Public Land

[abear491]

I was debating for the first time this year to try some public land. I lucky enough to have some private land but had some horrible luck last year. Just wondering if anybody has tried it and what they think of it.

[redkneck]

Not much to debate, some of the best land in the country is public. Sure there's drawbacks, but from my experience if you do your scouting and are willing to get a little deeper in the woods than most you can find a great place without tons of hunting pressure.

Where are you located?

[jcot2773]

I hunt both private and semi-public. The range for the base is easy to obtain access to. you just have to buy a range pass. So anyone that has bought one can hunt it. I will say that the best hunting is deeper in the woods. I spent countless hours well off the beaten path to find good hunting. But when I found it only 2 other people knew about it, my wife in case I wasn't back when I said I was going to be and haven't called her, and my hunting buddy that was with me.

It's just a matter of how much work you are willing to put into it.

[abear491]

I am located in southern Indiana. I am decently close to a place called Crosely Wildlife area. The only reason i am trying this is because i haven't seen hardly any deer on the cams all summer and its a new place to go.

[hunter_mike]

yeah man i hunt mostly public land. i think you should really give it a try. i have had some good hunts and some bad ones.

example of a bad one: i was up in my climber and had a deer coming, when all of a sudden some guy drove down the logging trail in his little pickup truck and started sawing firewood (legal in this area) about 100 yards away from me. haha it was a real bummer.

when hunting public land, things like this are bound to happen, but i can tell ya for sure that i have had many more good hunts than bad. Lots of success

One thing i recommend for sure is that you try to hunt this land during the week if at all possible. There will be fewer hunters around and i think the deer can almost tell when the weekend rolls around.

hunt it. If anything, its always fun to try a new area, and you might be surprised at the kind of deer public land holds. I've seen some big ones! Just hunt harder and smarter than the other hunters and you will be successful

[layin on the smackdown]

I've never hunted public ground for deer, but i have seen some awesome bucks killed off it...

For instance, i give you example #1 and only #1 ( i dont feel like digging up more archive photos)

Bill from east central IL decided to get into bow hunting....didn't have any ground to hunt so he went to the nearest state park....the second week of october....sitting on a 5 gallon bucket....bow hunting....has (to my knowledge) never even shot at a deer....and his results....

we roughed him with a tape at 192.

nough said?

i think so. first deer ever, with a bow, off public ground, while sitting on a 5 gallon bucket....you can bet your sweet behind the nearest rural king was sold out of black 5 gallon buckets after this got out.

[GWSmith]

Try it?...LOL..Had nothing but public land to hunt for most of my life!

Just a couple points to think about:

Get a road map of the land and a highlighter pen...draw to scale for 1/4 mile on each side of every road or trail. Find the spots the highlighter did not touch...get in the middle of the nastiest thick stuff that you can find there.

Get there early...be the first in the parking area and spend some time in the dark in your tree stand. You'll be amazed at how much noise people make after you have tuned into the quiet. You'll hear them slamming their truck doors and shortly afterwards you should see/hear deer walking your way. Be there and let the crowd do the push towards you.

A GPS will help you find your way in the dark without having to mark the trail...if people do not take your markers down they will follow them right to your tree stand and it wont be there when you arrive.

Leave nothing there...other people wont if you do.

[hunter_mike]

yeah i definitely agree with GWSmith on getting there early. It is pretty entertaining to be sitting up in your tree, dead quiet, and then hearing a fourwheeler start up and a bunch of clanking and cussing, and then minutes later see deer trotting towards you from that direction.

public land is a different game and it is fun. learn to use that pressure from other hunters to your advantage.

[elkoholic]

I only hunt public land, of course there are millions of acres here in Montana, and the two givens already mentioned are, get there early and get as far off the road as possible. Find the escape routes the deer take as people enter the woods, remembering that the buck may have a route separate from the one taken by the doe and fawn. For an all day stand it pays to hunt the edge of security cover where the deer can get away from most, if not all, the hunters. Be persistent, stay on stand longer than the other guys and they may just push a big one your way.

[mallard_drake85]

My brother and I have access to over 700 acres of private land that we can hunt on, but we still spend about 1/3 of our time on public land. That's what it's there for, and we use it! You get to see alot strange things on public land. We do make it a point to travel further off the beaten path than most are willing to travel. this has improved our success.

mallard_drake85

[abear491]

I plan on trying it opening day. I scouted around and they planted a turnip field and i plan on setting up around it. I think if i can get in there during bow season I might have some luck

[klnohio]

Just be careful out there alot of hunters on public land are a little careless opening day Bowseason (September 26th here in ohio) i was at Spencer Wildlife Area Northern Ohio. Sitting in a tree and shots were fired from every direction i heard bullets winging by me. Squirrel Hunters everywhere. so now i take a orange hat and vest for that little bit of a better feeling. I mean come on i want to kill a Deer not be killed. Good Luck Everyone!!

[swampwright]

yup id say give it a try

[Jeramie]

I am surrounded by thousands of acres of public land. Public land holds deer and other game just like everywhere else. Take the initave to walk quite a ways and your luck will change. Most people are lazy and wont get much out of eye sight of the truck. If youre willing to walk youre going to have a lot more luck.