I'm posting this question in relation to the recent post about consistency, talent etc. For those of us who are not fortunate to have our own land to hunt, I pose this question to successful public hunters. What are your top 5 reasons you are successful hunting public land? We all know that the amount of public hunters that are hunting the area can have a big effect on the deer. Are they careful about their scent, do they hunt the wind etc. If you are a successful public hunter what helped make you successful? Hanging a camera on public land is not always an option for the fear of them being stolen, we are left to follow tracks, rubs and scrapes. I could be totally off on some of this but I'm interested in everyones thoughts as we all go about it differently. Keep in mind I'm asking this to help other new bow hunters like myself and public hunters. I'm not asking you to post your trade secrets or anything like that, I just want to learn as much as possible and to help make myself and other new hunters more successful.
Go deep, be careful as you do play the wind and keep your scent down, theres always that joe shmo who has his last cigarette before he heads into the woods and his scent will push the deer deep that being said get there EARLY AS POSSIBLE try hard to not use a flashlight on your way in. and my last tip is if youve been hunting that public land for many seasons you might already know where the deer will end up, just go further to get the older smarter bucks, they didnt get old by staying with the younger less intellegent "groups" in addition to the last tip, if youve never hunted the peice of property in the past talk to other hunters they share alot of information in a good conversation. and go the extra mile with scouting you can never gather enough intel. its just like the military every small peice of the puzzle adds to something greater the more info you have the more detailed your painting will come out, if that makes sense. good luck!
A good portion of my big bucks came off public land. My answer here is the exact same as the other thread.
I believe the majority of public land hunters don't work at it much. They go the short distance and begin to hunt. I am fortunate to have tons of quality public land to hunt in Missouri. I scout hard and am not afraid to hunt a long ways from where I park. Also, I spend time prepping spots for a climber or hang on with sticks and mark with a bright light tack for morning. This is all done far in advance of season. Most people believe public land is not good hunting. I know plenty of people that will walk all over & hunt 200 acres of private ground but won't give the thousands of acres of public a chance. It's better to scout the best spots on these large chunks and hunt according to wind, cover, time of year, etc. My camera work on public land is very little. I am planning on changing this in the upcoming year by quite a few cameras in a public area I spending a lot of time on this year. That's where I need improvement.
I take more deer off public land than some do on private. First and foremost go deep. My best spots are a good walk in. No interruptions from people hiking, atv, etc. If your worried about getting a camera stolen then your not far enough. Don't get me wrong you can and will take deer close to the car but to be consistent and uninterrupted you need to go deeper in. Obviously scouting is important and I choose to use trail cameras to help. Trust me if you find a good spot far back no one will steal it. I know where about the deer will be from past years the cameras are for inventory and to pin point trails. I used to hunt closer to road/trail but after October 1 St the deer know better. Plus I had a guy come walking past me"slow stalking" more than once. I need to get away from all that so I go deeper in.
I agree on the deeper in the better, so far for my first season I've been out a few times and my stand it pretty far out. I do think I can go deeper in and closer to the river. I've learned so much this year and if I get a deer great but I'm already formulating my plans for next year for cameras etc. so I can get myself on as many deer as I can. The advice you guys are all giving is great and I and hopefully others will put it to good use!
I'm just curious about the whole "go deep" thing. IF that was simply the case, wouldnt everyone just go deeper & ensure themselves of a big buck? What about places where there is no "going deeper" because then your are coming out the opposite side?
Yep. The one public land place I hunted had as many people back as far away from the parking lot as you could get, as it did close to the parking lot. I found deer by going about halfway in.. but in thick stuff no one else wanted to hunt in. So, if I had one 'tip' it would be.... Be flexible.
Quiet entry / exit is huge as always, play the wind, find how the deer escape other hunters, and of course go deep :D Sent from my ADR6300 using Tapatalk 2
Agreed with going deep. When I hunt public land the other hunters in there bring their climbers and go a max 50 -75 yards straight in and come straight out. When I was scouting I didn't find any real deer sign till I was at least a 1/4 of a mile in. The other hunters basically stopped where all the thorns started growing. If you get through the thorns you find deer highways. Deer sign everywhere and I doubt any of these guys realize this so once again go deep into those woods if your worried about losing your way bring the reflector tacks with you they work awesome at night and early morning.
I get to know my area very well, cut shooting lanes and get in my stand quiet , and early to avoid someone taking an area I am trying to hunt. I have before put up signs at trail entrance stating hunting in progress. This helps anyone from walking or riding a bike thru area. Always be mindful of scent control but if its public land deer are a little more tolerant of human scent since in close contact.
That about sums it up. I hunt NJ and its packed on state land. you just gotta go farther then the rest of the hunters
Hunt Public land here in Wisconsin and love it.. But to go along with what most people say is getting as far back into the land as you can.. Away from any other hunters and also off roads!
Extensive scouting is a must. Scout and walk your tail off. Also, look for hunter sign as much as deer sign. Escape routes can be good. Also, I wouldnt necessarily say to go deep(although that helps sometimes), but look for out of the way places. There is always some places that look too"ugly" for people to hunt. These are the places you should investigate. And. I have killed several good bucks on public land in mid day. People leave to eat lunch and then come back a couple hours before dark. There is a chance they could push one to you if your still in stand. Hunt hard and hunt smart. Good luck.
I don't see the pressure on the public land I hunt that some of you do, except during gun season, which I don't hunt. I "go deep" meaning 3/4 or a mile to 1.5 miles. It is a very difficult hike (for me) in fairly rough terrain, and this time of the year it is a beating! Yesterday I left the truck at 6:00 am and it was 75 degrees. When I got out late in the day it was 92! I'm convinced it's the thing to do so I do it. I'm at the back of the area that backs up to a state park where no hunting or access is allowed during hunting season. I never see anyone there (not many as foolish as I am apparently) and I use trail cameras when I feel it is necessary. One thing that I started doing is putting trail cameras out after the season closes in January. I can then see what made it through the season but it takes some commitment as the areas are 100 and 135 miles away from my home. My buddy sees more deer 1/8 to 1/2 mile back in the same area than I do but I keep telling myself I'm going to get a big one in the "deep" part of the area. At my age, it had better happen soon or he's going to have company! :D The few tips I have are simple: Scout in the off season (walk and cameras), look at maps, lots of maps, and keep notes. Talk to game wardens, biologists, mail carriers or anyone who frequents the area. Finally, hunt with a partner who will share in these efforts. Two are better than one...especially when the dragging begins. :D
The ground I public hunt doesn't leave much room to "go deep"...but once you learn to play the other hunters, then you find where the deer are. Look for the areas where others are and plan your strategy around them. If they are coming in the wrong way for the wind bust your hump to the other side and get set. They push deer to me all the time.
I am very lucky that a 8,000 acre, archery only rec area is only 20 minutes away! I have learned every inch of it through scouting, mostly during the season. Just this last weekend after hunting one of my treestands til about 11 am, I scouted and jumped a mature buck from his bed at 25 yards! I had a hunch about this place from last season because I found beds hidden next to a blowdown which fell next to a steep rock ledge. I found only 2 ways this buck is coming to this spot so I left a trailcam and setup a natural blind. I have a few of these spots that I scout each season, and if I find a mature buck using it, I start to hunt them. But my best advice for public land is to hunt and scout all day. Hunting pressure is the biggest variable and dictates where deer will be found.
RYBO.... Going deep into the woods does not ensure a big buck. Most guys hunt arent goint to walk 30+ minutes to hunt. And if they are they will most likely be right off a main trail. When you walk through the woods you will see trees with climber marks, tacks, reflective tape, etc. Continue to walk and eventually you will find less human sign and more deer sign. When I do hunt closer in sometimes ill see people walking dogs, people on horses, hunters walking in at 7- 8 am, etc. I have had deer coming in and have them spooked more than once. Id rather walk a little more and know Im the only guy back there. I dont have to lock up my stands or my cameras. I enjoy my hunts and I see more deer. The op asked about consistency and I can say that finding my "own" spots far back has helped my success. Going in and going out is probably the most important thing. It took me a long time to really get the entrance/exsit down. If your kicking up deer every time you walk in you have to come in from a different direction. If you get twisted up you need more reflective tacks. When I first started hunting a particular property I hunted close to the trail. Although I took deer my hunts were sometimes interrupted. I would move in deeper and deeper until I got pretty far back. Its funny because the more comforatable I get il go a little deeper. I took my buddy with my for a morning hunt and he was like WTF. He said he wouldnt even go back there if he had it tacked out himself lol. Im not saying tomorrow go walk 40 minutes into the woods. Im saying get to know the area well and try to get a beat on the deer movement and when your comforatable find a spot that is untouched. Trust me you will know when you find it. You will find funnels, trails, rubs, Fresh sign,etc. Youll say this is looking sweet and then you will look up and see "THE TREE". If your hunting an area that there is no going deeper because you will come out the other side so be it. Sometimes those small patches hold the biggest bucks. However I find that there usually within 500 feet of a house or there posted.
Truth be told...people are lazy, for one and add dragging a deer out of the thickest deepest portions to the mix and most hunters will vere away from the idea altogether. but youre right there are situations like that, and i hunt an area like that as well, i find hidden gem areas and try patterning how they react to hunters coming in in the mornings. if its a small tract of land i simply look for the thickest cover and start there
I hunted P.L. in South Carolina almost exclusively. I killed 16 deer in 4 seasons (all bucks except one doe.) My best was a 138 gross eleven point with a lot of deductions that I shot within 200 yards of the road. I later killed a nice heavy beamed 6 point only about 75 yards from the same road. Why were they there? That is always my question. They had food, shelter, cover, open areas and bedding areas, all right there... and a private green field right across the road. Deep or close, wherever you hunt, find a place that remains largely undisturbed by other hunters. My favorite stand from which I think I shot 8 or 9 bucks was in a rattlesnake haven in which even the biologists wouldn't go. It had a little pond in the middle of a pine thicket with live oak trees growing around it that seemed to produce acorns every year. Plus it had a lot of muscadines which the deer love. I just waited for them to show up. Of course I was usually on my own when I had to track a deer but snakes don't bother me much. They timbered that spot my last season there and messed it all up.
