I am a 100% Public land Hunter myself. I have not set foot on private land in over 12 years. I like the beauty, challenge, and quiet that you get with public land. I too do not enjoy hearing cars dogs people I hear enough of that through the week. I hunt one track that is 51,000 acres and one track that is 510,000 acres. I use lone wolf products for this reason. I have an alpha with sticks and five different Lonewolf climbers. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Just saw this! But I'm glad because I need to vent! I hate hunting public land! Every single spot that I've hunted has had a stand in it. And I've been walking my tail off trying to get away from the roads. Always a good time!
This post is ironic as hell. Just this evening I saw a trail cam on a tree that I've walked by 100 times (literally) to get to one of my stands. When I noticed it, I know my pic was taken by then. It's all good. Like mentioned, this way dude doesn't think he's in a "secret honey hole". And, I now know somebody has been back in this area.
I'm a good mile in if the property I am hunting allows me to do so. Distance isn't as import as the obstacles that may be in the way. For instance one property I hunt has a really high banks creek and its pretty deep. Last year I rigged up a rope to get up/down and a float to cross it. I know I was the only one on that side of the property. Same can be said when we use a boat to access the properties. I might only be a couple hundred yards from the boat but the nearest rode could be a couple miles or more. This is also why I ask owners of private property to access public land. I may have to walk less then a .25 mile but maybe 1-2 miles away where everyone else parks / accesses the land.
Coworker isn't able to get out until noon tomorrow, will be getting to the stand sites about 1pm. Hoping to be able to get them hung within about 2 hours. Cold front coming through tonight and winds picking up tomorrow so hoping not as many people out, being a Friday helps as well. Last thing I want to do is ruin someone's hunt. Hw can't hunt the evening so if we can get in and out quickly, I may drop him off and go straight back for an evening sit. Really hate not being able to cut lanes on public land
So far this morning I had a bachelor group of bucks come on at first light ... A 1 1/2-year old 8-pointer, a 2 1/2-year old 8 pointer, and a ... Shooter. Not sure what he was but he was heavy. He hung back behind the 2 1/2- year old under some overhanging branches at about 30 yards. I had the 2 1/2 at 16 yards broadside and was waiting for him to walk on by when suddenly he just looked up at me. He trotted back to the big boy and they eventually worked their way back the direction they all came. First time ever I've had a shooter inside of 30 and not got a shot. I just took my frustration out on a doe.
I lost all my private land this year so I am back to hunting public land. I put up some cameras and have found bigger bucks on the public land then what I had found on the private land I was hunting. So far I have not had another person out when I have been there. But lets just say that it takes me a half hour to get to my stand and I have to use waders to get there.
So went out and hung a couple stands today with a friend from work. He opted to set up on a hub of trails at a creek crossing. I went with a tree about 15 yards from several scrapes and quite a few trails. I know it's likely to be small bucks doing this, found it curious that the licking branches were all freshly broken? Anyhow, after getting my stand hung we went to his tree to hang his. On the way there we came across this, I don't know if it is a rub or not. On one hand I want to say no, but on the other I'm just not sure. It's about 3-4" diameter and the one next to it has what could be a rub mark on it as well. Wish I'd have looked at the pictures after taking them, didn't realize how crappy they were. What do you guys think?
On a positive note, the camera I've walked past 10 times in the past week and a half was gone this morning
I want to say it is, but it's nearly 3 feet long and 4 foot tall. Not going to get my hopes up over a rub, but if it is a rub I don't think a little fork horn did it. Tempted to put a cam up, but being public land not sure I want to lose one either. More curious about the scrapes than the rub.
Just got a camera ready, going to try and find somewhere I can get it out of vision. Curiosity is getting the better of me
When I hang cameras on public land, I take a climber in with me and hang them over 10' high, angled down... Most people don't even see them, I feel like... and if they do, they'd have to come back with boltcutters AND a climber.
Yeah, I've been thinking about taking in 2 or 3 of my LW climbing sticks. Anxious for the sit tomorrow. About 45 yards off from a cut corn field down in a small valley. Dry creek/ditch that runs down through it. Fairly high traffic with multiple trails, think it should be good during the rut, think the field to the west was planted with clover this year.
Seriously... have you checked the ground out 30 yards to the NORTH of the marker? There may be a faint(er) trail paralleling the woods edge connecting the two inside corners.
Oops, deleted the pic. Figured Probably not a good idea to post where I may place cameras and such. Not people of the site, but I've stated where I was hunting before But yeah, he spot you are talking about is where my buddy hung his stand. Little hub of trails running through there
