Hunting is not fun anymore

[Hamilton Reef]

Hunting is not fun anymore. In my area I see urban sprawl forcing hunters into nasty competition in less suitable wildlife habitats. The hunters today also expect instant gratification without spending the time to learn real hunting as we had growing up. That leads to the (1-5) greed, no game, trespassing, slobs, and disrespect as mentioned.

I've managed food plots and habitats to help the local wildlife. I'm also practicing QDM to help the health of the local deer. Therefore I now spend all my time fighting to hunt my own property. The neighbors, violators, trespassers, and slobs have destroyed any attempts to enjoy QDM. They are too stupid and greedy to practice QDM themselves so they zero in on my property to violate the deer or violate the adjacent lands. I listened to one hunter in the sport shop asking where he could order night vision googles because he was having trouble seeing the deer. He hunts 20-acres from my property shooting any deer in sight.

Deer hunting in Michigan has degenerated to junk-bond status. The DNR does not have the will or competance to manage deer for the health of the deer to match the habitat. Deer management is controlled by the Ag Dept and insurance industry. The DNR just sells the licenses. That leads to more of the 1-5 problems as mentioned above. Hunting is not fun anymore.

[Banditto]

The property you speak of, is that your permanent residence? or lease? I am sorry to hear that you are having problems with a piece of property but we all have that from time to time.

I used to lease in Eaton County and it was to the point that trespassers were threatening me if they saw me out there... that was all on I could take. We moved our lease to Livingston County and haven't had a problem in a while. I think certain areas get hit harder than others.

The property I hunt in Rose City has none of these problems and is a real dream come true.

[Big Game]

I can agree with most of what you said about the deer herd and slobs, but I feel that for the most part hunting is what you make of it. To me it's more than just fun. It's the opportunity to provide for my family, the privelege to get out in the woods and enjoy nature, and to be able to introduce my four year old boy to the great sport of hunting. I could go on about what hunting menas to me. It sounds like you have done quite a bit to help the deer herd on your property. That's too bad that slobs ruin it for you.

Don't get me wrong I am not in any way slamming you. I know how you feel when other people mess up your hunting.

[Aspen Hill Adventures]

I too, know the feeling. I've fought my battles with trespassers and with people hunting the proprty line. Just last night, the last night to shoot a deer with a firearm I was in my stand on my property. As the night was winding down (I was glad as it was dang cold!) and I was thinking of lowering my gear down I hear a close by shot. Minutes later I could see 7 guys walking out of the tree line bordering my property and the one they were hunting on. It looked like they were spaced out about 25 yards each. I have 5 acres they have 12 and I can see from the tree stand over to their land. Seven people on a tiny property! It's like that all around me.

I can also see their far property line and that was where they shot. At something over there. I couldn't see what they got because it was too dark. But this has been the whole season. A ton of hunting pressure. The average doe is a 1.5 year old animal. Even they don't get to live long around here. Nothing is spared ANY deer is shot. Good luck to even see a buck.

Just this moring I heard a nearby rapid fire of a slug gun. Boom-boom boom-boom-boom!!!! Would you like to tell me what they are shooting at? :(

[multibeard]

I had the privilage of touring Hamilton reefs property last spring. It is being managed totally for wildlife. I wish that I had that good of habitat on my land. I know how he feels. The property we caretake is no do shooting by order of the land owner. We still have a fair amount of does but aalot of them have been forced onto this property from the federal behind us. These does will move back out of ours when the shooting stops. We don't have to worry about to many does as they are massacured all around us.------It is my feeling that sportsmanship in Michigan has been on the down hill slide since the first of the glorified carp [salmon] ran up the rivers. No one new how to catch them other than spearing or snagging. Then they started snagging the walleyes out of the hotwater hole at the Cobb Plant in Muskegon. It has been down hill ever since in my mind. Number one on Ham. Reefs list is probably the biggest problem GREED!!!!

[Youper]

I have not had any problems with hunters as trespassers. In my area they all seem to know where they should and should not be, and more to the point stay there.

All my tresspassers are snowmobile riders, ATV riders, & dirt bike riders. These (the tresspassers I mean) will ride around cabled and posted gates, and have little reguard for propety rights or even basic respect for land.

[stevebrandle]

It's an all out uphill battle to fight ignorance and stupid at the same time. I wish I had some words of hope.

[Fred Bear]

slob hunters and tresspassers are every where. I have to deal with the orange army that comes with there shot guns blazing every year. I will have to pick up there trash from the past 2 weeks. I dont realy consider these guys hunters. I think of them as shooters. Anything that looks like a deer is shot at until they are out of slugs or it drops. I have never run across one of these hunters blood trailing a deer. I know that most of us here on this site are respectful ethical hunters and that gives me hope that we can infuence our next generation. I wish that the DNR could monitor this type of activity and put a stop to it. Most of these kinds of hunters don't even buy a tag or they don't use one if they don't have to. The tag on the back, like we used to have, would prevent alot of this. If slob hunters were shoplifters you would see alot of business' closing up because they would be broke.
We need some type of a sportmans watch group to let these types know that there are people that care about our deer herd.
The DNR needs mandatory deer check in's and tags put back on the hunters back. We wont see much CWD because with a free for all on the does and 2 bucks per hunter our deer herd is being wiped out.
Urban sprawl has affected hunting dramaticaly and what can you realy do about that?

[Barry]

Hunting is a dying tradition. Urban sprawl has everyone moving to the country to live on their own ten acres and were seeing the loss of farm and hunting land.

All we can do is try to keep the tradition alive as long as possible. That also means taking time to educate kids and non-hunters.

[TSS Caddis]

I hate to say it, but the only solution is to hunt out of state, or country for that matter. I've gotten to the point where I'd rather spend the money and hunt one week out of state then 2 months in state.

Multibeard hit the nail on the head with salmon. Todays sportsman are motivated more by greed then the love of the outdoors.

[multibeard]

Youper, You live in another world that us trolls can only envy. I spent alot of time in the youp when I was a kid and spent a lot of time hunting turkeys among other things on the Garden Penninsula during the early 90's. It is a totally different world compared to the lower. Come down here for awhile and you will soon head back up acrossed the bridge. Your tresspassers are probably from downstate.

[idylmoments]

I wonder how many of us hunters are contributing to this urban sprawl? Everyone wants their 5, 10, 20 acres in the country and figures one more house won't hurt. I was glad to see in the Times Herald today that Sanilac county is rewriting their master plan to try and preserve farmland and keep sprawl contained close to the lake.
One of my friends is on the township board here. When they put a minimum lot size requirement (10 acres) in effect, it backfired and farmland was gobbled up quicker. They have since changed it to a one acre minumum hoping to slow the growth.
I do my part by living in an old house in the city. I've seen all my relatives farms over the past 20 years sold and developed. The one 400 acre farm we do have is in Oakland County and is now surrounded by houses. This will probably be the last year I can goose hunt because no matter which direction I shoot, shot will rain down on the moron's houses.
I have yet to hear a good solution. How do you keep a person from selling land and making $$$? All the hunting and preservation clubs combined can only save a minuscule amount of land each year. I believe this is our #1 issue facing us as sportsman today. Even more important than gun control. Can we change it or are we resigned to become like Europe and only hunt fenced property or clubs?

[Fred Bear]

Not much can be done about urban sprawl. Heck I even want my own 40 acres some day. I was talking with the farmer who lets me hunt his property and he says he gets $2.60 or something like that for a bushel of corn. I have no idea how he makes it. He works a full time job plus farms. The dairy farm I worked on growing up is now a small urban area. All of the feilds that I used to work are now bare yards with a house in the middle. You are right in saying this is the greatest threat to hunting. I wish that I knew what to do to preserve it for my children. Land is so expensive but people are buying it up. The 600+ farm that I hunt must be a gold mine in 10 acre lots. I sure hope he never sells. I do my part around the farm as much as I can so he can keep it going.

[Bob S]

This fits in with the last two posts here.

http://www.michigan-sportsman.com/forum/showthread.php?threadid=27521

[Huntin Horseman]

Hey you know how to stop tresspassers....................Pitfall traps,attack dogs,a crazy old man armed with a double barrel 12gauge,15 foot fence,24 hour security cameras,lions,tigers,bears,the u.s army,marines,airforce cause they got nothing better to do and if your lucky maybe even n.a.s.a.;)

[One_Eye]

I guess for me Hunting is still alot of fun. I have always hunted on public land almost always in Livingston county so I never got used to having my own place. I accept that small game hunters will walk in and scare off the deer I am waiting on to walk into the open. To me its all part of hunting. I consider the land I hunt on mine in some ways I pick up trash on it and have learned all about where the deer go when pushed by gun hunters. However I accept that others can walk in at any time and thats fine by me.
I dont worry about people shooting all the deer on the property I have hunted it long enough to know that will not happen. I dont worry about all the spikes being shot because they live on this land and the year before when they were buttons there mother taught them how to avoid the weekend warriors. The deer are used to avoiding us and thats why i love it so much I have to be a better hunter then all the rest to get within bow range of these deer and I love that.
As for the sprawl factor I dont have an answer but i have never gained permission for private land so have never had to suffer the heartbreak of it being developed. I feel for those that have though I would hate to lose the public land I have grown to love.

[dieseldude]

good attitude one eye!

[Barry]

Public land is getting squeezed out by everyone who wants to have their home right next to it. I have lost public hunting opportunity because houses moved within the safety zone. Also, I have to move farther away so my beagles don't end up in their front yard.

Don't get me wrong. I would like to live next to state land too so I can see it from both sides.

Since were talking about state land - has anyone read that the state legislature is looking at selling state land as one of the means to balance the state budget deficit. The deficit is $500 million in the 2002-2003 budget and $1.8 billion in the 2003-2004 projected budget.

Sorry! I promise to be more positive on my next post.