Public Land Blues (now a very pale blue)

[notdodger]

I was fortunate enough too find a guy that lets me hunt his 100 acres for free. Four years now. But for 20 years prior I hunted public land. I hear ya. I have seen about every weird thing there. Plus the last 4 years strait I hunted pubic land. I have had 4 treestands stolen. The last one did it for me. I dont mind public land in rifle season. Its kind of fun. Good luck

[Montyc]

My family ownes 38 acres in the middle of the national forest, but I hunt the public land only.  Yes I have had hunts ruined, but have also had opportunities presented to me from other people moving around.  I missed a nice buck when a small game hunter and his dog kicked him my way, and unfortunately a tree moved in front of my arrow.  I agree that Monday through Friday is usually a great time to be in the woods on public land as there simply is no one around.  Also, I go late in the year after regular rifle season and I have the woods to myself.  The farther you go back in the less people you see.

[always89]

The Blues are going away. Nope, didnt kill one yet, but I have located them! Had a doe well within shooting range today, but she had some young fawns with her, then I had a small buck woring a scrape about 40 yards from me. Also located a heck of a scrape line, and a bedding area. Things are looking up!

[Talondale]

Jerry,  Glad to hear things are lining up for you.  What WMA are you hunting?  Back Bay?  There's not much public hunting out your way and it's hard getting permission to hunt on private land.  I tried 20 years ago from Blackwater to Pungo and got a lot of NO's and crazy stories of houses, pets and livestock shot.  Can't imagine it now.  Of course I wasn't bowhunting then so a "bow only" approach may be the ticket you need.

[waknstak IL]

Public Hunting does present a few challenges and frustrations. It requires a little patience and a little extra effort. I think the thing I dislike the most is not being able to leave stands out. They seem to dissappear around here.

[KILLER B]

The worst thing about most public land in TN is that it is actualy privatly owned and there are quota hunts drawn for them.  Most places are only open certain days and have special regulations for each of them.  In michigan even though i had several great private land spots to hunt i still enjoyed going out onto the state lad wich was open whenever season was.  Every time ive ben out this year i have had some one walk within viewing distance if not right by me. i walked for 45 minuets on one piece of ground that is almost 80,000 acres where i thought no one would go and right after daylight there he was wandering around with his climber on his back.  But i will succeed.

[allanburden]

I agree with the earlier post on the difference in Monday-Friday and weekend hunts.  I hunt an 1800 acre track in the mountains of SC and during the week I've only seen one other hunter, and he only walks about 1/8th a mile back and sits back for a nap and get a break from his wife.  It's a rough track of land due to the thickets and hills, but there is a 100 acre archery only area about 2 miles back that I've never seen a soul in in 2 years of hunting.  Hard as hell to get to, but well worth it.  Can't wait till I find out how hard it is to drag a deer out though, or a hog for that matter.  No wheeled traffic at all on the property.

[recurvericky]

J-Dog, Have you ever considered hunting the Roanoke River Wetlands just across the Roanoke River From Williamston. That area is one of the last hardwood bottom lands in the country. Lots of hardwwoods. I used to hunt the area when it was a private hunting club and a few times when it became public. There are alot of big bucks taken on that land. You can access the hunting area by foot or boat. I lived in the area most of my life until December when I moved to Kansas. I only have public land here and for some reason the public area that I hunt does not get much pressure.

[DeerSpotter]

Tonight I just came back from public hunting land, I have the same problem, and I thought it was just because it would be younger people that don't care, but tonight I had a man that was about 75 years old, he actually startled me, because he came down a deer track that is so used that it is about 18 in. wide, so he can get pretty close to me from that direction.  When he did he was within 10 ft., and I hear this crackling voice " what do you hunting that thing"?

He was looking at my T 2 double bull blind, he muttered out " ducks, geese," I open the back window and said " deer", and he just said oh OK, and walked away, not more than 35 minutes later another guy brings a deer cart, down the middle of the cornfield, unharvested mind you.  I asked him if he had a deer, because I didn't hear any shots, it's rifle season here, he said yeah at 10:30 a.m., it was now for 4:40 p.m., I am developing stories like this on a daily basis because I hunt in public land, I can never go to public land, without having something happened like this.  Nobody wants to take the time to do homework, and respect others.

The only way that you can get by with this, is to go in deep, I am talk hip boots, maybe even chest high.

But like some have said when you do see deer the rewards are good.  And you seem to forget about all those other incidences, you really have to work hard and do your homework more so on public land, and it does make you better hunter.

Another story that I heard today, a man was watching a doe run from his tree stand, she wasn't run from a buck, she had seven coyotes chasing her, he was able to kill one of them.  So every piece a land has its own problems and rewards.

You can do as I did complain, complain, complain, or you can find out what works after you find out that complain doesn't do any good, and put to use and make it work for you.  I really did enjoy my T 2, I picked it up brand-new for $190 that was with tax.  I am taking it over to the Company, their close by, and tomorrow morning and put the light rods in it, it'll only way 8 lbs., it's going to be great.  I  also have the T 5 with light rods in it, it only weighs 12 lbs., they are great tool, especially on public land.

And that fellow that had to race somebody to his stand, I had that happened once, someone beat me to my spot, I set up right next to him, it never happen again.  Some people train easy !

     


The track a land that I'm hunting now is 2850 acres, pretty good size.  I will find my deer, it may take me till December 31,
but I'm determined that I'm not going to be an Archery Tec in a pro shop without getting my deer.  Turkey Creek Longbow will score, sooner or later

Carl

[RC]

You guy`s should move to Ga. We got a lot of public land in prime locations. I work weekends and usually have a 10,000 acre tract to myself. To date I have killed 12 pigs this year on it and had deer very close but no shots several times. killed 9 pigs and 5 deer last year. but you gotta go deep. I kill half my pigs using a boat.RC

[JStark]

Free public land is an American tradition, but darn that freedom!  I agree with the Mon-Fri. crowd, if you can do it.  I also agree that you need to put a ton of time in to learn about a place, and that includes learning all the animal movements, esp. the two-legged, four-wheeled ones.
: )

However, to take a deer on public land, land that we have all worked to protect and keep, that is no small thing...

[gwhunter]

I hunt public land.  I love it.  But, the land that I hunt is archery only.  Lots of people but few are willing to walk 1.5 hours in the dark, as I am, so they don't make it back to where I go.  Also, the bow only areas, while pressured, don't spook the deer nearly enough.  
My previous post "River Camp 2007" was all done on public land.  
Plus, ITS FREE HUNTING.  Most Texans have never even heard of that concept.  But MO is a great state for it.  
I do run into people and have a hunt ruined, but you have to be happy just going out there or you wouldn't be a traditional hunter.  Think of it like you would a coyote.  Once it comes into the area, your hunt is over.

[parr]

I hunted private and public land for many years.  I finally got tired of spending 2-3 years at private spots learning about it only to lose it when a nephew or cousin of the owner starts bowhunting or the land changes owners.  Public hunting only now.  Much harder hunting but I know I will be able to hunt the same areas for years to come.

[DeerSpotter]

I just got back from public land, and I understand what you're saying about the private land, I can see getting all set up with a food plot and all that, and then someone coming in saying my son owns that land now, good-by.

The land that I'm hunting has quite a bit of Swamp area, so far out of the fellas I have talked to, I have seen a 8 point buck, and another one that a fellow shot, and tonight out of four other guys that were hunting, all day 12 hour day,seen no deer, but 4 bears and five coyotes, on Wednesday another fellas saw seven coyotes chasing one deer, he was able to shoot one of the coyotes.  I asked the fellas tonight if he shot one of the five, and he said " I'm not hunting coyotes I'm hunting deer".  I didn't bother to tell him he needs to eliminate some of them if he wants to see deer !

But it is frustrating but it is gun season, gun season last another two days.  I had an area that was archery only, and if you used small or fine shot pallets in your shotgun, you could hunt there with the archers.  But it was only 40 acres, and we just had a man in tree stand in camouflage, get shot, in that piece of land.  This time they charge the fella he was mong, he said he saw some movement and shot at it, he said he thought it was a squirrel, I won't even talk about that.  Don't know what he got, but they charged him.  Unlawfully and carelessly shooting off a firearm. Needless to say I don't go to that area anymore.  Too close to the city.  No matter who it was, they should have been charged for hunting foolishly.

I didn't know it but in this area, that I'm hunting now, during bear season, there is a unlimited amount of tags for bear.  You just use the same one and they keep giving you another one.

Carl