Locating deer on public land When i was younger i hunted with my father (who is really not a good hunter) on private leases where all you do is supply the equipment and they supply the deer. Well due to financial struggles over the past few years we have had to move into public areas and i have gotten more and more interested in hunting. Bow hunting especially. Well over the past 3 years in public land I've hunted under my father's supervision i guessed you could say. Where he picked out everything and i just showed up. Well since I'm of age now i would really like to go out on my own and find my own deer but am unsure where to start. Any tips on locating east texas deer? Stand placement? Food sources? How to find bedding areas? Etc.
If you're serious about becoming a good hunter, you need to learn. There's a lot of instinct involved, but the good news is all you need to know is on his forum. Read articles. Ask questions. This site helped me start bow hunting with almost zero experience. Everyone here loves to help. People might seem annoyed if you ask common questions that have been asked a lot, so search precious threads before you ask an easy one. But don't hesitate to ask. We love to help. Makes us feel like we're giving back, and also we remember when we learned and the fun and mystery of learning to hunt. Learn about deer, plants, tracking, mammals, birds, weather...it all helps you "sense" a good spot to hunt. Trail cameras are your friend. I know you said money's tight but they are an enormous and relatively cheap advantage. Get basic bow hunting gear. Do not buy top of the line stuff. You don't need it. Get out in the woods as much as you can and don't worry about screwing up. It will help you learn and its part of the fun.
Oh and as far as public land hunting goes...90% of hunters hunt within 100 yards of a road. Go deeper, farther, higher. Use cameras, topographic maps and aerial photos. Read the book, "mapping trophy bucks"
my approach is to identify the public areas within your travel range, then drive around them to get a sense of where the deer may be. do some scouting to look for tracks and other sign. figure other hunters may use the area and most will likely hunt closer to the road...so all things being equal, deeper may be better and to reiterate an earlier post don't tell anyone what you find. Cameras are very useful however they tell other people you are hunting the area and I've found the red glow will deter deer after a while. there are videos out there where large deer have turned around on a trail and went back the way they came when they saw a camera. Even does will stop visiting an area where I've had a red glow camera set up. So I would use some discretion in setting up a camera. I've not tried the blackout cameras yet but plan to this year in the hopes of minimizing impact on deer. Also I would not put a camera right where I planned to hunt but on fringe areas to getr a sense of what is in the are without busting your ambush sight. that's my 2 cents.
Welcome aboard and good luck! My advice would be first and most importantly scent control even when scouting. When hunting public land you should definitely walk it and look for deer trails, scrapes, rubs and bedding areas. Try to hunt a spot that has the most deer signs. Start out with the goal of killing a couple of mature does. Killing big bucks will come with time.
As mentioned go further back into the woods. Google earth a GPS and scouting cameras are good. Do a lot of scouting get to know the area your hunting. Mark trails bedding areas and such on your GPS then you can check things out on google earth to get a larger overhead picture.
I don't see where you are located, so this may not apply to your situation. I just picked up a gps and Onxmaps. It is awesome and has already kept me from inadvertently trespassing. Here in MT that is a big deal. It shows public and private land boundaries, as well as who owns the land. It is worth it's weight in gold to me.
I hunt 95% public land, scouting is key. as someone else said most public land hunters will stay close to main roads and hiking trails. maps are a great tool. learn the lay of the land using google maps then get your feet on the ground.. find trails, bedding areas, stay out of the bedding areas.. that is very important. there area few good videos on you tube on how to scout public land, feel free to ask questions
