I agree with you 100%. Don't get me started on what the Drury's, Jordan's, and their spinoffs have done to whitetail hunting in the southern 1/2 of Iowa and northern 1/2 of Missouri. Thousands upon thousands of sometimes contiguous acres of private leases locked up by a few "celebrities" for profit. Then add their receipt of Governor's tags for insult to injury...
When I grew up during the 80s and was in college in the 90s, hunting leases weren't even a thing in Iowa. Nobody had even heard of the concept. You simply walked up to a farmer's door and politely asked for permission. As Iowa became more and more well-known as a trophy whitetail state, and the farm economy struggled, the lure of lucrative hunting leases was too much for a lot of folks to ignore.
When we were kids we never had to hunt public areas for rabbits, squirrels, or pheasants. Fast-forward 30 years and 90% of what we hunt is public (and crowded).
