Am I wasting time and effort??

[hoytguy08]

I own forty-two acres and see minimal mature buck activity, even with food plots b/c none of my neighbors employ qdma, so i've been looking at some public land fairly close to my home, that holds a LOT of giants, but it's hard to hunt the deer b/c of all the other hunters. Should i even try to hunt the public land or try and get permission to other private land in my area? (it's just very hard to leave the public land because at least 1 200+" deer is shot there every year and many other p&y class deer) Thanks for any advice!

[hutchies]

I hunt Public land and although I don't see any 200 inchers I see more deer on Public than the 450 acres of private land I can hunt.

[Sam16]

I have decent luck with public land in the first 2 weeks of the season. They figure it out after that and head underground. You really cant beat public land if its in a good area. Just my two cents. Although any 200 incher would make me think twice as well..

[AdvantageTimberLou]

Public land can be a success, just go into areas that are hard to walk into, thick cover because some hunters will not venture into that territory and it may be a honey hole of deer activity.

Good luck!

[dogdoc]

What is your 40 acres like? Do you have any real heavy cover on it--if so try to create a sanctuary where the deer feel very safe. If you don't have a sanctuary then you're not going to hold any deer on your property. I've never deer hunted on public land so can't help you out there.

[LifeNRA]

LOL! I would hunt where the deer are, regardless what the land is!

[Guest J-Daddy]

Here in KY I've hunted both all my life...We have some good public land in the area I hunt and I spend alot of time on it each fall and always find deer...One of the keys to public land hunting is to get where the other people dont go. Normally that leaves out anywhere close to a parking area with easy walking. Now on some of the public land I hunt I have one area where I passed a solid 150" 10point last year "to many limbs for a shot @ 40yds" that is right on the highway, it's one of those places that is so close to the road that no one in their right mind would hunt it..I just happened into the spot last year cause a buddy of mine was hunting in the same area and he told me about it but he never hunted it as close to the highway as I did. The deer travel a shelf that is right below the blacktop, you cant see it from the road but it's there.

If the public land your looking to hunt pumps out P&Y deer every year I'd be on it, and if it pumps out atleast 1 200" deer every year I'd be sleeping on it come season, lol. Sometimes private land aint all it's cracked up to be, it all depends on the location and the features of the land.

I'm getting ready to move to Iowa in about a week and half and I already have numerous tracts of private land I can hunt there, but if they dont show me what I want to see I'll be looking at public land in the area too.

[whttlbucksteve]

I also hunt public land and the trick is get away from every one else,the further the better.Hunt were you would not think there would be deer at .

[13littleones]

IF you are hunting for the big boys you "must" go where they are........IF you are hunting for meat.... stay on the 42 acres..

[4Blade]

Public land can be a success, just go into areas that are hard to walk into, thick cover because some hunters will not venture into that territory and it may be a honey hole of deer activity.

Good luck!

I agree.......Not to sound mean but,,,Try to get into the places that the old,sick,fat and lazy just cant get to........Most public lands that I have hunted %80 of the hunters only go 200 yards to 1/2mile in,,Those areas are hunted to death and the deer are pushed farther in especially mid to late season.......If you go in farther than all the other hunters you stand a chance to have some great success.......... :)

[buckbuster11]

I agree.......Not to sound mean but,,,Try to get into the places that the old,sick,fat and lazy just cant get to........Most public lands that I have hunted %80 of the hunters only go 200 yards to 1/2mile in,,Those areas are hunted to death and the deer are pushed farther in especially mid to late season.......If you go in farther than all the other hunters you stand a chance to have some great success.......... :)

Yup. If you are going to hunt public land and get back in the woods were most people wont go. That's how I've hunted almost my whole life.

BTW---I wouldn't give up on your private 42 acres. Try some new techniques. It doesnt make much sense....actually it doesn't make any sense at all to me....that there would be giants roaming public ground nearby but, none on your private ground. Either they are there and you aren't seeing them, or something is missing.