yeah, but Fitz doesn't ever kill deer right? I thought he was only bird watching. I kid, I kid, I kid.
I hunt some public land that's right down the road from me. Luckily it's an archery only area, and it sees little to no activity once October 21st rolls around. That's when gun season starts and almost everyone around comes out. Deer activity actually picks up around that time every year over there too. Sent from my N9518 using Bowhunting.com Forums mobile app
Some of us are spoiled and have hundreds of acres of private land...and still hunt public. Gotta hunt where the gettin's good.
It's Corp. of Engineers land around the lake. I guess that's why it's archery only. It seems that all their land in GA is archery only. Sent from my N9518 using Bowhunting.com Forums mobile app
I agree. My buddy and I bought some land in 2010 that is actually almost devoid of wildlife. LOL! It's an hour away or maybe a tad more. I have 3 separate WMAs and one is archery only within 10 miles from me. Once in a blue moon I'll go to the one of the WMAs but really prefer to be on my land. I have a climber that's my favorite stand but already have 9 ladders or hangons already up on my property, can screw a bow holder into a tree and ride my atv. Also have cams out and what few deer are there I know where and when.
The WMA in my post above that is archery only is also TVA/Corp of Eng property as well. One reason I decided to venture out on public for the first time last year is all of our public is surrounded by water. One thing my personal property doesn't have is water. I have 9 feeders in off season and 3 good food plots but no water. We had a pond when we bought it and it has been SO dry and staying so hot so late into the season the pond is just an empty crater now. All my cam pics are between 12AM-->4AM. I hunted all thru Dec last year in my short sleeves and shorts with those leafy pants over them. Our season ends 1/4 so they don't start moving until late Jan-early Feb. THIS year we started having temps in the 40s and 50s in AUGUST and some days the high was in the 60s in AUGUST so I'm excited. I have pics of deer as early as 2pm in the afternoon.
A long time bud of mine started bow hunting Ohio public land a couple of years ago. he's been yelled at for setting up in "someone else's tree". My guess is he planted it as a youth? regardless, it anyone and everyone's tree regardless of what work you put into it. not sure i want to experence that sort of BS on a otherwise good day. he has lots of stories of down right rude "hunters". I can't say private is any better. I hunted all season last year and had one of the worst seasons to date in my 7 years of hunting. a few months ago, I found out that the land owner was allowing his cousins BF hunt it. that explains the markers, 4 wheeler tracks and cig buds all of the property.
Not so much on the Hushin boys. They did a high fence whitetail hunt in Texas last year, a high fence new Zealand Redstag/fallow deer hunt this year (and hunted chamois out of a helicopter), and they just last week did an outfitted whitetail hunt in KY.....they have gotten too big for their britches IMO...the public land stuff is getting less and less
That's too bad cuz a couple of their public land elk hunts in Utah were pretty cool. Sent from my iPhone using Bowhunting.com Forums
So am I understanding you correctly? Not only do you consider private land hunters to be less skilled than public land hunters, but you differentiate the skill of a public land hunter based on geography? Geeze my IQ must be diminishing fast...considering how I grew up in a deer wasteland and learned to hunt in the vast Appalachian national forest lands, then got dumber as I started hunting private land in my late teens, then my ability and work ethic as a hunter really took a hit when I picked up my life and moved to Indiana to hunt private land there for 7 years...and considering I then quit my job, made huge sacrifices, and moved my life and family to southern Iowa, where I now hunt only tracts of private land and some public (but not real public since its in Iowa), where I run 40 trail cameras, spend upwards of $10,000 a year on leases, food plots, tractor fuel, stands, etc and spend every spare second improving my farms, scouting, looking at pictures at strategizing, glassing, etc. Man I had no idea I was such a lazy hunter...It's a true wonder I can tie my shoes.
This is so true. While it's true a lot of public gets flooded with hunters, not all of it does. You have to be willing to travel to those places and go where access is a little harder or further. There are places I've hunted on public that I wonder if anyone has ever been there before. Some of the biggest bucks I've seen on stand have been on public land. Deer don't know boundary lines. They know where they want to be and they know intrusion. Finding a place where the first exists without the latter is the goal Sent from my iPhone using Bowhunting.com Forums
Full time now. Living the dream man I'm 100% spoiled in life I will admit. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Full time! Thats awesome buddy! I'm a retired police officer. My brother is a firefighter in Atlanta.
