As the time gets closer, I'm doing more research for my upcoming hunt. The best research so far was taking a trip back to Illinois for a wedding a couple weeks ago. The picture below is what it looks like from the plane. I've watched plenty of hunting shows from back east, but until I was able to get my own visual I really couldn't grasp it and my 10-year-old brain wasn't interested in hunting the last time I stepped foot in the state.
I know Illinois has farms, but there are literally farms EVERYWHERE! I think the farms are absolutely beautiful in their own right, but there are very few areas that allow public hunting and then there can be a waiting list, areas where only so many people are allowed into at a time, etc. Yuck! I knew right away that wasn't for me. Our plan is to hunt down south in Shawnee National Forest. It's some very pretty country and I look forward to being a part of it.
This is where I was pretty shocked. I thought Shawnee looked big on a paper map, but here's the details:
Shawnee Natl Forest - 280,000 acres
Coconino Natl Forest - 1,856,000 acres
Tonto Natl Forest - 2,873,200 acres
Shawnee National Forest is the BIGGEST public land area in the state and it is still intermingled with private land throughout.
I for one am happy that Arizona has so much open space for outdoor enthusiasts. I know we all have complaints at times, but if you look at the alternative, we have it pretty darn good here as far as public access to large swaths of land.
I've got maps to order ASAP!