Hunting Report

[Mike]

How did your season go? We got 4 buck and 3 doe out of our camp....Cant figure out why they keep saying we have a ton of deer in VT!!!!! They always say 125,000 id the herd size.....

[super sappy]

Last week I went out hunting for the first time in 14 years. Four of us put on drives and 3 nice bucks went down.All the deer were heavy but small horns. I went again on sunday 3 small bucks,3 doe, one real nice 8 ptr. My buddies stopped calling me super sappy ( Its a horriable nickname but they have called me that for years around here) Now its Bambi Thrasher.-Yesterday was a long day but the deal was if I pushed them out of the swamps they had to do all the dirty work. That big 8 did not move until I was 25 feet away. Maybe next year I ll try hunting for real again.-We shall see - Super Sappy

[Pete33Vt]

Now that huntings over I can give you a report. I got a 112lbs 3 pointer during rifle, and a 145lbs doe during muzzleloader. Ones that got away:
Big rack 8 pointer first morning of rifle season, thanks to posted land
Very big body 9-10 pointer with very tall tines, thanks to posted land
120-130 lbs doe during muzzleloader thanks to posted land
And a few others thanks to frickin muzzleloader.
All and all had a good season, but the state has to do something about there deer managment.And the number of acres that are posted. I know a person has a right to post there land but its getting pretty crazy. I could go on forever but I won't. Hopefully this summer I will be able to find some spots to hunt in New York and give it a try next year.
Hope everyone had a good season (s).

[Fred Henderson]

Leave that muzzle loader in the gun cabinet. A shotgun makes the same size hole.

[ibby458]

Posted land? Look at it from the landowners point of view. I sold all my guns to come up with a down payment, ate ramen noodles and drove POS vehicles for 30 years while working 60-80 weeks to make my payments to buy this land. Why on earth would I let anyone else (that didn't want to make the sacrafices) use my land? If you want to sponge off other's sweat, look for state land. That's what it's for.

[super sappy]

I dont think that youll find an area that is posted any tighter than southern Washington Co.NY.What the trend seems to be around here is that alot of landowners are leasing the hunting rights to their farms as an additional source of income.It seems to work well if its managed properly.I have been told that the cost averages from 200.00 per man for the year to 50.00 per day.I am trying to get one of my neighbors to do this,they have 190 acres of swamp,cornfield,cut grass,and rolling woods. They asked me to patrol it and post it to keep out the kids on 4 wheelers. I found about 6 store purchased tree stands on their property and no one but me has permission to be in there.Around here if it aint posted people take advantage.These particular people are in their late 70's. Retired farmers,she works 2 jobs,he has had a long struggle with cancer and really cant leave the house.They sure pay enough in taxes so if hunting season is a money crop that can be harvested I say go for it. -Super Sappy

[Mike]

Me and my 2 brothers bought 40 acres. We planted 150 apple trees, put in 4.5 acres of corn,clover and brassaca food plots.....Pay $1,500 in taxes plus tractor and implements.......Never see anyone when trees need pruning,fields need plowing and seed planted......We have 185 acres ajoining this 40 acres.......I think if you own the land, you shouldnt have to post it....Would it be OK to have a cook out in someones back yard with out permission???? Don't want to sound like a the bad guy, but........Any feed back on this????

[maplehound]

I don't know about any other state but here in Ohio you must have a signed permision slip on you to hunt anyones property. With out it, No hunting is persumed. Although they do still suggest posting your land. The problem is that many hunters seem to believe that permision from a land owner means they automatically have permision from all the surounding land owners as well. NOT SO!!!!!!!!! This becomes a problem when most land owners only have small plots and there bounderies arn't clearly marked.

[Breezy Lane Sugarworks]

Like what maplehound said, I've heard similar talk about having to have written permission in Vermont also. But the state doesn't want to lose the income from the road hunters, so they won't pass it as a law yet. If you own the land, there's nothing wrong with posting it. Not in all cases, but if you ask the landowner, they might let you hunt it. A lot of people post, just so they know who is on their land. Life shouldn't have to be that way, but with the way people are these days it is worth posting....in a good way, not a bad way.

[mcsap]

Here in Mass. generally land is presumed open unless posted and posters need to be signed to be legal. However, towns are able to pass bylaws requiring written permission for hunting within the town. Some go farther and pass "no discharge" bylaws prohibiting any shooting (except on state lands). Most of those towns are in suburban eastern Mass, but some are in the more rural western towns. For the landowner, there is a law that exempts them from liability if they allow recreational use of their land without charging a fee (for example, hunters on unposted land can't sue if they fall and break a leg) unless the landowner has deliberately created a hazard of some kind.

The presumption of openness works for us hunters here given the number of absentee landowners we have and in many cases the small sizes of the parcels they own. Either the folks are almost never around to ask for permission, or you'd need to get alot of signed slips to hunt any appreciable amount of land. Of course, it's just common sense and good practice to ask anyway whenever you can.

[Dave Y]

Don't get me started!

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

In WV, land must have some type of posted sign every 50 to 100 feet or have a fence around it or else it is about the same as public land. Either way, I have went to hunting public land nearly 100% of the time. Sure would be nice to see state and federal gov buy up more land to open as public land. The good thing about most public land is that it is foot, bike or horse access only and it blocks all atvs which I HATE to see in the woods and any violator is prosecuted significantly. The bigger the tract of public land, the better which means you can walk longer and farther to get away from others. In 2 years of hunting public land, I have seen people 1 time from a treestand and this was in an easy access area about 1.5 mile from parking area.

[maplehound]

If just any one can come hunt on your land, or trustpass with out permision, is the land really yours? I can't believe that there are places that put the burdon on the owner to keep hunters off. Rather that putting it on the Hunter to find and recieve permision from the owner.
Finding owners is as hard as looking up the local tax records. In Ohio I can get the name, parcel size and bounderies, And when the taxes where last paid on any piece of land I have an address on. Computers make it very easy to find land owners. There is no reason for hunters or hikers to be on property without permision from those who have paid for the land and all the rights to it.

[tappin&sappin]

Here in Pa, I hate seeing posted signs. More land seems to be posted every year. Because of that fact, I do not post my property.

Having said that, I think I will need to start (at least for deer season next year). Too many people taking advantage of me not posting it, including my neighbors.

I pay the mortgage, taxes and drive 40 min one way to work. One of the reasons for all that is so I have some place to sit during deer season. Only to have people put drives on while I'm sitting in my stand on my OWN property. No more.

Regardless of whether land is posted or not. I ALWAYS ask permission EVERY year prior to entering someone else's land.

Unfortunately, the few bad apples will ruin it for everyone.

RESPECT THE LANDOWNER, ASK PERMISSION BEFORE YOU HUNT!

[royalmaple]

Here in Maine we have to have written permission from land owners. I don't know anyone that does have written permission, but you are suppose to.

But I know from past experiences with Trapping for example, we are suppose to have written permission to trap as well, unless it is beaver and you are walking on the state's water to get to the flowage. Anyway.

And most old timers that own the large tracks of land that are desirable for hunting or trapping for example are not very likely to just whip out a pen and start signing anything. THey think after signing this, they just sold the land to you for 1 dollar, or you can cut 20 cords of wood off it each year, or what ever. So like I've had many tell me in the past, "if anyone gives you any trouble you tell them to come up to the house and I'll set them straight". Pretty much the typical slogan, I take that as about as much written permission as I need.

[maplehound]

Royal Maple,
That is kind of how it is here in Ohio as well. But what most hunters don't relize is that even if you are huning along side of the land owner, you still need a signed permision slip. (according to the law) A game warden told me that he can't take the word of someone that they own the property without proof and I.D. isn't always good enough. Now that being said, In most cases this isn't strictly enforced and when there is a doubt about wether permision has been given they just go talk to the owner.

[TapME]

Maine also has the law that if anyone gets hurt on your land while doing a recreational sport that the land owner is not responsible. I know this for the snowmobile path goes on ours. It sad that the sport has had to change for so many because of the few.

[Breezy Lane Sugarworks]

ALL states, counties, towns, etc... should have that recreational sport law in their books! For ANY type of involvement if somebody was to get injured on somebody else's land.

[Sugarmaker]

We like to hunt and but own only own 4 acres of land. We ask permission to hunt on private land and stick pretty close to the book on this. We also have a lot of public hunting land near by and hunt some of that also. The game commission seems to be putting more effort into food plots near game lands to help promote deer on those areas.
Grandson Nic got a doe on the last Saturday of rifle season and we have all the meat in ready for jerky and burger tomorrow.
I passed up a low percentage shot on a eight point on day two in hind site I should have taken it the chances at a buck are going to get few and far between.
Our crew will be ready with muzzleloader and bows for the late season.

Regards,
Chris

[Pete33Vt]

I knew when I pushed the submit botton I would upset everyone. Please don't get me wrong. I understand it from a landowners point of view. They do have the right to do what they want with there land. And should and by posting it you can control the amount of people and type of people you have on your land.Which is a good thing especially in Vermont where it seem like latlely everything in the woods looks like a coyote. I guess I was just venting because those deer got away. And I have asked for permission to hunt those lands that are posted and was told no, so I stayed off. So all and all its a jealouse thing cause I can't afford my own land to have and post and setup for my deer hunting. So I am sorry if I offened anyone.

[PATheron]

Pete- I know how you feel. When we were young where I live you could walk for miles in any direction and never see a poster. I literally hunted almost anywhere I wanted and never had to ask becouse no one cared at all. Now everything is posted. I know all the farmers so I can still hunt if I want but its a turn off when everywhere you look theres a poster. Ive got 27 acres and I couldnt bring myself to post becouse ive hunted on everyone else so I didnt untill people started being real rude. Id take my neice and try to get her a deer and people would come right in and drive the woods while were hunting. So I had to throw up a few posters. It slows people down a little. I felt bad doin it but what do you do? I can see both sides. I dont really like regulare season any more so I mostly just hunt in late muzzle. We dont have many deer, youve got to deal with a bunch of hunters, theres so many laws you have to have a college degree to understand em. Im not even up on the laws enough to probly keep my lies straight. I wait till everyone else is done. Take my flint and go hunting. Whatever. Theron

[gmcooper]

We had to post the land here at the farm as some nut opened a 20' gate wide open into one of the pastures. It is one you have to pickup to move not swinging on hinges. As you guesed we get call the cows are out and headed across the hay feild for the neighbors lawn. Since posting we let a few hunt here for each season. Then there are still many that hunt regardless of signs. We had 3 tree stands in the pasture one fall, none belonged to the people with permission. One guy with permission had a brand new blind setup one afternoon, next morning he came back and someone stole it. It was inside the fence. We still have a tree stand setup that has been there for 3 years that is not ours just over fence but on our land. To get up tree the guy used the lag bolt type step in the tree (not legal) and cut part of the fence and wired down the top to allow deer better access to the trail under his stand.

In the sugarbush at my uncles he posted his after he got tired of watching guys hunt at the edge of his lawn, he owns 100 acres with his house right in one corner). Some guy put up nice stand with factory made ladder inside the posted signs (3 are with in 100') 2 years ago. Still there. The ladder is going to come in handy tapping a few hard to reach trees from now on. The other stand is going to neighbors camp.

The sad part is dad always hunted when he was younger, most of our relatives all hunt,the guys that work for us hunt and we have nothing against hunting. Sad when an ever increasing number of idiots ruins it for everyone.

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

GM,

You hit the nail on the head. A few idiots ruin hunting for everyone and don't have respect for anyone else's property whether it is posted or not. You should at least have verbal or written permission to hunt on others land.

[Mike]

I heard a few yrs ago here in VT the snowmobile trails almost closed......A land owner was sitting in his tree stand during muzzle loader season which is usually the first week of december and a snowmobiler drove past him......So now the trails don't open till the 15th of DEC regardless of how much snow we have..........................

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

Wish they would do the same for ATV's. Worst thing they ever invented for hunting. Makes people lazier and fatter.

[maplecrest]

as a non hunter, i work my sugar woods during hunting season. but seeing all the land around mine is now posted. things got a little crowded this year for the hunters as well as my self. being eyed thru a scope was a little unnerving for me. so get the chainsaw out and cut brush till the season was over. biggest pain in the *** of the year, glad it is over.

[maplehound]

I posted on here last week about the neighbor boy who shot a 17 point buck. Well even I couldn't believe that but I talked to a neighbor who saw the deer and he said that it actually scored a 19 point and just missed 20 by a fraction of an inch on one point. (This scoring is done in Ohio at check in stations) What a trophy for a young hunter trapper.

[802maple]

I have to agree with GM about the idiots, but most of the land that has got posted in Vermont was posted by new landowners that came here and started putting out signs before the ink was dry on the closing papers. I remember one new neighbor from New Jersey came in our house one day to tell us that he had just seen someone walking accross our upper field and said that we would probably like to know. When we answered why as our land isn't posted like his is, he said that well we should as that wasn't that guy's land, Nobody would be welcome on his property as long as he owned it.

[maplecrest]

most of the people that post their land here are hunters for there own private hunting ground. but what really burns me is when i see them hunting my land while theirs is posted

[Breezy Lane Sugarworks]

Jeff, you hit the nail on the head there. If you have enough land to post it, then there shouldn't bee too many reasons to be somewhere else.