BLAZE Magazine Fall/Winter 2015 | Page 44

Private and Public Land Access, Small Properties, All Play Crucial Roles for America’s Hunters While public land access remains a persistent and major challenge for many sportsmen, privately owned land provides the majority of opportunity for today’s hunters. When asked to describe the type of land they hunted most often in the past 12 months, roughly two-thirds of hunters used privately owned properties compared to one-third who utilized public lands the majority of the time. As part of that same survey, hunters were asked to describe the size of the property they hunted the past 12 months revealing the important role smaller properties play in providing quality hunting access. Forty percent said they hun [