More Land to Hunt

The most obvious benefit to owning land next to public hunting land is more land to hunt. Being able to access land that’s close by, but not having to buy or lease it, greatly increases your available hunting land.

“The obvious benefit of owning land that abuts or is near public hunting ground is that you have more land at your disposal than what you have the tax burden on,” said Shane Patrick, a land specialist in Maine. “One thing a lot of people don't consider is that when you are part of a larger connected tract of land, animals move, travel, and behave differently. They are more comfortable and can be patterned differently.”

“Having private access to all of that public hunting ground is great,” agreed Chad Pangle, a land Specialist serving northern Virginia. “It makes you sort of feel like you own a lot more than you actually do.”

Of course, just because it’s public land doesn’t mean it’s open to public hunting. Pangle reminds hunters that hunting is allowed on national forest lands but not on national park lands.

As most hunters know, whitetails can have large home ranges. The average whitetail buck home range is 650 acres or 1 square mile. Some are larger or smaller, but unless you own many hundreds or thousands of acres, chances are good a buck won’t live on your land 100% of the time.

Drilling down further, the average buck’s core area is about 30-50 acres. All said, if a buck’s home range (but especially core area) overlaps onto a neighboring tract, it can be difficult to hunt it effectively. That’s especially true for core areas that extend across property lines.

Owning land next to public helps solve that problem. Even if the deer isn’t naturally living on your land all the time, you have the nearby public to target the buck, too. And because you know more about the buck, you have better odds of killing that deer than public land hunters.

A Large Sanctuary Nearby (Potentially)

Some public lands are overrun. An abundance of hunters target these lands. But not every tract of public is like that. Some are sanctuaries. In fact, while entire sections of public don’t serve as these, small to moderate pieces of public land certainly can.

For example, some tracts of public ground are land locked. They can’t be accessed unless through private property. Essentially, this means hunters who own or lease the private lands hold most or all of the access to the public property. Of course, this is rare, but it does occur.

A more common scenario is public land with very difficult access that discourages most hunters. Generally, these are massive tracts of public land that require miles of walking through public to reach the back sections. Most hunters won’t do that, and they’ll hunt the side of the public that’s closer to parking.

Another common occurrence includes public land that’s water locked. This is where hunters must cross or navigate lakes or rivers. In some instances, creeks, streams, and drainage ditches can prevent crossing on foot. Regardless, if a boat, canoe, or kayak is required to reach the other side, it’s likely few hunters are going to that extreme.

In any of the above scenarios, it can lead to sanctuaries within portions of these public lands. Again, these situations aren’t common, but owning land adjacent to public lands that offer such benefits can be incredible.

Less Chance of Neighboring Tracts Being Parceled Off

Owning hunting land next to larger tracts is almost always better than owning land next to numerous smaller parcels. For some, the best benefit of owning land next to public hunting ground is assurance. “Knowing that the public land will always remain the way it is with no development and no homes … matters,” Pangle said.

Of course, it’s quite rare for public lands to be sold off. In the event they are sold, it’s usually in bulk, and not parceled into smaller tracts. Therefore, owning land next to public helps minimize the risk of smaller parcels, reduces habitat loss, and maybe even minimizes hunter numbers in the area.

Less Chance of Any Development

On a similar note, public land being public ensures it won’t be developed. Because, even if the land isn’t parceled off into smaller tracts, a large corporation might buy a chunk of land and do any number of things with it. A big brand building a factory. A government installing facilities. A timber company clear-cutting ground. A corporate giant putting in a store with the name of 100 pennies. Whatever the case, even a single owner of a large bit of ground can wreak havoc on the area.

“The best benefit to owning land next to public ground is that you know that the adjacent public land will never be developed,” agreed Mike Galka, a land specialist in southeastern South Carolina. “In my territory, the development is booming, and they are clear-cutting large tracts of land and developing it. You won't have to worry that the neighboring parcel is going to turn into a subdivision, and you can rest easy knowing you will be able to enjoy that country feel that you were looking for when buying a property in a rural area.”

Better Habitat Diversity and Structure

Deer are edge animals. They love diversity. Properties that offer that tend to hold more deer, maintain healthier whitetails, and produce bigger bucks.

Public that remains public ensures better habitat diversity. If managed properly by the state or federal organization that oversees it, this might also allow for better habitat structure. This is because the purpose of the land is for wildlife and hunting. That’s the primary management objective.

Understand that not all hunt-able public lands are managed properly, though. Some are utterly ignored by managers, and habitat is allowed to transition completely to old growth, which isn’t good for whitetails, wild turkeys, and other mammals.

Better Access to Your Private Land

Most experienced deer hunters understand the importance of good access. Without quality entry and exit routes, it’s very difficult to hunt a property, let alone tag a mature buck. Good access makes deer hunting exponentially easier.

Fortunately, if the neighboring public land is open to hunting, it can make things possible that otherwise wouldn’t be. Ultimately, it provides another direction of access into your private land. That can make the difference in being able to effectively hunt your land, or not.

Better Access to the Public Land

The above statement is true in reverse, too. Because you own the private land, it makes the adjacent public property much more accessible. This is a great benefit to private landowners who also hunt that open-to-all ground.

“The second best advantage is you have direct access to a much larger acreage,” Galka said. “Depending on where the access for the public land is, hunters would maybe have to walk a few miles to get to the public land that adjoins your property line. You as the owner could ride a side-by-side right to the property line and hunt your property or walk out into the public land and get instant access to hundreds or thousands of acres that are otherwise very hard to access from the public land entrance. This advantage would make your property feel much larger to hunt than it really is.”

The Downsides of Owning Land Next to Public Hunting Lands

Despite the positives, there are a few negative things landowners should be aware of. This doesn’t come without downsides.

First, if a lot of hunting takes place on the public, deer are pressured nearby. Sure, it can push deer onto your land. But it also makes them edgier and more difficult to hunt.

A possible increase in trespassing is another concern. According to Pangle, dealing with public land hunters who intentionally or unintentionally cross onto your property and poach game is a potential issue.

“Public land is, well, public,” Patrick said. “You can spend months or even years learning an area and its animals only to have a fellow taxpayer sitting on your ridge come opening morning. Unless you post your land, expect to have less experienced people on the wrong side of the line. Map and compass skills are not strong in the general population.”

Even if they don’t cross onto your land, hunters might still sit on your property line, or close to it. Therefore, because neighboring land is public, it’s possible you’ll lose a target buck (maybe more) to public hunters. Learn to accept this occasional occurrence.

“A negative to living next to public land is people could set up right on your property line and be hunting the same deer that you are trying to harvest on your property,” Galka said. “If the public land area is a small piece, public land hunters could potentially try and pull deer that are bedding on your private property because of the better habitat. They might sit on the property line and add pressure to your private property.”

Lastly, if the land is not open to hunting, it can also be challenging. Oftentimes, deer seek sanctuary on unhunt-able public ground. (Think national parks.) That said, this same “problem” boosts the deer density and buck age structure for the entire area, which makes the quality of hunting skyrocket.

To Buy, Or Not to Buy?

So, is it worth it? Should a hunter own land next to public hunting lands? Most agree that it’s a good play.

“If you are considering purchasing land next to a public property, I think it is worth the jump to make that purchase,” Galka said. “Especially if you know this is a large public piece with no easily accessible trails, roads, or access near the property you are looking to purchase. It can save you money because you are purchasing a smaller acreage but have easy and free access to much larger acreage.”

Regardless of the outcome, it’s important everyone respects each other, and the land. “Above all else, respect property ownership,” Patrick said. “Ask permission, show gratitude, and be a steward of the land.”