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

This !!!

Tim

 

You nailed it. Many hunters forget that most private land is heavily hunted as well. Not only can private be heavily hunted, but it is often times small and allows other hunters to drive in .
If not for an equipment malfunction, I would have likely killed the biggest buck of my life 2 years ago on public ground. That is after over 20 years of hunting primarily private.
You still can't beat a decent sized piece of private ground with little human disturbance.

 

Public land is different in every state. I know hunters that hunt public in other states and never see another hunter. I have never hunted public land in MI were you didn't have plenty of company. Could be upland bird hunters, squirrel hunters, rabbit hunters, other deer hunters, hikes, cross country skiers, etc.

There is some public land here that doesn't receive as much pressure, I've just never hunted it. Not close to home, and not worth the drive. By far the biggest advantage of private land in MI is pressure.

 

Yes I think that a mature public land buck is a lot better than a private land buck

 

I enjoy harvesting mature deer on public grounds WAY more with my children. There's just so much more of a challenge, and to pass on bucks for two to three years and then harvest them on a piece of public ground is just all the sweeter to me and my sons!
I'm not a big fan of outfitters or leased land either but thats just me. I like to kill an animal for the price of the tag and I like to do it on public ground all around the country! What I like the best is finding hunting spots right up against place that lease or own up a bunch of ground that put bait/food plots in and that sort of stuff "things are deer magnets"and then calling/rattling a big old buck off the place up over the fence and wackin it!
Each to his own thou, have a great fall!

Here are some of my public land critters from the past 10 years or so.

 

My public land kills mean more to me because everybody had the same opportunity at those deer that I did. There is a good bit of pressure here in central PA which makes it interesting as well.

 

For me, I've always felt a great sense of accomplishment when I killed a deer on public land. The adventure and challenge of hunting land that anyone can hunt on is exciting.

 

With what I've seen with whitetails It really depends on the area. There's public land out there that's better then any private land I've hunted. When I used to hunt In Wisconsin we hunted In some kick ass public land. Much better then any private land I've ever hunted. In North Dakota where my dad and brother have hunted on public land the bucks their were awesome and much better then anything here on the private land we hunt on. Like I said, It really depends on the area. I do hunt some public land for whitetails around my home but It's nothing special. I'll take my private land I hunt here any day of the week.

The public land I hunt bear on has some awesome genetics when It comes to bear. Everyone else knows It too as there's people everywhere. Your not only trying to fool the bear but your also trying to out do the other bear hunters that are close to you (with In 100 yards, sometimes closer). This bear hunting Is a huge challenge where I hunt so when we score on a bear It's a job well done.

 

Excellent post there Duke and Ben!!

 

I do like this aspect of DIY public land hunts...that and only paying the costs of tag to hunt.

But mostly - public land just means more acreage and room to roam - where as private ground around me means VERY small parcels (I'd guess most guys average less than 40 acres they have access to hunt for private).

 

I would tend to agree. It is a much greater sense of accomplishment to kill on public land. I'm also weary of leaving my stand in the woods so every trip is a chore as I like to get as far from the roads as possible. That means lugging gear a long way and dragging deer a long way back... But well worth it.

 

we have some nice public land in our area coverd in deer i really enjoy hunting it i seen some nice bucks on it last one of my friends killed a 130 class 10 on public land there great for bow hunting!!!!!

 

5575, aren't you really "hunting'' private ground when you're hunting public/private borders?

 

Don't hunt that way all the time Ben, but sure do whenever I get a chance to thats for sure! They're sucking the deer of the public stuff with thier bait plots so I'm just calling them back home lol!

 

I hunt both, But I got some real good public ground right down the street. 30,000 acres of managed land. a month of bow hunting, bucks must have 8 points. And they do have a few 3 day gun hunts. but most of deer season its closed. It also has a few bears and hogs

 

For me, taking a buck off my own 40 acres gives me the most pride. I know that I have put in a bunch of work to make it happen. I haven't hunted public land much, but I do plan on giving it a shot this season. I have about 3300 acres of public land just about 3 miles from the house.