public land

[amp0347]

Can anyone tell me how to go about hunting public land? I have only hunted private and have recently moved so I have no private land to hunt around me. Any advice would be great. Thanks.

[whitetailfreak55]

Walk further then everybody else. Usually a half mile or so that way You get past the crowds.

[dbHunterNY]

traveling farther away from hiking trails, trail heads/access points helps. get in earl and leave late. if someone walks on by stay put your hunt isn't over. also some hunters will say that smoking or scent control isn't as important because so many people are in there. that's the wrong state of mind! keep as scent free and undetected as possible as you normally would. figure out what the deer are eating as well. hunt set back stand locations. for example if you see lots of stands or hunters in one spot often, post up off deer trails up to 100 yards downwind from there.

[amp0347]

I'm just wondering if I need to apply or can I just go on the public land and hunt as ling as I have my license and tags. Like I said I've never been on public land. Thanks for your replys.

[dbHunterNY]

most places around here you just go hunt as long as you've got your license and tags. however, some state parks here require you to get a seasonal hunting pass, specifically for there. you basically just sign in. there's no fee or anything. other places like preserves you don't have to, but certain areas are closed or they have their own additional rules, concurrent with your regular game laws. so it's hard to say without knowing exactly where you're hunting. if the place has a website, all the info might be on there.

[Dawg]

I hear a lot of people say "walk farther, deeper into the woods" all the time and if that's what you want to do, then more power to you. I hunt a bit of public land every season. My longest walk is maybe 500 yards from the road. I know a feller that hunts about 100 yards from his truck, he's an older gentleman with heart problems, but carries his climber out there, climbs the tree and sees deer almost every sit. He's killed nice deer. So walking way off into the dark green yonder ain't always the best bet. It's more of what is in the area than distance in the woods.

[Rhino]

Can't say for Indiana but here in Mississippi I can go on the MDWF&P's web site and they have list of all the state's wildlife management areas along with any special restrictions or whatever. Some require purchasing a WMA permit...some don't. Some have special draws for hunting them too.

Best bet is to go to Indiana's DNR web site and check it out. I bet there's a list of the state managed public hunting areas in there along with any restrictions or permits needed (if any).

[bbarcheryhunter]

I hunt some public land and sometimes I go way back in and then there is a spot I hunt about 40 yards of the rd and at that spot we shot the two biggest buck our family ever shot. 150 class 8 point and a 130 class 10 point. So depending on wat time of year or wat for hunting seasons r in decides where we hunt. Do your scouting and find escape routes , feeding and bedding. The spot that is along a rd that is a escape route so that we hunt wen there r a lot of hunters out. So good luck

[Shoobee]

AMP, here is a map for locating USFS public lands:

National Forests & Grasslands: Recreational Opportunities and Distance Map

And here is a map for BLM lands, obviously not applicable for Indiana though:

Public Lands Information Center

USFS lands are carefully supervised, and normally require campfire permits everywhere, and wilderness permits to camp overnight in wilderness areas. Your local forest or grasslands office can answer your specific questions. The rangers and staff there are very helpful.

Occupancy of campsites is normally either by advance registration or else first-come basis. Some campsites require fee payments in official envelopes. In case they run out of pay envelopes, you should bring a few small white envelopes of your own, so you can at least pay, and write your data on the envelope, such as campsite location and your vehicle tag number, and your name.

BLM lands are very primitive and unsupervised. Nothing to do but walk-on and either hike or hunt or camp or all the above.

Those are the U.S. Federal land resources. Each state varies regarding additional hunting opportunities. Some have none, others have more.

Any ranger, sheriff or deputy, or DFG/DFW official can ask you to produce your hunting license and game tags. If they ask to see your weapon(s) you must unload it/them and turn it over.

Make sure you comply with all your state requirements, regarding zones, game, licensing and tags, caliber, and type of weapon, such as rifle, shotgun, bow, crossbow, etc.

Edited September 27, 2012 by Shoobee

[stevebeilgard]

i hunt lots of public ground, and it can be real good. it can also be real bad. it all depends on others that you cannot control.