I am not one for crowds. I tend to like hunting alone and quietly sit in my stand and enjoy whatever comes my way while hunting. It seems that when I am hunting in this manner, I am more relaxed and enjoy taking everything in that nature has to offer.
Sometimes while in my stand, I routinely have other wildlife make an appearance- which could be a Mountain Lion in the Big Horns that showed up one day in Wyoming, to a hawk that made a surprise visit one time sitting in my tree stand thinking the hair sticking out from under my hat may have been a squirrel or some other creature as he swooped down to make it his prey and swooping away a second before contact and landing in a branch an arm's length away, eyeing me as he determines that his dinner this evening was really something else. After realizing the new addition to my shorts in my coveralls wasn't a chemical heat pack-We enjoyed each other's company for several seconds as each of us eyed each other thinking who was more surprised with this recent event.
Hunting in un-crowded conditions has always been one of my preferences, due to the fact I can hunt a species one on one without disturbance from anyone. No Deer drives, no others leaving their scent or disturbing the area and changing game patterns-with game not being spooked as well as on alert most of the time- just good old fashioned hunting with minimal impact from others, thus allowing Deer and other Big Game to stay on their current undisturbed patterns.
Don't get me wrong, I also enjoy hunting with others and groups every now and then and enjoy the companionship with friends as well. I am tending to do that more as I am getting older and enjoy that aspect more so now, then when I was younger.
Hunter pressure plays a role in allowing Big Game to reach the older age structure that is needed for optimum growth. We all know that age, genetics, and nutrition are key ingredients in allowing Whitetail Bucks, Mule Deer, Elk and any Big game species that we hunt the time and resources to grow to their potential. Hunting pressure is one area that plays into this formula.
With that being said- here is a Hunter Density Map of the US and how the hunters impact hunting by state and region. One of the reasons I have enjoyed hunting out West and in Canada is due to Low Hunter Densities. Less pressure and less run in's with other hunters benefit both wildlife and the hunting experience. Last September I hunted Kansas in September during the early Muzzleloader Season, and was surprised that I did not see another hunter all week and only heard two shots the entire week, one was mine. Not uncommon from what they told me, and very similar to other states that I have hunted out West.
I thought I would share with everyone.
Sometimes while in my stand, I routinely have other wildlife make an appearance- which could be a Mountain Lion in the Big Horns that showed up one day in Wyoming, to a hawk that made a surprise visit one time sitting in my tree stand thinking the hair sticking out from under my hat may have been a squirrel or some other creature as he swooped down to make it his prey and swooping away a second before contact and landing in a branch an arm's length away, eyeing me as he determines that his dinner this evening was really something else. After realizing the new addition to my shorts in my coveralls wasn't a chemical heat pack-We enjoyed each other's company for several seconds as each of us eyed each other thinking who was more surprised with this recent event.
Hunting in un-crowded conditions has always been one of my preferences, due to the fact I can hunt a species one on one without disturbance from anyone. No Deer drives, no others leaving their scent or disturbing the area and changing game patterns-with game not being spooked as well as on alert most of the time- just good old fashioned hunting with minimal impact from others, thus allowing Deer and other Big Game to stay on their current undisturbed patterns.
Don't get me wrong, I also enjoy hunting with others and groups every now and then and enjoy the companionship with friends as well. I am tending to do that more as I am getting older and enjoy that aspect more so now, then when I was younger.
Hunter pressure plays a role in allowing Big Game to reach the older age structure that is needed for optimum growth. We all know that age, genetics, and nutrition are key ingredients in allowing Whitetail Bucks, Mule Deer, Elk and any Big game species that we hunt the time and resources to grow to their potential. Hunting pressure is one area that plays into this formula.
With that being said- here is a Hunter Density Map of the US and how the hunters impact hunting by state and region. One of the reasons I have enjoyed hunting out West and in Canada is due to Low Hunter Densities. Less pressure and less run in's with other hunters benefit both wildlife and the hunting experience. Last September I hunted Kansas in September during the early Muzzleloader Season, and was surprised that I did not see another hunter all week and only heard two shots the entire week, one was mine. Not uncommon from what they told me, and very similar to other states that I have hunted out West.
I thought I would share with everyone.