We all have our little things we do....for example i will not shoot a doe until after i have a buck1st or rifle season arrives. What better natural attractant than the real thing? Why would I limit my chances at a nice buck by immediately reducing the natural ode de parfume making straight from the source? Just my thing. Super hard to hold true to when yhere were two big fatties less then 15yds from me...hold true to what works for you. Time and experience is what usually yields best results. Sent from my SM-G935R4 using Tapatalk
Son of a.....this guy....yesterday afternoon less than 20 yds broad side from my stand while i was working....this work thing is really interfering with my hunting life style Sent from my SM-G935R4 using Tapatalk
What a stud. That is the downfall of trail cams. I couldn't imagine having a wireless cam...I wouldn't get any work done. It is hard enough working when it is mid 40's out and you don't get done until 5pm. Sent from my XT1650 using Bowhunting.com Forums mobile app
I think theres a doe starting to peak some of the bucks interest.... saw this guy on camera messing with a younger buck &saw the younger buck sliding since interest in 1 particular doe. Im determined.... this will get done! Mark my words! Sent from my SM-G935R4 using Tapatalk
Its getting close Junior. Another 10 days or so and these bucks are gonna be on the prowl. We wait all year for this! Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk
I say Bring it! ...And wow was i tired when i posted last night! LOL Sent from my SM-G935R4 using Tapatalk
Good question/idea - this is going to be a lengthy response but it's challenged me to think about something I haven't given a great deal of consideration to. I think it's something I would like to try at some point in my life but with prime hunting land 5 minutes from my front door I just don't have a ton of motivation to put in the extra time. To answer your question though - we have a two really nice places of public land with-in about 20 minutes of of my house. One area is 2,600 of floodplain along the Wabash River - much of the best spots are only accessible by ATV or boat. The other is 2,100 acres of rolling grass land, reclaimed wooded mine property. For those of you that have hunted public land (in your experience) how does that amount of public land compare to what you hunt? How many hunters can 2,600 acres actually support? I don't know the answers to those questions - I do know that Indiana isn't a huge state in terms of square miles which leads me to believe that pressure and running into other hunters would be a big headache. So it's not lack of options. My hesitation to dive in head first is two fold: - Hunter per Acre ratio and Lack of time to commit to doing it the right way. I want to have scouted an area prior to the season and really want to have a reason for hunting in a given area. I don't want to be disrespectful to other hunters trouncing around in public land - looking for good sign - hang, hunt, tear down and repeat without having a good plan. I think people do that anyway and it's what really turns me off to public land. Those are kind of my thoughts and reasons for having not done so yet. Access is not the issue - my own brain is. At the end of the day maybe I probably lack the confidence necessary to go in and get the job done on public land. I'm not naive about my strengths and weaknesses as a hunter.
Great looking buck Junior!! We haven't heard from some of our team members in awhile. Who all will be in a deer stand in the next 5 days?
My past experience in hunting public land is, at least in WI, a majority of people are lazy. Bow hunting is alot of work and those two dont go together. If its similar to WI, you may be ok during bow season, but long gun seasons may be another story. Sent from my SM-G935R4 using Tapatalk
I hear you...about to start a 55 hour shift over the next four and half days. But Monday morning I'm getting after it!
I would scout this next off season. If you find the sign and it is away from other hunters, then I would hunt it. Once you see your first public land deer or buck your confidence will rise in hunting public land. The sign doesn't lie. And when in doubt, map scout an area and just hang and hunt.
I plan on getting out after work today for about an hour. I will be scouting/hunting some public I have never stepped foot on before. Sent from my XT1650 using Bowhunting.com Forums mobile app
Pressure is a relative figure no matter the size of the property. The public I hunt ranges from 10 acres all the way up to 6000+ acres. Here is what I look for: properties that have areas that are hard to access(steep hills, crossing water, etc) and properties that border managed private. I know this isn't very popular subject, but I like to hunt close to property lines. I will not shoot a deer across the property line if I don't have permission. Also, don't be afraid to hunt close to the road. It is a very overlooked spot on public. Scouting in the off-season is great, but I don't think there is a better time to scout than in season. Scout and look for fresh sign. If you find something fresh hunt it right then and if you don't find anything fresh keep moving. If you get tired of sitting on the couch, then get out and check out some public. What's the worst that could happen...you see nothing, but you may shoot a big old buck. Just my two cents. Sent from my XT1650 using Bowhunting.com Forums mobile app
Yeah I'm really not going to refute anything that you've suggested above. It's not something I've given enough consideration to be able to form a really good opinion one way or another as you can probably tell... This brief conversation has peaked my curiosity a little bit - I've never been afraid to put in extra effort or access some impossible spots on some private land that I've hunted in the past.
I've already forgotten about the buck I shot. I need more action. This buck/crack addiction is strong. Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk
Right! I better get something nice outta this....i let him hunt from MY fav stand this evening! Lol Sent from my SM-G935R4 using Tapatalk
