re: Spinoff. What's Wrong with Hunting Today?

How are public lands paid for and maintained? Where do the funds come from?

I can only respond with my own very limited experience. I grew up fishing, not hunting. Then i moved to Texas, made friends with guys who loved guns, and i realized I love guns too. Which led to shooting. Which led to a hog hunt with my son which was much fun, but expensive. I’d love to go more often. But I don’t own land and it’s not cheap enough to go often and even more importantly it takes a good bit of time after a busy work week.

So for me, it’s access to woods and rural land. My son is 8 and I used to take him to the range. But let’s face it, shooting at a range can get dull. But it’s all I have. So his interest in shooting wanes and he’d rather play nerf wars with his friends.

For a suburban guy like me with little experience in hunting and no easy access to land—just to hike around and explore even—it’s hard to cultivate a lasting interest in my son. The suburbs sprawl further and further (like my own suburb did) and country land is all dotted with homes too. Where do I go to shoot a new gun? To explore the woods with my son? To shoot a hog? Without driving hours and spending a ton of money?

That’s just my experience as a newbie. Your mileage may vary.