Frequent Bowhuting World contributor Bernie Barringer described his YouTube video below with this summary: “DIY public land deer hunting is getting a great boost from hunting access programs that are growing in many states.”

Barringer is referring to various state-run land access programs that fall under several names. In South Dakota, for example, its Walk-In Area Program “works to maintain South Dakota’s rich hunting heritage by providing public hunting access to privately owned lands that contain valuable wildlife habitat. The landowner opens the land to free public hunting, (foot-traffic only) in exchange for a small payment and immunity from non-negligent liability.”

In South Dakota, the Walk-In Program currently has approximately 1.25 million acres of private land enrolled, thanks to partnerships with more than 1,400 landowners. Even though I have access to some outstanding private lands in South Dakota that are not enrolled in the Program, every deer season I spend considerable time pursuing turkeys and whitetails on various nearby Walk-In Areas. I visit these parcels because many of them offer tremendous hunting, and yet they don’t receive a lot of pressure.

Check out Barringer’s advice below. And kudos to those states that are working to expand their land-access offerings for DIY hunters from coast to coast.