Most important factor in choosing hunting area.

[Crippledsledge64]

Pretty straightforward question with probably a ton of different answers. What is the number one factors or list of factors in your choice of a hunting area.
Hunting pressure, game spotted during scouting, accessibility, good habitat, close to home, the family's been hunting it since great great granddad, whatever?

 

[Wapiti1]

Are you asking from the perspective of a resident or a non-resident?

My answers are different now that I live in Indiana, than when I lived in Montana.

Jeremy

 

[cnelk]

What species?

 

[Billy Goat]

Cell phone service so I can keep up with the bro's.




Actually one of my biggest factors is where I can get a tag. Then I sort everything out. Habitat, accessibility, pressure, then finding game.

 

[Buck Naked]

First, timing , whether there is an opening when I want for what I want
Then its intel , for local hunts garnered by repeatable visits, long distance by www sleuthing

 

[mooretitan]

1. Hunting Pressure
2. Type of terrain that I like
3. Quality animals

 

[WCB]

Local: Does it have the game/quality I'm looking for.
Can't kill what is not there. I have a ton of places I can shoot a deer but very few for quality bucks/animals

I can shoot small bucks and does anytime...Could be done opening day archery season if I just wanted to shoot a deer.

Out of state: similar but it has to have 2 of the three with #1 being a constant
1.Quality animals or at least what I would like to shoot.
2.low pressure (at least tolerable or enough land to work around pressure)
3.accessibility (obviously there is a threshold on low accessibility with still having enough to hunt and a waste of time.)

I am not a numbers guy even though it is nice to see a ton of deer but normally these hunts aren't quality producers. Low pressure and quality good even with limited access.

Hunted a spot in MT this year that I constantly see postings about limited to no access. I will definitely be going back because you couldn't hunt all the land available in a month but you do have to walk to get where the animals are. From what I saw during the peak rut little to know pressure on most of it but a ton of pressure on easy spots close to town. Most important the average buck size was a welcome change of pace from where I normally hunt with "tons" of public accessible land, a ton of deer, and a ton of pressure.

 

[Dcrafton]

Accessibility by far,
If you can’t get to it all other factors don’t matter.


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[Dcrafton]

Hunting pressure does not bother me to much if you can figure out how to use that pressure in your favor


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[Dcrafton]

Terrain would be next. If your not in good enough shape to get around it can really limit things.

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[loggerchas]

Will I be able to put the time into learning the area?

I'd much rather hunt a marginal area I know like the back of my hand than a better unit I have no boot leather knowledge of.

 

[Clandefeld]

Permission/access and habitat. Getting harder and harder to get permission on private land in Ohio.

 

[Snyde]

Accessibility and if there are animals there.

 

[5MilesBack]

My goals. Those will determine the most important factors for where I hunt. If I'm after a certain size, it has to be a unit that actually has plenty of that size animals. If I'm just after a kill, then it better have a whole bunch of animals in it.

 

[Bronc]

Any place WITHOUT cell phone reception

 

[bigmoose]

Quality of bucks and public land. I like to hunt places where I at least have a chance for a big buck.