Locally, there has been a reduction in huntable land due to massive annexations of rural land into local municipalities. Several thousand acres have been taken off the 'huntable land' list because they are now in governmental jurisdictions that prohibit hunting. Much of this land is prime deer habitat. The balance is cultivated land that provides habitat for geese and pheasant. Sorry kid - can't hunt there anymore, it's "in the city" now.

We have a small State Forest nearby, but it is overrun in season to the point of futility.

We have a brand new mall in our county (opened one year ago). It sits half empty, surrounded by a thousand acres of corn and bean fields. The job and housing market in our area collapsed - it will be a decade before the area recovers. In the meantime - all that prime hunting land is off limits.

I grew up from the time I was four hunting on 900 acres of private ground. This was some of the best ground I have ever seen. Once my dad and grandpa couldn't make enough farming anymore it had to go. Now I am hunting cruddy public land. Even on the private land there poachers. Once a poacher went up to me when I was around seven years old and told me to get off the property. Thats how bad it gets. In CA it is getting more and more difficult to find land to hunt on. Not to mention the prices of gas, ammo and guns. As the population grows more and more of our hunting spots are going to be shopping malls and houses. Also, as technology grows more advanced more and more people are becoming out of touch with how we survived during the great depression and how we fought for independence with (gasp) "guns". People need to realize that meat doesn't grow on trees. If this urban sprawl doesn't stop we may soon be hunting with cameras at zoos.

I grew up in AZ and NM with easy access to public land and land owners but never hunted (I know, I still kick myself) because my dad never took us and no one invited me. When I moved to CO 9 yrs ago I decided to just do it for myself and my son. I begged into a hunt with a friend and his family. It wasn't that public land wasn't available or that I was unknowledgeable about what to do, it was just getting started that was the hardest. The same with finding new land to hunt; I know where it is and how to scout and get access, but finding time and making the effort are big opponents.

Let's face it, it is far easier to find a set of clubs, a good golf course and a golf buddy than it is to start hunting. I think that in analyzing this we would be short sighted to only consider access to land, but also need to consider the increased availability and convenience of alternative. For so many it's not that find a place is so hard, it's just that other pastimes are so easy, relatively speaking.

Here in MN it's two different situations, in the northern part of the state there's lot's of public land, lots of deer, bear, grouse and some decent waterfowl. In the south and west it's mostly agg land and unless you know someone you'll never get on. There are some WMA's owned by the state, and if you're willing to hoof it around some swamps there might a pheasant still around after opening weekend.

In South Dakota (hence the moniker Sd Bob), there is lots of places to hunt without any fee other than license, gas and ammo. Doesn't matter if it's pheasants, ducks, deer, antelope, swans, elk you name it. Obviously the farther from town you get the better it is, but still, access is pretty good!

Phil:
Not many complaints here in N.E.. Colorado. The Colorado Division of Wildlife purchased extensive properties around here years ago, the Tamarack S.W.A. being its crown jewel. By kicking in a $20 bill the hunter has access to the "Walk-in" areas of numerous participating local farmers. One could hunt pheasants every day of the season and not go on the same property twice. About after the second weekend of the season, you pretty much have it all to yourself and your favorite dog.
Deer hunting is by drawing only, but that keeps the crowd out and gives you a quality hunt.
Duck hunting is a little slow and the D.O.W. will be making a few restrictions on this part of the South Platte drainage. Goose hunting is available but that is where you may have to have a lease.
All in all, not like it was in the mid-50's and 60's, but a fellow can still hunt if he puts his beer aside and gets off his LazyBoy.
The Colorado D.O.W. has a youth mentoring program where an adult can take out a young hunter before the regular season. They also have a D.O.W. volunteer program, of which I am a member. I pick up trash.

Here's the scoop in Arkansas:

Akansas has a ton of public access areas both large and small. Anyone with a license can hunt the Ozark, Ouachita, Bald Knob, and White River National Forests. These four areas comprise hundreds of thousands of acres. In addition Wildlife Management Areas are throughout the state. I live within spitting distance of four WMA's that comprise nearly 40,000 acres of public land. All of these areas are in the White River and Cache River bottoms. They are hunted hard, but anyone can small game, deer, and waterfowl hunt. Only gun hunts and turkey hunts are by permit only. Also, one can drive an hour's time and be at anyone of 10 WMA's. I only hunt one of them that's an hour away just because it's too far to drive with four dollar gas and Akansas' wages. All in all, if a person wants to hunt in Arkansas, all he has to do is find the nearest WMA or National Forest. Besides that, I'm lucky and have networked with friends to hunt their property as well as my own family's 1000 acre ranch in the foothills of the Ozarks. I really have more trouble deciding what species to hunt and where than I do finding a place to hunt.

From Montana: Lots of Forest Service land in the western two-thirds of the state are open to hunters (mostly for elk), but it is difficult for me to imagine a first-time teen-age hunter tackling that sort of hunting without a lot of help.

The Block Management Program run by the state has opened about seven million acres of private land for hunting. I have had good experiences on this land and bad.

The remainder of private land is not as accessible as one would think, but it is probably better than most states.

One disturbing reality--the state offers a special youth pheasant hunt on the Bowdoin National Wildlife Refuge near Malta, MT in the northcentral part of the state. Teen-agers get to hunt the refuge that has been off-limits all season. Well, ZERO youths showed up for the last two special youth hunts! Can you imagine!? When I was a teenager there is nothing that could have stopped me from participating in a hunt like that!

In general, I think Dave hits it on the head--we can recruit all we want, but if young people don't have a place to hunt without paying a fortune, they'll do something else.

Will you be at the Grand American this year Phil? I'm leaving in just under a week. It will be my second time. Anyone else going to the Grand. I realize this isn't trapshooters.com, but I figure there may be some other trapshooters that frequent Dave's blog.

For the last few years I have only hunted Kansas and Missouri. Both states have plenty of public hunting. Kansas also has access to many thousands of acres of private land thru the
walk in Hunting Area program. There is a free state atlas with maps showing all the open hunting areas. If you can read a map you can find plenty of places to hunt. There is excellent hunting for waterfowl, Turkeys, and Deer. Kansas has the best Pheasant, some mulies and also Sandhill crane hunting. My hunting buddies and I have more hunting places than time to hunt them. Guys if you want a big whitetail Kansas is more famous but Northern MO has some huge bucks and now they have had quality deer management for 4 years. A legal buck must have at least 4 points on one antler. antlerless tags are only $7 each after you buy the Non-res anydeer tag. Every year my friends and I load my truck with meat and some nice horns in Macon Co. Mo. This fall I will be taking 2 teenage boys deer hunting in Kansas. One of those kids found a matching pair of sheds that are HUGE with 13 points.
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My family has several leases and the over 35,000 acres of public land in the county where i hunt in tennessee. My family owns about 400 acres of land personally and anyone who wants to hunt can hunt for free as long as they ask first.

I have a 400 plus acre Wildlife Management Area just 5 minutes from my house. New Hampshire has a lot of similar tracts throughout the state. Some are stocked with pheasant, most have deer, turkey, grouse, hare, coyotes, 'mine' has access to a coastal river for waterfowl.

I can drive less than 2 hours and be in the White Mountain National Forest which features a more land than I can hunt in one lifetime open to anyone with a valid license.

Access to private land is spotty though. Some which is held 'In Current Use' tax parlance for: "We'll cut your tax bill if you let people recreate on the property." Hunting and fishing are part of that recreation on many of the tracts. Up in the northern part of the state timber companies allow open access to most of their properties; good grouse, deer, bear, moose and small game opportunities all over the place. In the more suburban/exurban areas we do have to count on the WMAs for much of our hunting.
SA