Anyone else face this situation? Thoughts?

I am at a cross roads in my archery career. I am just about done archery hunting around home. Many reasons here are a few: Hunting camp/leases way too much money(thousands of dollars)Tired of guys tresspassing(I have permission). Landowner's family members hunting out of my stands that I put up months ago.(I call ahead,they just show up). Nephew of landowner put a stand 20 yards from the tree I hunted out of(climber). He screwed 10 steps in a nice oak tree and drives right up to the field. I know there's not much I can do about all this(I am a guest,they are family). Now here is the dilema. I own 107 acres in Warren Co.(has plenty of deer, turkey, and bear) I have a free place to stay 12 miles from my land. I live 3 hours away. Starting next year I am thinking of just hunting my own land. This means less time of actual hunting because of drive and only being able to hunt on my days off(maybe a sick day or 2). But much better quaility of my hunting experience. Have to also balance family time. Luckly wife loves deer meat!( 12 yr old daughter,does not hunt or fish anymore). Anyone else faced with this decision? How did it go? I bought this land for when I retire(about 8 years) and move back to Erie part of the year. Now I might have to use it a lot sooner. Input greatly appreciated.

No doubt I would make the time if possible to hunt my own land first. The alternative is to get permission other places close to home. You only need a couple acres for archery hunting. I wouldn't toss in the towel thats for sure. It really sucks when you have your own property and still run into the same problems. It sound like the property you hunt isn't the right choice.

I hunt a good 2 hrs from my house, on our family property.  The bucks are small and the deer are not overly plentiful.  But I rarely see another hunter, (trespasser), during archery season.  I wouldn't trade bigger or more deer for the tranquility, ever.  We're supposed to be resting and recharging on our vacation, not stressing more.  Sitting in a treestand at daylight does it for me.

Don't under estimate the satisfaction you can feel from a quality hunting experience, regardless of the kill.

Clay, that's what I am hoping to hear. I hunted a game lands last year. Yes I saw deer, passed on 2 doe and an 8 pt. BUT it was an hour from home and if I had some kind of accident I was screwed. Only one guy knew exactly where I was hunting(way up the mountain). Just last week not far from here an archery hunter got robbed and beat on a game lands when he came out of the woods. My wife pointed this story out of the local paper.  She was not happy about me hunting the game lands again this year(so I did not).

Here is an off the wall thought.  Instead of going hunting, go killing.  I know that sound brash, but let me explain.
 
We have so many things competing for our time, work, family, whatever number of recreational habits that we have, etc.  There is not enough time to do them all well.  Throwing in the travel aspect just makes it tougher.  So carefully pick and choose EXACTLY what you are going to do EXACTLY when you are going to do it.  Pick the days and times where the possibiity of success is at its peak, let the other marginal times go.  I know that flies in the face of just getting out there, enjoy nature, its the experience not the kill, etc.  But when time is limited, do it when it is more than likely going to happen.
 
Some people travel to Erie from long distances to fish almost every week.  To them it doesn't matter if the water is not ideal.  To them it doesn't matter if a lot of fish are in or not.  They like the pursuit of fishing.  And that is great.  I like to catch steelhead.  Yes, I like the fishing part as well, but getting skunked because the plac eis blown out or no fish have made it to X just is not my idea of a good time.  Therefore, I go 2 - 3times per year, when I deem conditions are ideal for they way I like to fish and more often than not, I have 2-3 great days of fishing AND catching.  I fish to catch fish.  The days that I could go, but are marginal, I do other things that I like to do that may be more suited for those activites.
 
I have English Pointer bird dogs.  I make sure that I am off either on the days that the PGC stocks or the day after -- weather dependant.  Why?  Because while I enjoy the outdoors, especially during my favorite season -- the Fall -- I do not relish hiking for miles upon miles throgh birdless cover just for the sake of being outdoors.  With the percentage of birds that are taken by hunters and predators (esitmates are that 30% of stocked birds do not make it past the first night), waiting a week after stocking to go "may" get me into a few birds, but it is not ideal.  If I can conserve that time, vacation, wife approved, etc. for when my chances are better, I do it.  I hunt to shoot things, not take my gun for a walk.
 
I hunting and fishing acquantance of mine just shakes his head when I lament about the bad luck that catching a fish on the first cast seems to bring to me.  He says, "I expect to catch a fish on every cast, or I wouldn;t make it."
 
So, I guess what I am saying is this -- instead of going "hunting" a lot close to home, since you are where oyu are in mindset, go "hunting" less often and go "killing" at your own ground a whole lot fewer times.

Never been a fan of or participated in a hunting lease. My "fear" was always that eventually the average guy wouldn't be able to afford it and that has happened to several friends of mine. They bragged about being in the group that had 1,000+ acres leased and it was only a couple hundred bucks a year. Well, the "city slicker" doctors and lawyers moved in and now the same group costs thousands of dollars a year and most of the locals are left out. It will come to a point that you will either own property or pay to hunt, not good.

I sold my other farm this summer so I'm down to my 40 acres and another 350 or so that my brother in law and a friend own. Just need to find the time to get out.

Love those dogs DarDys!!

I like the idea of a cheap travel trailer to stay while hunting your property.  Just enough to keep you out of the elements.  I am fortunate enough that I can stay at my folk's house about a 25 minute drive from the farm.  At some point I'm afraid they will permanently move down south so I will be on my own.  I'm going to be the owner of some of that property some day and probably the caretaker sooner than later.  I'm starting now to think of how I can adapt as circumstances change.  Winning the lottery is still one of the options.

Don't get me wrong, we have bucks, but very few of the size that would pass for a shooter around here.  I have three different rack bucks on camera with the biggest in the ~17" inside spread range.  Also 3-4 different yearling 5-6 pts.  Plus whatever transients wander through in the rut.  Two 120 inch bucks have been taken off the  property in the last 5 years.

Two 120" in five years are pretty good odds!!

Sure enough.  They were both taken in the rifle season though, neither by me.  I did see the second one fly by at about 150 yards, 200 mph it seemed on his way to cover on opening day 3 years ago.  But I hunted him all archery that year and never crossed paths.

The biggest shooter this year I know is 3.5 to 4.5 yrs old b/c we thought he might be 3.5 last year.  I saw him twice last year, once close in after shooting hours and once in the middle of the afternoon in a mowed field.  So I know where he can be found.  Just gotta hunt smart, minimize intrusion, and put the time in.  Like Joe Dirt says "Good things are gonna happen to you.  You can't have no in your heart".

I'm glad it worked out for you.  Are you going to try and plan more time up there next year?

After I finished archery for the year, I scouted some open private land near home here in 1B.  Tons of buck / deer sign.  Also tons of hunters.  Found 6 stands, most in places that looked pretty good to me.  Some clearly targeting archery and others for rifle.  Not sure if I would join the fray there next year.  It's a big piece of property but saw 7 people on this land on Saturday alone.  6 hunting turkeys, 1 archer on his way to stand.  And spoke with one that saw another archer.  Counting me that makes 9.  I'm thinking you could probably double or triple that for opening day.  My point is that I'm not sure I would want to subject myself to that just for the chance at a bigger buck.

Same property, hunted 3 days in flintlock last year mid-week and never saw another soul.

Noplace,

No matter where you hunt, whether it's your own ground or a lease you've posted, you'll always have trespassers ruining hunts.

My family jointly owns acreage near Raystown lake. We check the posted signs every year and replace the ones that were torn down, or missing, and its well known in the area that it's private posted ground. Regardless, we deal with people walking through in rifle season, guys tearing posters down, trestands being placed on our property, blinds being built, trucks and 4 wheelers running through crops, road hunters driving down the road along the property, litter, people shooting across the property line, and last but not least, guys trying to kick you off your own property.

Point is, not matter whether you hunt close to home, or drive to hunt the property you bought, your gonna see the worst of people. It simply happens everywhere, and without a very tall prison style fence with razor wire, with electricity running through it surrounding the property, you'll be dealing with other people.

Here's a few of my experiences just from this year...

The next to last Saturday of this archery season, I was in a tree on my ground a few hundred yards from the neighboring property, when I heard some shooting just over the property line. Just after I heard the shooting, I heard some car doors slamming, then a few minutes later, saw several patches of blaze orange heading in different directions. It was obvious to me, that the guys who lease the property next to mine, had just shot some small game out of a vehicle, then parked the car, and were now hunting on my property. Figuring my hunt was ruined, I climbed out of the tree, hoping to catch these guys trespassing and get a license number so I could turn them in. When they saw my orange vest, they scattered running back onto their own property. There wasn't much I could do right then, and my hunt was ruined, so I went home. Before someone mentions it, don't assume I didn't report it.

Just before archery season, someone started building a blind along the edge of one of our fields. Whoever was building it was from the lease next to us. They actually were doing a nice job, by making the blind out of locust trees they cut into logs, and nailing them into a tree making a nice enclosure to hunt out of. After a few weekends when it was finished, my uncle turned it into a neatly stacked pile of firewood. I would have loved to see the look on the builder's face when returned to hunt out of it. I'm guessing he got the point.

drake.. not trying to be as smart butt BUT --

Before someone mentions it, don't assume I didn't report it.

as a fellow property owner I wonder what the results were ... no one wants to bother enforcing trespassing laws around here .. all one can do is give up hunting and then patrol your own ground and chase folks ... and last year a guy got killed another wounded over trespassing south of Brookville ..

My understanding from what I have been told by property owners in the area is the PGC will come if it is a safety zone infraction and "they are in the area" AND they are in the safety zone when they get there .... I'm told the PSP = "MAY" show up hours and hours later, if at all ...

Today's hunters know the odds of getting in any legal trouble about trespassing is not liekly to happen .. so they just do as they please .. I know of NO ONE (not 1 property owner) in this area that was able to do anything legally about hunters trespassing on their posted grounds...

BUT I sure hear them beaching about it !!


I mean= if found trespassing all one has to do is = be polite, say you didn't know, say you're sorry, turn and walk away... game over....

two camps near me are Ohio folks (nice guys).. they have said the same thing .. you do not want to get caught trespassing in their home state of Ohio ...

I have been told by LEOs the one problem is that owners get "cold feet" at the last minute for fear of retribution after any legal procedures are done by the trespassers . ??????

As we all know and find out almost everyday.. there are a lot of "crazies" out there....


just look at all the posts here that someone want to "kick butt" just because someone comes thru where they are hunting .. even if it is public land and the other guy has every right in the world to be there too....

Save your money ====


I think you'll find in the "real world" here in Pa.....

you will have to prove they knowingly and willingly trespassed when the case gets to court... a

plate number, photo, license #(hunting or drivers)

will not prove either of those two points for the intent of the people on your land.....

now if it was the second time for the same folks you probably would win that case... if you can prove they knew .. because you had told them before... but a first offense (encounter)... you'll never win in court if they fight it claiming they were there accidentally ........

I always thought one should call the PSP and tell them armed men are sneaking through my property

That may work 50 weeks of the year.. however the two weeks of rifle season the PSP are probably going to say.. they are probably hunters .. tell them to leave if the ground is posted..

Shouldn't be that hard to keep people off your property

That's sure a true simple remark and should be true .. but here in Pa it is not a major concern for anyone BUT the landowner....