CRP Land etc.

[Little Al]

I wonder how much land that is leased for hunting is also in the farm program. How much land and how many land owners are getting a goverment check to put land into trees and grass and then either lease it for hunting or keep it for themselves to hunt? Should our tax dollars make private hunting ground better for those that own the land? What about having set a side acres receiving a goverment check and then turning around and leasing the same piece of property to someone to hunt on? This is the reason land has increased in value, when the goverment pays $75 to $125 an acre for the land owner to set it aside or put it into a tree program, when the land couldn't grow crops anyway. I do realize that it also increases wildlife but only a few get to hunt it. Al

 

[150 Class]

You have a couple of things wrong here. For one, land that cannot grow crops does not qualify for the CRP. Also, many land owners take a hit by putting the land into the CRP by collecting $75 - $125 for land that might easily collect $125 - $175 or more per acre for crop ground rent. It will take quite a healthy hunting lease to be more profitable than leaving the ground in row crops. I for one, would like to see more land in the CRP, even if I never hunt it and even if it also gets leased for hunting. It is just too good of a program for the wildlife to knock it at all.

The wealthy person that puts ground into the CRP and keeps it for themself? What's wrong with that? Wouldn't we all like to do that someday?

 

[GunnerJon]

Amen to what 150 Class says.
My family farm has a few pieces of CRP "government ground" and it is some of the best habitat around for game birds and deer in the area. The more CRP, the better. People need to understand that programs like these promote habitat...and that is the key to some of the best bird and deer hunting in the nation.....and we have that here. I don't care how much money people make off of CRP.....it is awesome stuff and we should all realize the benefits of this ground.....no matter who owns or controls it.
Good luck and good hunting!

-GunnerJon

 

[raven]

Ditto what was said above.

Keep in mind that bucks have large home ranges (thousands of acres) and that bucks getting big in CRP cover will spill over onto adjacent lands, possibly walking right past your stand.

Though CRP lands do serve as cover sanctuaries, enabling small bucks to grow into big ones, very little food value is present in the large seas of CRP brome grass. I wish more folks would realize this and establish food plots in them.

Good Hunting….Raven

 

[hershy]

...wanted to add another "in-favor" voice to the set-aside/CRP acres...I hope they expand the programs!...the more land we can get enrolled the more game...habitat is where its at!...the more the better for all of us...more corn or beans isn't going to do a thing for raising more critters, we have more than enough of that stuff already...since wildlife is owned publicly why not use tax $$...its a better use than some of the other stuff they spend it on, in my opinion...

 

[Ghost]

150 Class-

I totally agree. We all pay taxes and when the money is made available I'm going to use it to improve habitat on my ground. No, I'm not going to go to the front gate and place a sign "All Hunters are Welcome" I was the one that planted the 50 trees and put in the food plots and made the payments on the ground. As far as CRP, the more the better!!!

 

[hunt-m-up]

Helped my dad seed CRP 13 years ago and had 10 years of the best pheasant hunting, could limit out by 9-10AM and not put a dent in the population. Deer would bed right out in the middle of the brome in decent weather. We've lost a lot of it in this area, $145 cash rent vs. $75-85 CRP payment. My dad is retired and not really a hunter so for him it was an easy decision. We can either subsidize crop production for tax $$ or subsidize habitat,the game that benefits from CRP will spill over into the areas we all hunt.

 

[tk]

tax dollars for crp a bad idea,you have to be kidding right!habitat is where its at,just take a look at the boone and crocket listings before crp programs and after and you will see a huge difference.raven is correct all crp should have food plots established which i think is ten percent of what is in the program,which is tax deductable towards the farm.the only thing i will do different this year is plant the taller switch grass, i want the big boys to be able to circle around in there, and still stay on the farm,if they are bumped into.now on leasing you have opened up a whole new can of worms, it looks like i will be losing one of my better places to hunt,i was offered the lease first but told the owner no go,i will just take the lease money and invest in another crp farm.i figure if i pay money i might has well own it. seeya tim

 

[Ollie]

Ditto's to the last five posts. There would be very few pheasants in Iowa without the CRP program. Same holds true for a lot of other wildlife species. CRP lands also serve as a buffer to help protect soil from eroding and agrochemicals from getting into our surface waters. CRP provides an economic incentive to landowners to provide a home for wildlife.

 

[vman]

TK,
Cant agree with ya more. CRP is the best program the goverment ever came up with. It help us hunters, it helps the farmers, its a win win situation. It takes ground that was marginal in the first place and puts it back to where it is needed. Also, with all of this ground out of production it helps with the supply and demand for the crops that the american farmer grows. Which is needed with Brazil farming growing.

 

[Baker]

Gotta love that tall switch grass. Great big buck sanctuary. Large amount of of it where I hunt, still trying to pattern there movement in and out of it though. I know they're there, all the big roaming bucks seemed to disapeer when that stuff matured.