I read somewhere about public lands in the US and to my understanding anyone can go there and hunt and fish within season? If this is so, that sounds great. But what about camping, picking fruits and berries and so on?
Each state will have a version of Department of Natural Resources. I live in Ohio, so mine is ODNR http://www2.ohiodnr.gov/ A lot of your questions can be answered here, but it will vary in details by state. There are many, many parks and state lands, There are also private property (such as the Meade Paper property, one of the largest) that are open for hunting. There are seasons when hunting, and gathering can be done, but there are restrictions you must follow for things such as Ginseng. (And many parks have further rules just for that park) Not sure as to fruits and berries, so check the regulations for the state you want to do it in. If you are from out of state, your permits/tags/ licence fees will be higher. In some states, much higher. You can get hunting and fishing info mailed to you with a request, or a simple phone call. They are good about answering questions. If I can assist you, let me know.
Fishing is regulated heavily in the state I live in, but one only has to worry about being fined and harassed on the State Game Lands, where the rangers will spy on you and sometimes shoot you or just fine you if you are lucky...all kidding aside, pre-9/11 they used to just politely nod and check your catch if they suspected you were doing something you were not. Today, well...we're all criminals and potential terrorists in the eyes of all law enforcement. Licensing has gone up in price steadily, it continues to cost more to fund more gun toting ticket givers. I fish locally or on private land. We don't even need a license on private land. Hunting is far more complicated, with many procedures and rules --it takes a while to absorb it all. Luckily, if a parent gets their kid into hunting early, by the time they are old enough to hunt alone they have most of the rules memorized. Then, there's the average hunter crowd who might shoot you by accident, mistaking you for a deer. It happens pretty much every season. That's always a bonus. Archery hunting is more interesting, not as many hunters. Maybe because it isn't as easy and you have to be close enough to actually verify your target and all. You know. Be sure to always tag your deer IMMEDIATELY or you will get into quite a bit of trouble. To summarize: fishing and hunting is over-regulated and expensive, but it can still be fun. For some people.
The short answer to your question is yes we can use public lands as they are owned by the "people" and not any one man. Camping in the western US on public lands is permitted with rules varying by the agency controlling that land. We have improved camp grounds that are fee and reservation based which have all the fixin's with services such as a toilet, some with showers and so on. Here in Washington we can use an online reservation system to pick out your favorite campground, sometimes particular ones can be booked out for the summer, months in advance and almost impossible to access without long range reservations. We do a family and friends camp up around the NW peninusla and make our reservations about a year in advance for 15 slots or so... As @kellory said, DNR, national forest, national parks and so on have specific rules about back country camping, food and fire wood harvesting, hunting, fishing and so on which can be easily found out in advance. Open fires are a big issue out here and considering the season and fire threat.... fire pits may not be allowed. Which for the unprepared may hinder their food preparation. As @Brokor said it is heavily regulated and patrolled which can be a good thing to check those that should not be in the great outdoors. Fines can be stiff up to jail, weapons confiscation and so on for taking of game without permit or out of season. And there is nothing worse than taking a hike to a high mountain lake then to find a pile of garbage from someone to discourteous to haul out their trash. Those folks need to be fined and flogged!! If you get into some prime hiking areas in places like Californication, watch out for the back woods grow operations- which usually will shoot first if they don't get you with trail booby traps.... but that is a rare issue, but one to be mindful of when tramping around unknown regions. Get over here and try it out...there is some amazing back country to discover!!
One other thing that comes to mind, There may be special requirements for those who are not Citizens. Please check all laws, With DNR, they have a legal department to make sure you enjoy your hunting, camping, hiking (we have some kick-butt trails), fishing, without a mis-step that might ruin your trip. And I agree, please clean up after yourself. (I carry a plastic trashbag in my hunting pack, and it often has stuff in it when I leave, that I did not bring with me.)
There are hunting lodges all over the country, some specially equipped to deal with foreign interests. I think that might be a great route since carrying a firearm elsewhere may be very difficult or illegal for a non-citizen, in most if not all states. They could set you up with the information and the gun I bet. I am not 100% sure, but I imagine this can be done.
Might also be worth looking into places that have wild boar problems or overpopulations of deer. I'm very curious what free range bacon tastes like...
If anyone takes an interest in hunting here in the west, there can be special restrictions in some areas for out of state hunters. Some areas you would be required to hire a guide to take you out. There are areas that are extremely challenging and primitive. Can be well worth it..
In Alaska, any "BIG Game" REQUIRES a Licensed Guide for non-Residents, or a Blood Relative, who is a Resident of the State of Alaska, to be your Guide, anywhere in the State. Non-Residents are also REQUIRED to have both a State Hunting License, and the Appropriate Game Tags, for the animals they Kill. The License and Tags are NOT cheap, and neither are the Guides. ........ and Monkey Brothers do NOT count....
And we see why I dribble so little on these pages as BTPost presents things much better than I. Smilling!!!!
"Public lands" encompasses a lot of different levels of govt managed lands. There are national parks and monuments like Mt Rainier and Yosemite where the is no hunting, limited fishing and more restricted camping. State and county parks are usually smaller and have similar restrictions. Then there are national forests, BLM, state and county forests. These generally have the least restrictions and is where most Western hunting takes place.
