This year I am only going to be able to hunt on public land (no land owners said yes) and this will be my first time. I need a lot of help if I want to kill something. Any tips and/or tactics would help me a lot. So tell me all you know.
Start off by researching online. I don't know where you are from, but in MN the DNR website has the public hunting lands on a map called the Recreation Compass. You can find all the different spots, and then the map can be either a color coded map or satellite imaging. Each parcel then has a short description talking about the type of cover etc. Start with something like that, then go with boots on the ground.
I recently lost permission as well, so will be doing mostly public this year. Check out Dan Infalt's website: The Hunting Beast - Index page It's full of info on public land strategies. Also, I recommend his videos, which are cheap enough, and have a lot of good information. As far as how to hunt a piece of public ground, definitely use the web for satellite imaging, topographical information, etc. Consider getting away from the crowds. Go deep, stay downwind, and hunt funnels. Around my area, we have some hilly terrain. I look on Google Earth for drainages. I look for drainage cuts that cut into a hillside, thereby preventing deer from crossing much of that hillside. They are forced to walk up to the head of the ravine. This can be a killer funnel to hunt. There is almost always a heavy deer trail at the tops of ravines. Other good spots include areas where ponds or swamps neck down an area (i.e. they force deer to walk around them, which concentrates deer movement). Other great spots are where a several ridges meet, or where a long continuous ridge has a dip in it (a saddle). Also, bucks will often walk the downwind edge of heavy cover, scent checking all of it for does. I frequently position myself on the downwind edge of thickets, where there is also a funnel of some kind (like a field corner, or a pond, or a drainage cut). It has paid off well over the years. Oh, and don't walk where you expect a big buck to be. He'll pick up your scent at night and steer clear during the day. The other thing that is more important than anything else I wrote, is to get in there in the springtime and check all these spots for yourself. You should be scouting more than you are hunting, in my opinion. You'll kill more that way.
Been lucky enough to not hunt a lot of public land. However cable lock your tree cams for security and do a lot of scouting. Like they said, Google earth is good for "couch scouting" prior to going out. At least you have an idea of what the area looks like. Department of Forestry may have some topo maps on-line too.
Being the first one in the parking lot, going deep and being the last one to leave the lot has always worked for me. I usually just stay out all day even if its early or late season. That means your going to need a comfortable stand. I always like to walk the property lines. You can usually see where deer are coming and going from private to public. You might even find some crop fields or food plots right off of public ground on the private. Don't forget about how your going to get one out. You'll need a cart or something. Good Luck!
Find the thickest cover you can and hunt the as close to it as you can. Go in deep but also don't ignore the areas right near the road that are thick. Most hunters walk right past these spots and never bother with them. Around Halloween start hunting during the middle of the day more often. I like to sit from daylight till about 2-3 o'clock. Afternoons don't seem to be as good on the public I hunt. I think the deer figured out theres more human traffic during the afternoons.
As said google earth and some topo maps. Look at what's going on across the property line as that will affect deer on the wma. Deer don't see the fence as a barrier. Some hunters don't either. I also wouldn't leave anything out you can't stand to part with. I'm going to hang 2 sets on WMA's this year.
I like to use bing maps with google earth because bing has a birds eye view option. It seems to be taken from a plane or something, but the view is different and gives you a much better idea what the land looks like. also, I live in MN and the DNR here provides an add-on to google earth for all the WMA's which is really nice when scouting from my desk.
Think 'thick & nasty' and set up on well-used trails/edges nearby. Hunt the wind, or not at all. Don't hammer the same set-up/area too frequently. And don't be afraid to relocate your stand(s) to where you're seeing movement. *Little tip: these places aren't always long hikes in. I have a dandy of a public thicket spot that's less than 80 yards from the road. If you can locate a water-hole or oak grove near good, thick cover -hunt it! (especially during the early season). Good luck!
get mobile, get light, and have a Plan B and Plan C-E if you can. As others said, be the first in and last out if you can. Hunt in bad weather. Go easier on the calls and rattling (let others move the deer around. Be the quiet spot in the woods.) I've been hunting public land for at least part of most every season for the past 20 years. Most of what I learned has been the hard way (ie learning what DOESN'T work.)
Best thing you can have hunting public land is a positive attitude. No matter what, there are always deer present, even with very heavy pressure. Maintain your optimism and drive to succeed.
there is a thing on google earth that shows you Walk in only hunting areas open to public. These areas wont be on public maps and really not too many people know about
Think outside the box......if a spot looks great and is a classic spot, well you can bet that there will be 15 other hunters with the same mindset and set up in that area. I have a buddy who hunted public land and went out into the middle of the tall (6-8 ft) swamp grass and red willows. No trees for a stand, and the grass was too tall for a ground blind, so he hauled a 10 foot step ladder out there, set up next to some red willows and shot a nice 140 inch buck.
