Is a public land kill more satisfying to you than a private land kill?

Your right that there is some public land thats better than private I more or less interpreted the question as pressured versus non pressured. My skills are what they are and I really dont care if I take a deer on public or private land I'd be just as satisfied either way. But if you take the same piece of land theres no way you could convince me that it wouldnt be easier to take a deer who has been lightly pressured ( read private) than it would be to take the same deer that had been heavily pressured (public). You seem to assume that all public land hunters have access to these lightly pressured public hunting grounds that are better than private, while it is true anyone can hunt them location, family, work etc. doesnt allow them to. I don't pass judgement on anyone for there success or lack thereof wether they hunt public or private and I dont make excuses I know what I expect out of a hunt and thats enough for me.

 

"Pressure" is the "key" on any land. No matter public or private when dictating a hunters odds.

 

I agree with Ben. I have never considered one or the other to be an important aspect of my hunts.

If a guy hunts a 40 acre piece of public land along side of 37 other hunters for the sole purpose of making his hunt more challenging, I say he needs his head examined. He's hunting for the wrong reason.

 

For the last several years my uncle and I have tagged out on turkeys on public land. I even took a buddy or 2 for their first bird. Now out of 25 or so birds all of them were longbeards except 3 if I remember correctly. Somehow the land sold 2 years ago and now a subdivision is sitting right on "Thunder Ridge".

This year I hunted 99% private land (small tract surrounded by heavy pressure). I hunted like a mad man, had some close calls and finally killed 1 longbeard for the year. Those birds get hammered everyday of the year, as the adjoining club is all police and firefighters and someone has a day off everyday with their group.

I really wish I had my public land back.

some guys brag a public land kill without all the details, kind of like a pron star bragging he gets it more than you with out telling you where he works.

 

The pride I feel in my deer is proportionate to the work I put in. Not where it was killed or how it compares to others. I have to side with Duke, Buckeye and Ben on this one.

 

Yes because you don't just have to beat the deer you have to beat the other hunters.. I use them to funnel the deer,,Here are two of my best..

 

I view that I am blessed with every opportunity I get to hunt and be out in the woods, whether I take a deer or not.

I have done well on public land. I put in my time and scout to the best of my ability. I'm always adapting to a variety of ever changing conditions and I do my best to place myself in a favorable location for each hunt. I do enjoy both the opportunities and the additional challenges public land has to offer.

Whether you hunt public, private, or a mix of the two...I say hunt well, respect all, and enjoy your time in the woods.

 

I like someone else on this thread, hunt military land and it is a huge pain in the ass, with that being said I agree with just about everyone on here. that there is a gray area and some public lands are better than some private land. Also, it really is what you put into a hunt that makes it that much more rewarding.

 

public land kills mean more, but to be honest here where I hunt my public land hunts better than my private.

 

Public Vs Private
Very grey area here for sure! I choose to hunt private due to cost of travel and gas prices. So bow hunting has allowed me to hunt close to home as Shed and Will, will attest to when they were here. Most of my hunting properties are with in 15 minutes of my house here in the big city of Edmonton. This is for Moose and Whitetail's and Mulie's.
Now to hunt public property I need to travel at least 60 miles and that is usually close to a tank of gas there and back @ $80.00 a pop! Those trips I leave for my Elk and moose and Antelope hunts. So now you know why I choose to hunt private ,mainly the cost for me,if I had the choice I would stay close to home as both the cost and taste of the game I shoot close to home is better. Specially in the Moose and the deer because they are almost all grain fed and in my public land hunts ,man you can get some crazy tasting Moose and deer as they tend to browse a lot on what they have as food sources.
So bad tasting that most people choose not too and make sausage out of it . So my choice would be to hunt Private to public. don't get me wrong though,I love a great hunt in totally public land and unchartered ground like anyone else.
Rocky

 

Yes
Yes
and Yes.

I had killed three deer on private land last year and had helped others kill 2 more so I decided to hunt some public bow hunting only area. I killed a 7 pointer on my first sit in the first 5 minutes of shooting light. There was a lot of luck to it but my scouting from 2 years earlier led me to the right spot.

 

I have never really thought about it much,,The public I hunted years ago really didnt have much pressure as well as the private I now hunt. So I see not much difference myself. The woods I hunt now is what I consider a BIG woods, its private but figuring out where and how to get a Gagger within shootign distance is a chore in its self, takes alot of scouting and work. In other words, it dosent feel private, besides there are still other guys on the lease with me that im working around!

 

The thing that draws me to the public is.....anyone on this forum, anyone in the world for that matter could have climbed the same tree I climbed last year and killed the same buck I killed. If I hunted privet...that wouldn't be the case.

I can also run the numbers to see how well I''m doing....

2004.....989 bow hunters....6 bucks killed...I killed one.
2005....1051 bow hunters...8 bucks killed...I killed one.
2006....1236 bow hunters..11 bucks killed..I killed one.
2007....2018 bow hunters...6 bucks killed...I killed one (year of the EHD)
2008....1493 bow hunters...8 bucks killed...I killed one.
2009....1536 bow hunters...9 bucks killed....I killed one.

Knowing that I hunted the same exact land with 8,323 other guy's...with a total of 48 bucks killed and I killed 6 of them lets me know I must be doing something right. To be perfectly honest, it makes me feel good!!!! If I hunted privet I couldn't compare what I do to anything....especially if I'm the only one thats hunts it.

 

Pretty impressive Grizz! Those buck numbers seem pretty low is that just P&Y bucks harvested?

 

Another good post Josh... and that's what makes me proud of my public-land, DIY kills as well... in fact, there's a lot of mornings I pull into my parking spot beside a truck from Georgia or Arkansas or wherever...

 

Its a big woods setting with 8 to 10 deer per square mile on 15,000 acers.....thats any buck with a 15 inch spread. If you counted P&Y, about 15 of the 48 bucks would have made it....5 out of 6 I killed would make it.

 

Like I've always said... if you'd write a book or make a DVD, I'd buy it.

 

What he said! Thats impressive

 

I have/see more competition or pressure on private land wether it be posted or unposted then I do on public. I agree... it has more to do with the specific piece of property and hunter's mindset.

Our public land in my area is treeless and you can't legally bait on it. That wipes out 99% of the bowhunters in my area from hunting it. I have it all to myself for most of the hunting season.

The argument doesn't hold true here.

Tim