Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting Western Hunting Land

I kinda think I would just camp on BLM before I'd buy a few acres next to it for the privilege of doing the same thing. Am I missing something?

I feel bad for you saying how you can't find someone to go hunting with them. Never really had that problem but I can see how it would exhaust a guy. Creating hunting partners isn't easy, thank goodness for nephews and junior partners!

I wouldn't need electric. The cabin I own here has no electric or running water either. I actually kind of like it that way. I have a deep cycle battery and a solar panel for charging phones, etc. I crap in the woods. None of that is a big deal to me. I enjoy roughing it.

I live about 2 miles from the border of Philadelphia. The number of hunters I know here is pretty low. The people who I know that hunt generally like to hunt from a tree stand in small woodlots (frequently a few acres in the suburbs). The approach is productive but doesn't appeal to me as much. I do have friends who hunt (I'm not a prick or anything) but they are less intense about it.

We have a family cabin that I hunt from which backs up to several thousand acres of public land. It's about 90 minutes from home and that is my primary hunting spot. I got the itch about 20 years ago and bought 130 acres out of state about 6 hours north. I had a small, no-frills cabin built on it and have had a great time there. But now, I am eager to chase new species in new areas.

I think the answer is trips as most people suggested. Maybe the answer is some kind of club. Solo trips are fine but the idea of all of the prep and research, then cross-country driving alone, then all of the camp set up seems onerous. I can do it as I have many times before but my energy level isn't what it was in my 20s.

Thanks for the suggestions.

Unless you're going to win the lotto or have s-ton of money, you're better off to buy a home on a small chunk of land, or even in town and become a resident. You have millions of acres of public land to hunt.

In MN or WI we have millions of acres of public land but you can also hunt on 40-200 acres and have resident deer. You don't really have that out west. Hell, many places out there you can see 600 acres from one spot. Many areas in MN and WI you can't see 100 yards.

600 acres? That's less than 1 square mile. Where I've got my elk the last 3 years, you can stand on any low hill and see 100 square miles. Granted, you won't make much money as a logger in this area. There's no market for sagebrush.

Wow, that's understandable. I suspect that guided trips with mixed groups is a possibility for you? Eyeopening post there, thank you.

I can't really explain why but a guided hunt just doesn't appeal to me. I guess I would feel like the guide did the real hunting and I was just the shooter. (no offense to people who like this approach).

I am going to start planning an elk trip for 2024. I'll see if I can find someone else to go. I think the minimum number of people for a drop camp is 4 (occasionally 2). If I can't find anyone else interested, I will just go solo as I did to Colorado. I guess the first step is choosing a state. I am leaning toward Montana or Wyoming but really don't have a strong preference yet. I will start researching. I may have to post on here for advice. My last trip (unsuccessful but fun) was for archery. I have a nice 30-06 that I will probably use on my next trip. Thanks

Hope the OP realizes that 160 acres is a chunk only 1/2 mile square, i.e. 880 yds. No way most critters would stay long term on that small of a parcel.

I'm well aware. I was interested in hunting public land but the 160 allows access to some tags that might otherwise be unavailable.

Sell your other recreational land, do a 1031 exchange and find a little piece out west by public land and enjoy.

Especially western animals - elk and mule deer. They're much more mobile than whitetails. An elk or mule deer thinks nothing of bedding 2 or 3 miles from the nearest water.

160 acres is 1/4 square mile
320 is a 1/2
640 acres is a square mile.

His point is that with the right amount of land and the animals use days he could get a LO tag and it is valid in the entire area, not just his little piece of land. The draw is easier.


With property in the right spot he could have a nice base for travelling around the state or hunting nearby. Property taxes on rural, undeveloped land are cheap in some counties.

Right. Thanks.

Good luck with your quest, keep looking around & learning. We’ve hunted in Colorado for 20+ years in a handful of units & talked about the chance of buying near landlocked public but never saw a reasonable option.

One of our extended group is looking at moving to the hunting area & retirement mostly leaving our rural Southern CA area now that his daughter relocated to CO an hour away. His plan is live in town with more room than he needs accommodating guests at least during hunting season. Like folks here indicated a base camp will allow him to scout at least 2 neighboring states & many units in CO with over the counter bull tags. He’s got almost 30 points & can scout the premium units too.

Without having to coordinate with a wife or care for parents he has more flexibility than most of us- expensive flexibility to be single again unfortunately.

160 acres out west is but a postage stamp. If there's deer or antelope they're not going to hold on a small area outside of maybe some whitetails in some cover.

I've not live in Colorado and am not familiar much with it but have lived in Wyoming and Montana. Be aware that some places in those states have wind. Not talking about a storm that comes thru but true sustained winds.

Perhaps you should just go out west and look and explore. This is much less expensive and you won't have to pay property tax nor have insurance and liabilities. Go take a look and take some fishing trips or maybe some public hunting.

In Idaho, land owners must have at least 640 acres of qualified habitat to get a tag. They allot a certain number of tags and they have a special drawing among the landowners for them. The odds are normally much better than in the regular draws. The tags can be given to someone else but they can't be sold.
If there are any tags left over after this draw, they'll have a 2d drawing and landowners with at least 320 acres can apply.

Is that a new reg in Idaho?
It at least used to be legal to sell them, I am pretty sure.

I don't know if it's new but this is in the regs, big and bold:

Huh...could be. Good to know.
I know a few vets that (at least used to) trade veterinary work on cattle/horses for landowner deer tags. I am guessing that would be considered 'marketing'. I know another that would sell his, but maybe that is all past tense now..