Public Land Hunters

[Tajue17]

hey also carry some bush snips with you because if you find a blow down that can become a natural ground blind and its deadly because the deer are so used to it being there...

[Eric Sprick]

Hang on 99% of the time. I’ll hunt from the ground if the sign is there but no tree 

Yep, this here

[BAK]

I don't hunt PL anymore, but when I did I found lugging in stands to be just not worth the effort.  I ended up building/enhancing natural ground blinds.   

[IndaTimber]

Hang on 99% of the time. I’ll hunt from the ground if the sign is there but no tree 

This for me as well. I hunt a lot of public land here in Ohio and I’m usually carrying my LW and sticks.

[Terry Green]

I killed bear and hogs on the ground, and deer from a tree.

[toddster]

All I hunt on public land.  I use whatever means is legal, shot plenty from loc on and chippewa stands, past 12 years been using saddle when go up.  More and more hunt from ground, because of time and flexibility. 

[LookMomNoSights]

Good chance you'll be hunting from the ground if you leave a stand in on public land ......seen that and heard about it too many times and it's terrible.  I say if you bring what you need for an elevated set,  make sure it's a climber or saddle or whatever you're willing to lug out with you when you leave.  I've had lots of fun doing both on public land and seen lots of animals,  though I have never killed a deer from the ground on public land and have had most of my luck from the trees.......but maybe would be different if I had spent more time on the ground!  Huge pros to either choice and huge fun to be had as well.  Just remember hunting public land,  you are never alone ..... and not all have the decency to keep their hands off things that don't belong to them.  I hate to hear about people having their stuff vanish into thin air during some point between leaving for the night and going back in the early morning. 

[mgf]

I never hesitated to leave a stand up in national or state forest where there was lots of woods and very little chance another hunter would be by...at least during archery season. The WMA's near my home are another matter. There are many parking areas and you are never very far from one of them. There are also fire/access trails everyplace and you are always close to one of them. The greater ease of access combined with more hunters/acre and you might just kiss the stand goodbye.

That said, people leave tree stands and pop-up ground blinds out there all the time and I haven't heard of problems...doesn't necessarily mean there haven't been problems.

It's easy for me to decide. I just can't lug all that stuff in and out of the woods anymore. It's a chore to get myself and my bow in and out of the woods. I hunt from elevated stands in my back yard but I have all year to set up and I don't have to walk/carry very far.