Try Adding Some Private To Public
By Mark Melotik
You may be familiar with The Hunting Public team and its informative and entertaining YouTube channel that focuses on hunting public lands across prime whitetail states. Indeed, 38-year-old Mis-souri resident Aaron Warbritton and his team are all about making the most of the opportunities found on America's wide-ranging public lands. But they're not so laser-focused as to pass up a chance to hunt cherry private tracts they might run across.
During our recent talk, Warbritton was quick to point out his group's biggest key to success was spending time scouting vast public-land tracts before their actual hunts. And that includes in Iowa, where it can take three to six years to draw a tag. However, Warbritton advised that as long as you're spending time scouting your chosen public areas, it just makes good sense to also knock on as many doors in the immediate area as you can. It's a bit of extra effort that just might reveal a private honey hole free from competition.
"Don't overlook knocking on a lot of doors during your scouting, because if you finally do draw the tag, you'll have a pile of different areas from which to choose."
Even in today's world of social media blowing up the demand for, and worth of, deer-rich private ground, Warbritton says most bowhunters would be shocked at the quality of deer hunting you can access in premiere whitetail states such as Iowa — merely for the asking.
"You might only need a few dozen acres or less to be able to find a good rut-hunt setup, and it might be the place where you kill him. I am a big fan of having options."
Warbritton said it might not be the easiest conversation you'll ever have, but the right approach to landowners can pay big dividends.
"Gaining permission in Iowa is no different than anywhere else, really. Be kind and respectful, be hon-est, and be willing to offer help with things and reciprocate as you can. I'm not the greatest at it — it can be kind of intimidating. But my buddy Jake is really good. If he finds a spot that draws his interest, he likes to wait for a nice day and circle back, maybe when the owners are out working in their gar-den. He might just pull into the driveway and wave, and start up a conversation.
"You're going to get rejected a lot, but you need to be optimistic and stay respectful. Oftentimes, if they won't let you hunt, they might give you some information on who to ask nearby. And that can be a gold mine."