Part of it is the decline in hunter numbers in the U.S., and of course most gun magazines are American. Over the past 30-some years the number of U.S. citizens who purchased hunting licenses dropped from around 17 million to under 12 millions, mostly because it's more difficult and expensive to hunt....
And as we decry the decline, we as individuals do our best to promote the decline.
Yeah, tackin up those posted signs and don't let anybody hunt ain't doing the sport any favors.
That's a whole nuther can of worms. Don't go laying this at the feet of private land owners. I used to keep my land open and free to anyone who wanted to hunt and fish. After years of finding trees cut, fields rutted up, truck loads of trash and carcasses from illegal kills, along with other disregards for my land, I have been posting my property. I have found that someone with enough integrity to knock on my door, present himself like a gentleman, and ask for permission, is 99% of the time going to be respectful of my property. And I will still give that person permission. Anyone who is now caught trespassing without permission is arrested and I press charges. It's been working well for six years, now.
Sorry to take the long way around, but to get back to your original statement, the problem is not with landowners posting. It's the inconsiderate slobs who have forced us to do so.
My heart's in the mountains, my heart is not here. My heart's in the mountains, chasing the deer.
