
Welcome to the forums I hope you do well in your search.
Things are alot different in the South than it is up North, as far as land and hunting access goes. I was born and raised until 18 years old in upstate NY, own 30 acres up there which has 30 additional acres on each side of my property owned by family (90 in total). 1/2 mile down the dirt road (next to our 90 acres) is 5,200 acres of state forest (state land) that anyone can hunt with a hunting license. Ohio and PA have similar access and ease to purchase land since the economies in those parts aren’t what they were in the 50’s-70’s. I spent 22 years in the Army and traveled the world and US and have hunted all over the US. I was stationed and lived in GA from 1998-2005 and refused to pay for a lease. It took me over 2 years of talking and getting to know people to finally get access to private land, learn the WMA system, federal hunting land system, the quota system, etc. Bottom line, it takes alot more time, effort, and energy down here than it does up North to get free hunting access since everyone is afraid of getting sued and the liability associated with someone on there property. Some of the leases I have seen are by invitation only, they don't care how much money you have. If they don't like the way you comb your hair and the car you drive you can't get in.
Free land and hunting access can be found in the South but you must establish relationships, friendships, and get to know people who trust you, understand you, do some favors, help them out a special project maybe, etc. You can hunt the WMA's, figure out the quota system hunts, and figure out FL FWC procedures. It's not easy. I like to try and hunt the WMA's when everyone else is at work during the week and avoid them on the weekends.
I feel your pain and hear you. The forum is a good place to discuss, get advice, learn, and share your stories. It can get kind of rough on here sometimes, don't let it bother you. Take it all with a grain of salt. Most hunters and outdoorsman on this forum have experienced the same or similar stuff you are experiencing now at some point. I believe most hunters don’t really want to have to pay for land access. In some parts of the south the reality is, you are going to have to pay (lease) or buy your own land to have access, it's a matter of economics and the larger human population in FL.
I hunt GA, FL and NY every year and have to plan and save to make it happen. It's not a cheap man's sport anymore as bad as that sounds, but it does help keep alot of the yahoo's out of the woods. Will it eventually get out of control with the cost of leasing land in the South, yeah probably, but most would tell you they will own private land by then to hunt. It’s already happening in the south, land that used to lease for $1500-2000 a year per person is now being foreclosed on and you can buy it for $500 – $1500 an acre. If you’re going to have to pay anyway, you might as well own it, that’s my motto. We are looking for 100 acres in GA and when the right deal falls in our lap, we are going to jump on it….
Attitude, persistence, diplomacy, and trust are the biggest things you’ll have to over come to find free hunting access in the south. Just my two cents… Hope this helps.
Thanks for the info.
Before I moved here I thought I would have no problem at all finding a place to hunt pigs, after all Charlotte county has LOTS of land. I had been here MANY times and talked to several people that lived here for more than 30 years. What a wake up call I got. I never would've dreamed it would cost as much as it does to hunt pigs down here. It has been a big disappointment for me, but not something that is going to devastate me. It's only going to get worse too so enjoy your hunting while you're able.
Nalajr
I am in Charlotte county and wouldn't care to drive an hour or so.
Can someone give me an idea of what it would cost to secure a place to hunt whenever I want?Thanks
Nalajr
Nalajr:
Short answer to your question: free if willing to drive 1.5- 2 hours and do your homework.
Now the long answer: I agree with you, hunting is becoming more expensive every year. Although I can afford a lease, since I started hunting in Florida 4 years ago I decided I will not pay to hunt and will teach my sons how to hunt public land. With over 5 million acres of land available for public hunting in Florida, all that one needs to do is learn the system, plan the season and you can hunt pigs on public lands a minimum of 8 months of the year. Some people have a lot of time to hunt and probably want a place they can go every weekend which will be 104 days of hunting. Now, I think 8 months (approx. 64 days of hunting) with the option of chasing hogs in public land is not bad. As an example, this season I’ve spent 74 days hunting so far and a few more days to go. Out of those days, only the days I’ve spent during spring turkey season hogs aren’t legal. If I had access to a lease or private land, will that make a difference on the number of days I’ll spend chasing hogs?, probably not.
With the new season dates, you will be able to start hunting at the end of July in the south zone and until mid-march in central and north zones and in most WMAs hogs are legal during archery, gun and small game seasons. Additionally, you can hunt hogs year round in the Kissimmee Chain of Lakes, so hog hunting is in fact open to all hunters year round in at least some public lands in Florida. You need to do your homework in finding out how to make it happen though, because the ones that know, sometimes are not willing to share the information. This is my 4th year hunting and I’m still trying to figure the system out, so it takes time. The secret to success is to build relationships with other hunters, land owners and most important, FOHAF members that can guide you in the right direction. In the meantime, enjoy the Florida outdoors and the challenges of hunting the sunshine state.
