One thing I know for sure, if there was more public land some of the people would have to find something else to whine about. Because then it wouldn't be the greedy landowners that are causing the problem.

X100000000, then it would be the greedy state. Oh wait some are already complaining about that.

You guys have said alot on this subject and after reading I have to say I don't think the Texas hunter would be better off if all the land went public.

First, Texas already has a large number of acres open to the public, but it is apart of the lottery system. I'm not a fan of this lottery system, so I won't get into it, but as one poster commented, another state that is all you have.

Imagine what it would be like if you couldn't get on a lease or buy private land? Imagine if the only time you got to deer hunt, was if your ticket came up in a lottery.

No thank you. I may not have any land today, nor am I on a lease, but I have the option to find one or the other.

Now someone on the post made a good comment about land being used up for development, and that is one thing I'd like to see change. But to do it, TPWD would need the money to purchase more land.

I'd like to see the financial on how much money hunting brings into the state coffers versus the amount of money actually given to TPWD. I'd be willing to bet the percentage is disproportionate; in favor of the state's general fund. At least that is how it goes in Louisiana.

i would have more land to coon hunt on

AMEN!!!!!!!!!!

I have run into the problem where people down here are so scared of a dog that they wet themselves. No offense to anyone who has a head full of sense....but

**NEWS FLASH** A coon dog WILL NOT run every deer off of every piece of land for 3 square miles. **

On a more reasonable note. There are a lot of sports that are being killed by the sectioning that goes on down here. Coon hunting being one of the first victims. I have talked to countless people that have quit because they can't get a place to hunt anymore. 90% of coon hunters are good folks from my experience, and I've been running coon dogs since I was 12.

I would like the idea of huge tracts of public land. I grew up in Minnesota doing the spot /stalk and still hunting in the big north woods. The negative I see is a lot of Texas land is different than those states mentioned.. Not really trees and such, but thick brush and scrub trees/bushes. Would be tough to hunt it without senderos and feeders.

The free market is determining it now. Want a place to hunt pay the cash, want a better place pay a little more. Take that away and the resource wil ablsolutely be overused. Economics 101. You will put a price ceiling below market people will come out of the woodwork. The price also tend to represent the amount of care people have about something. Can you imagine what would happen to some of the areas that have been managed if you let a few thousand of our public lands finest on it. Holy %##^%! You would have to ration via draw areas, etc. There is a reason there are very few good deer taken on public land.

Didn't know that coon hunters cared whether it was public or private.

You do if you don't want your dog shot or your own rear end shot. Gotta think man, if your dog gets shot and you're trespassing: A: You're going to jail. B: Your dog is not going to a vet...therefore dead. C: Your gun, truck, dog box, tracking,collar, E-collar, Leads, and lights are ALL GONE.

Coon hunters are not some group of uneducated morons who can't seem to get a clue. Most of us are law abiding individuals, who work for a living and don't have mucho cash to throw around.

You have never been to sates with large amounts of public land have you. The states that do have large amounts of public lands hold the world record deer. Can't say that here. Gotta know what public land is all about before railing it.

When you grow up knowing it is public land, you learn to respect it because you have to maintain it; and if you don't it won't be there to hunt. I grew up learning to be as conservation minded as possible because I wanted my sons and daughters to be able to hunt there as well. So your argument of over use is null and void. I will say at first it would be, but it would come back after people stopped going ape s@#t.

The people that gripe about private land are always the public guys, You never hear guys that lease or own saying this. I want a quality hunting experience. I am willing to pay. If I am going to have to deal with the madness that goes on at the public areas inthis state I would not hunt. There are plenty of affordable leases. They may not be great but they are out there. Public guys gripe about wanting more because they have shot the #@@$ out of it. Plenty of leases out there for around 1000 dollars a gun. Thats a little more than 80 bucks a month. Here is reality, hunting is a hobby. If you can't afford 80-100 a month minimum then you should be working more and not blowing money on hobbies because you are about broke. Hunting is not a right, there is enough free stuff, Go play at the park.

Then why is New Mexico and some of the other states going to the lottery draw for tags? From the info I have read in the New Mexico papers it was because it was to limit the amount of hunters to prevent overkill.

You have made some great points, hunting is expensive. Eating out is expensive. Vacations are expensive. Big houses are expensive. New pickups and cars are expensive. If you want to hunt, you need o set your priorities to hunt. Eating out once a week, 52X$100 equals one heck of a lease. Or go play in the park!

What in your statement makes my argument null and void? The fact that a big deer came from public land. Alot more to it than that. you are right, my only experience with public was Type 2 in the Neches river growing up. It was a joke. Still is from what I hear. I used to duckhunt public water that's turned into a joke. In addition alot of people on this forum seem to not want the government in their bussiness. I guess that is not the case if they are going to get a free place to hunt out of the deal.

Go play in the park. What ever man, I've been a lot of places and the ones where you have to pay to hunt are the places where only the elite can afford to enjoy it. If the privatized side of hunting spreads it will be that way here too. You guys have fun justifying making someone pay a thousand dollars to shoot a deer, squirrel or dove.

Just remember that some of us don't get paid overtime, nor do we get to play in a park, we play in the sand.

Then sell one of those high dollar dogs and buy your own place.

Don't have a high dollar dog. My pup was free.

I'll say it again if someone can't afford a 1000 dollar lease they may need to rethink their priorities about hunting in general. It is a hobby, it's not a right. I would like to do alot of things. I can't afford all, I hunt. I don't expect anyone to provide a free place. And there is state land here? Not good enough, too crowded, you get what you pay for.

If it is just a pup I think I would get rid of it, for me the annual feed and vet bills would make a good down payment on another hunting lease.

I hunt state land an harvest deer, hog, and ect.. occasionally (for a 48$ lease). I don't blame people for leasing or down them. Some people even find leases then try to find others to join them to pay enough to cover their share and even pocket a little more. I don't care if you want to pay to shoot a "trophy", I don't even care if you shoot it while in a pen or taking a dump, or someones bottle raised pet.

People with this attitude are killing Coon hunting. I won't be in this state forever, so I'm not worried about it. And if I do settle down here I'll buy enough land to hunt with my dogs on.

You forget that there's a finite amount of land. The price of land is increasing exponentially against the average income. Every time a new subdivision goes in, the amount of potential hunting land gets less. Take a look at Europe, if your ancestors hadn't got lucky and found a new continent, what would be your chances of hunting today? Unless you're extremely wealthy probably pretty slim. The US is on the same pattern, it might not be in your lifetime, but it's unavoidable.

You even may own some land now. But in time the opportunity cost to preserve it to hunt will be extremely high. At some point, it'll be sold for development. And at some point after that the tradition of hunting will only be for the rich. That's free market. I'm not saying it's illegal. I'm just saying that it would be a shame to see that happen. I don't know the answer to preserving hunting ground. Even if the gov't started setting aside public land, it would have to be rationed and expensive, but at least there would be some undeveloped land to experience.

yeah, i just love getting my dog shot, or getting harrased by land owners, and i really love hearing from ignorant deer hunters who talk out their @SS about my dogs and what they would do to it if it gets on their land (just remember eye for an eye).

I deer hunt as well and i am over my lease, so i am not scared to pay.
I give respect to deer hunters, during deer season and limit my time in the woods, but what deer hunters need to do is respect other hunters, just because they hunt different animals doesnt make them wrong, And 99.99% of coon hunters or dog runners tresspass ONLY to get their dog. I hunt 176,000 acres of PUBLIC land and still manage to get off of it every once in a while.

I have land scooter, I just see land and rent as I keep my eye on things and wow I cant imagine the prices that I see...

North Dakota has a very low human population per acre, and in the past you could hunt almost anywhere you wanted. Now you can hunt any property that is not posted. Guess what, most is now being posted. The point is, there are getting too many people, especially in the southern States, for the amount of land available. The laws of nature will balance things back out sooner or later. Just be grateful that you live in the United States, where we enjoy more freedom than most of the world.