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Why We Lose Hunting Access

May 14, 2013

In just the last four years, Cory Peterson’s outfitting business has doubled in size to nearly 60,000 acres of deer- and turkey-rich ground in Nebraska’s Sand Hills. But Peterson, who also farms corn and raises beef cattle in the area, didn’t pursue many of his leases. Instead, neighbors came to him, offering to lease their land for annual payments that range between $1 and $3 per acre.The main reason Peterson’s Hidden Valley Outfitting has grown? His neighbors find it increasingly difficult to allow free public hunting.

“Most traditional farmers understand the idea that hunting is something that should be free,” says Peterson. “But these guys have had gates left open by hunters, cattle shot by hunters, and water tanks shot by hunters. After a while, they just run out of patience.”

6 | Read the full entry

Guide to America's Public Land

Click on your state in the map below.

Find the top public-land destinations in your state, including:

  • Wildlife Refuges
  • State WMAs
  • National Forests
  • Fishing Access Sites

About Open Country

Hunters and anglers across the nation consistently list one challenge as their primary obstacle to spending more time in the field: Access.

Outdoor Life’s Open Country program aims to tackle that issue head on and with boots on the ground. The program highlights volunteer-driven efforts to improve access along with habitat improvements to make existing public lands even better places to hunt and fish. The program's goal is to substantially increase sportsman's access across the country by promoting events that make a difference.

The Open Country program culminates in an awards system with top projects and participants being honored during a gala at the 2014 SHOT Show in January.

Submit a project for the Open Country Award.
Nominate an individual for the Open Country Award.

Open Country

Event Calendar

  • August 17, 2013 - Harsen's Island Hunter Access & Invasive Species Removal
  • Sept. 14, 2013 - Rifle River Fish Habitat

Recent News

  • March 1, 2013

    How Sequestration Could Impact Your Hunting and Fishing: National Wildlife Refuge Closures-6

    by

    With the sequestration (an $85 billion across-the-board cut from the federal budget) set to take place by at least 11:59 p.m. tonight, a lot of people are wondering exactly what the impacts will be. If the White House and Congress can't come to an agreement, and it doesn't look they will, there will be a forced 8.2 percent budget cut to all non-exempt federal programs including the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. National Park Services, and the U.S. Geological Survey.

    What it could mean for you, is less access to hunting, hiking, and fishing opportunities at national wildlife refuges.

    [ Read Full Post ]
  • July 25, 2012

    Good News, Bad News For National Wildlife Refuge Hunters-2

    by

    Looking for an opportunity to speak up in support of hunting? Here’s a good opportunity to do so – and you just might land a new place to hunt in the process.

    The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is accepting public comments on several proposed hunting expansions in the National Wildlife Refuge System.

    Yes, some wildlife refuges are open to hunting. In fact, hunting is an important part of the wildlife management plan on many refuges. The areas are generally substantial in size and prime wildlife habitat.

    [ Read Full Post ]
  • May 23, 2012

    Why We Should Overturn Sunday Hunting Bans-13

    by

    Norman McLean said, in “A River Runs through It,” that we’re never late for two things in Montana, church and fishing. I’m a bit of a hedonist at heart, so I’m late for church by a couple of decades. What I’m never late for on Sunday in season is a pre-dawn trek to my favorite cathedral to look for the good lord’s finest creation: A big old bull elk.

    From a Westerner’s perspective, there’s not much stranger than banning hunting on Sunday. That old-time tradition, still in force in a half a dozen states, is a relic of a different age, like wearing tweeds when fishing, or dressing up for a driven pheasant shoot. I sometimes enjoy those disconnects from the modern world, as I myself am half Luddite myself.

    But no hunting on Sunday! C’mon. That’s just, well, puritanical.

    [ Read Full Post ]
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