# Hunters per acre?



## SgtSlaughter (Oct 30, 2006)

My guideline that I set for my property was one person to every ~30 acres. The years before I owned it the ratio was one person to every ~19 acres and that just seemed too crowded.

I think the number of acres per hunter is pretty subjective based on the property itself.


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## Ferg (Dec 17, 2002)

2 on 20 - 

ferg....


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## wagoneer (Nov 22, 2004)

One thing you may want to keep in mind is how many deer the area has and how that will relate to your success. For example, some areas of NLP (my area included) are estimated at 25 deer per square mile. At that rate, you really only 'support' one deer on 30 acres 

(25 dr per sqmi/640 acre per sqmi)x 30 acres = 1.17 deer

That would equate to 2 hunters with a 50% success rate, but that would nearly clean the place out. Obviously deer are not evenly spread across land, so if you have a good bedding area, food sources, or are on a travel route you can beat the numbers.


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## KalamazooKid (Jun 20, 2005)

For me, 2 hunters on 48 acres max - especially if gun hunting. Bow hunting .... maybe 3.

As others have mentioned, you really have to obviously consider the safety issue but also how you're crowding the deer.


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## Ralph Smith (Apr 1, 2003)

I'd say 1 for every 20 acres, not that you could hunt more depending on lay of land, but if you get too many people in a area all the time, thats just too much scent from humans in an area and the deer will put the 2 together and change their patterns.


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## rvogel44 (Dec 30, 2006)

Thanks for all that replys! I now know I need to find more acres to buy or lease.


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## Gilbey (Oct 26, 2005)

Being in the UP must be pretty different. I have 40, and would only even think of maybe one other person.


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## TrekJeff (Sep 7, 2007)

Biggest thing is the lay of the land and where your shooting zones are. If you have valleys and hill tops you can safley place more hunter than over flat land. We hunt 6-7 on our 40, but it's full of hills and valleys. We place stands at the corners facing away from center and two others over looking some nice valley funnels.
If everyone needed thier own 30 acres per person half of the hunters in the state wouldn't be hunting...then again there's always state land...hahaha


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## 1fife (May 7, 2001)

What is ideal and what can you do-are two different Q's

what can you do
1 for every 10 

what is ideal
1 per 20


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## Sam22 (Jan 22, 2003)

the particular parcel I hunt, we junt 4 or five, on 220 (or maybe it's more). If it was my land.. I would do one per 40, over crowding sucks.


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## Ole Spike (Nov 22, 2004)

30 to 40 acres per hunter. Any more than that makes me nervous, and I'm not a nervous type guy.


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## Anderson (May 17, 2005)

There are 6 hunters with in 120 acres and that makes me nervous. Any wounded deer and tracking screws up the other hunters as well as the leave @ 10, return @ 2 crowd. We also have 8 hunters on 1500 acres and thats heaven as far as hunter density. Now if the deer density was the same.....


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## swampbuck (Dec 23, 2004)

ahhhh..... the joys of private property.

among our group of public land hunters the spacing is about a half mile.


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## trailboss (Jan 24, 2003)

I almost feel guilty, I have 18 acres at home but I give that to a friend and I go to the UP where I have about 2 square miles with only me on it.


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## donahue5668 (Sep 25, 2007)

we have 60 acres. 4 stands 1 tripod, but only me and my uncle hunt it sometimes my dad. I wouldnt want anymore out there


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## vans (Jan 26, 2006)

Average deer population per sq. mile is around 20 deer, this is a managed goal so populations WILL vary, I figure 640 acres in a square mile and depending on your habitat you may be hunting 1.50 deer on your 30 acres, 

1.50 deer= 1 doe and yearling 
Guns, ammo, stands etc-3-5000.00
Getting away from the house-PRICELESS


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## dcure2002 (Nov 8, 2007)

As has already been said, depends on the lay of the land. But I have always been told a good rule of thumb for rifle hunting is no more than 1 per 10 acres with a perfect layount. so 3


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