looking for a spot to hunt

i know this is a long shot but i was wondering if there was a person willing to let me and my dad hunt on their land this year we both use crossbows and are legally able to use them he is over 60 and i have my disability permit. will definitely pay or we can throw you some meat. i am 31 and still looking to shoot my first deer, i am not not some hooligan/bad person i just dont have anywhere to hunt and im very passionate in the sport practice with my crossbow almost everyday. i know most of you will say well just hunt state land but we all know the B/S that comes along with state land. we can put up ladder stands so no damage will occur with the trees. I live in the Verndale/Staples, MN area.

I know this isn’t what your looking for but I live near Phillips Wis. I butt up against 1 million or so acres of state and federal land. I have deer hunted this area the last couple years and have next to nothing in deer hunting pressure even close to my house near the lake. The deer count is heading up as I have secured a doe tag this year. If you strike out and would consider this option let me know and I’ll help you out securing lodging and helping you find deer hunting areas…

You may want to check out onX hunt mapping. Go to their site and you could probably get a free trial to check out. It will give you land owner names. Something to consider.

james schultz wrote:

. i am not not some hooligan/bad person

Technically that’s a double negative…LOL

here’s a nice link for public land, not all, but a good start.

https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/maps/compass/index.html

Hunt the state land. You aren’t that likely some landowner will want a newbie hunter, especially with a crossbow, on his land.

I would wonder, as a landowner, why you are above hunting state land? I’ve done it for decades & if I scout and get in deep, I find plenty of land all to myself.

Is mobility an issue for you?

I am just west of you, I hunt large tracts of state land 30 minutes north by Itasca. lot of deer and minimal pressure as I see very few people except rifle season. and if you avoid the area for the first week of rifle season it is pretty quiet the second week.

There are some great public lands right by you, Dower WMA, Lyons State Forest, Foot Hills State Forest, and Huntersville State Forest. With you having crossbows and ability to hunt outside of rifle season, you should be able to find a prime spot in any of those areas. I’ve hunted public land during rifle season most of my life and have usually done very well. Plus it’s a lot more rewarding doing it yourself imo.

The public land around there is NOTHING even close to the public land closer to the cities. Hunting outside of rifle season, you should see VERY little pressure. I would be willing to bet you wouldn’t see more than 1-2 hunters per piece of large public land.

well i think you guys may have swayed me to hunt public land and i will most defiantly check things out

Would much prefer a good public spot over a marginal private one. Nobody is going to give up good private ground for cheap.