MichiganHunter Posted September 18, 2007 Report Share Posted September 18, 2007 I've got a bad case of the state land blues, I had an area here in Michigan I have been scouting for over a month, camera and long nights fightin the mosquitos to see what was there, now i went to look at a couple of tree for hunting and there were tree stands all over the area i wanted to hunt, now i'm goin to hike back in to an area I've never seen to find a new location to hunt, I would give up 800 acers of public land for 1 tree on private property. Nothin like startin from scratch less than 2 weeks from kick off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michihunter Posted September 18, 2007 Report Share Posted September 18, 2007 I feel your pain!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Finn Posted September 18, 2007 Report Share Posted September 18, 2007 yeah, that stinks. The other guys there are probably saying, "We've been here for 10 years and some new guy is trying to move into our spot" Just the way it is with public land. Go deeper in the woods if you can. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wildthing Posted September 18, 2007 Report Share Posted September 18, 2007 Do you have any neighbors, friends, or friends or friends that you can cozy up to and get permission to hunt? I avoid state gamelands and other public areas for just that reason. I feel your pain! I'd try and find someone with some private land and ask respectfully. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Posted September 18, 2007 Report Share Posted September 18, 2007 your best bet for public land is to find little out of the way places that most guys wouldnt hunt. i have found several places like this here in Iowa and one produced my biggest buck 2 years ago. like was suggested, your going to have to go the extra mile and get further back and tougher places to hunt. find aerial photos of your state and go over them. i found a website with aerial phots and maps of public hunting areas for Iowa. then i found maps of hunting areas in my county and the next few counties around me. by doing some research and a lot of hard walking, i have found 2 places that are the nastiest stuff to hunt you have ever seen. my stands go up in about a week. since here in Iowa we cant have stands up more than 1 week before the season and until 1 week after the season on public land. if you work hard, you can find places to hunt. good luck to you. Shoot Strong Tony Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bwlacy Posted September 18, 2007 Report Share Posted September 18, 2007 What I've found here in MI is to let all those other guys spook the deer to you. Get a arial photo or topo of the area you have been scouting. Mark all the stands on there and go from there. Look for funnels and bedding areas away from the other guys, paying attention to the predominant winds. Look for N/S ridge lines with oaks, if there are any, that are down wind from the other guys. Also look for an island in a swamp, if you can find a high and dry spot in a swamp I doubt that you will see other guys in there. Also if those other guys are baiting like most people around here, follow the trails from there bait back towards the bedding areas. If you get 1/4 mile from there bait you will see alot of deer in the evening that last half hour before dark while they are waiting for dark to go to the bait piles. Don't get to discouraged, there are some really good spots on public land it just takes a lot more work to find them. Matt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MichiganHunter Posted September 18, 2007 Author Report Share Posted September 18, 2007 Ya i got an program for my comp that show arial photos and thats what the spot i was in was so not i'm lookin at this other location that another couple hundred yards accrost a big swamp/thicket that the deer use as a beddin area so well see Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whttlbucksteve Posted September 18, 2007 Report Share Posted September 18, 2007 I have been in a tree early in the morning only to have a hunter come in right before daylight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beagleboy Posted September 18, 2007 Report Share Posted September 18, 2007 Yes, that does stink. But use them to your advantage. Find yourself a spot way back and get in another way and let them drive the deer in at whatever time they get in. My experience with state land is that many people don't venture way in. There could be a blessing somewhere in this though it may not be obvious now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest stucka buck Posted September 19, 2007 Report Share Posted September 19, 2007 If you know where the deer are comin from, just cut em off ahead of those guys. if possible Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brad6639 Posted September 19, 2007 Report Share Posted September 19, 2007 I have a few spots that are public land, and I have seen some of the biggest deer Ive ever encountered while hunting, on those spots. I hunted one spot one night on a whim, it was a trinagle shaped thing probly around 200 acres but it had streams and tall weeds in it mostly. There was also this 30 acre field or so. I saw around 20 deer the first nightI hunted it, and several were bucks. The dnr has sort of ruined it by letting it go to set aside completly (super hard to hunt anyways, the deer are still there), but I saw a 150-160 class 8 pointer come from there last year, and The game warden told me the biggest buck he ever laid eyes on lives in that general area as well. Where is this spot, about 40 yards from a road, not many people think to hunt it because its so close and seems like the last spot a deer would want to visit. When it comes to public land, you need to scout better than the next person. Most people will walk in, find a decent looking spot within a couple hundred yards, and plop down. Either go to a completley over looked spot, or go deep and do a lot of scouting. The rewards are worth it. Private land is good, but it isnt any magic wand by any stretch and sometimes its even harder because you have to work around other peoples schedules and that sort of thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MichiganHunter Posted September 19, 2007 Author Report Share Posted September 19, 2007 MAN, i'm puttin in as much time and money as i can to scout and pre prep. BUT i'm a full time college student and i have to balance what money i have and what i can afford to spend vs. save and what time i have left to scout and hunt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bwlacy Posted September 19, 2007 Report Share Posted September 19, 2007 I read an article awhile back about scouting smarter from home. It made alot of sense, I just wish that I could remember what magazine it was in. Anyway. Get a county Plat book, topo maps, and ariel photos. You can rule out alot of property from home. With the plat book you may find those small pieces of public land that you didn't know where public. Use the topo's and the computer to check all the pieces you are interested in. Make notes of the spots you want to check out. Then when you have time you go right to them and have a look around. This will lessen the amount of time wasted on property that you don't want to hunt. Also the state has hunter access farms still. I don't know if there are any around your area. They don't hand the booklet out anymore. I think you can get it at a field office or maybe online. I hunt a couple of those farms around here and not many people even know they exist anymore. It was a big program in the 80's. The state leases the hunting rights from the landowner. You just sign in and hunt. One thing you can do also. Since you said that you are a full time student is hunt during mid week in the mornings if your schedule allows. Not many guys on public land on Wednesday mornings. Don't get discouraged it isn't even October yet. You have time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest adrenaline_junky Posted September 20, 2007 Report Share Posted September 20, 2007 I know how that goes been through it myself. Just be patient it'll work out. Good Luck to ya Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nut Posted September 20, 2007 Report Share Posted September 20, 2007 Tony gives great advice. I hunt a mixture of private and public. On the public I do it by timing and going to areas the others will not go. By timing it is days of the week and if Ohio State is playing Michigan. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kingfisherfd2 Posted September 21, 2007 Report Share Posted September 21, 2007 I would talk to some of my professors. Or coaches. Let them know that you would be happy to give them some meat or if they would like an entire deer you would shoot one for them. Also, mention that you are bow hunting. People seem a little less intimidated by someone bringing a bow on their property instead of a shotgun. Get out to the country and knock on some farmers doors. That is what my buddy and I did while at school in MI. We both took nice 8pts that year. His little brother is also hunting that property now. Doesn't hurt to go with hat in hand, the poor college kid that can't go out too often. Good luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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