Public Land - your keys to success?

[DanielB89]

I am curious to know how many people hunt public land ONLY and how many you have killed this year on public land?

If you were successful, what did you do?  What sign did you look for?  

I had a pretty rough year on public land and am debating on joining some kind of lease next year.  With working 5 days a week it sure makes it tough to hunt public land successfully.

[Michael Arnette]

Sorry to hear about your bum season. It happens to the best and it can happen hunting good private land too.
I don't hunt public exclusively but this year I shot 3 deer on public land and passed up 5 bucks on public land after filling my 2 buck tags.
I don't claim to be the expert on this but here are some things I have learned:
Public land is more challenging and can be frustrating. I think the secret is finding the right tract to hunt. Louisiana looks like it has quite a bit of public land for a southern state. I would look for large tracts, small pockets that no one knows about, and weapons restricted areas.
The easiest pieces to hunt are the small tracts of land around lakes and rivers near residential areas. I hunt one such spot and had really good success but don't see good bucks. I also don't like the feeling of being "in town" but it's really nice for morning or evening hunts before and after work.
The other two tracks that I hunt are large; between 7,000 and 15,000 acres and are restricted to bow hunting only. Oklahoma has legalized crossbows so the number of hunters is a problem...don't get me started on that one!
When it comes to hunting big pieces like this you have several things counting against you but it's an outstanding wilderness experience! Word can spread quick about these areas and they can become thick with hunters so if I'm asked in any way by Xbow folks I just imphasize how hard the area is to hunt/bad experiences (like having a tree stand stolen ect).
1: The deer your hunting are extremely nervous around human scent. They don't smell it often and when they do it's a hunter. You have to be incredibly careful about your approach and wind direction.
2: Food and cover are interchangeable. These large tracts of wilderness areas make patterning deer tough around food sources and cover because its everywhere in the form of grasses, brows, acorns etc. this causes the deer to meander a lot and be tough to pattern. The trick is to hunt terrain ie saddles, ridges, pinch points, fence lines, Creek crossings, and benches.
You'll need a topographical map and a satellite or aerial image of the area.
3: These areas are huge and can be kind of intimidating when it comes to scouting. I found late-season scouting to be imperative starting immediately after the rut. Cover lots of ground and enjoy yourself! Never carry a tree stand with you only scouting tools like locators and scouting cameras. Cameras can be stolen but I take this risk and never leave them in place for more than one week.
4: The places you were looking for are tough to find.  In wilderness areas as large as these. You are looking for a needle in a haystack: one of two or three dozen specific spots that are dynamite in an area covering thousands of acres. They are there! You just have to find them.
5: Hang in there, it takes 3-4 years to really understand deer in an area of this size

[Michael Arnette]

Oh my! Sorry for the spelling it was from an iPhone

[Dave Lay]

im in the same boat, this year has been bad. ive hunted public for alot of years and did pretty well, then i moved across the state to a area that recieves more hunting pressure and the deer numbers are lower, last year i struggled but was able to kill a couple ok bucks and a doe, this year i have blanked so far and hunted more than in alot of years past, my main problem is other people, and thier lack of basic hunting skills. ive had other hunters come walking up downwind on a deer trail i was set up on, and ive had them set up 50 yards away from me, and start wearing out thier grunt tubes and rattling horns.. i finally just basicly quit early this year and started hiking and scouting for next year. But im getting older and cant hump the mountians like i could a few years ago. Hunting a lease is looking more desireable for me as well..

[DanielB89]

Dave,

sounds like you and I are in the same boat.  Last year I managed to get 4 by this time and deer sightings were the norm.  This year there were more hunters in our area than any where I could imagine.  If we didn't have a camp in the area, I would definitely be looking else where..

[ChuckC]

One of the secrets is to do things differently.  If everybody else hunts from a tree, look for places to hunt from the ground.  I killed a doe at 5-6 paces this year, from the ground, no pop up, just judiciously chosen locations.

The deer I killed this year was no more than 200 yards from my truck, OK, maybe 250.  Sometimes fence lines, corners of overgrown fields, high spots in a marsh, any of these can make a difference, as does good early season scouting and preparation.

On one spot, on a steep hillside, a huge oak tree fell at the base, years ago and causes a blockage.  Several smaller, but still substantial trees fell down the hillside since then and forms a sort of funnel.

Sunlight comes thru in one spot, in a tangle of limbs (which I replace annually) and some sort of viney plant grows up.  I started throwing a handful of fertilizer on it each year, so it grows up just enough to give me a bit of cover from that side.  Not a lot... but some.

Wind is critical, approach can be critical and this is all part of scouting.  Do it different than all the rest.

ChuckC

[Altiman94]

I can't say that I only hunted public land, but I still spend most of my time hunting there.  I harvested my first trad deer on public land.

I look for funnels, escape, and travel routes.  If it's late season, then thick cover and food.  I also prefer areas that receive less hunting & pedestrian pressure.    

If you are hunting a highly pressured area, hunting times when other hunters aren't (mid day and weekdays) yield best results. You have to find where the deer escape when the people start moving.

Also, areas that don't have trees big enough for stands.  Most hunters want to be in a tree, so if you hunt an area where that can't happen - you may find the deer.

[Cwilder]

Public land is all I hunt! i do well every season This year i have killed 7
3- recurve
1- compound
2- shotgun
1- muzz
The past two season have been a bit slow
last year no acorns this year acorns everywhere

[Michael Arnette]

Hang in there Daniel, these areas can have influx, chances are a lot of other hunters are thinking of finding another spot next year too and next year may find many hunters having pulled out of the area.
In areas with a hunting culture word can spread quick both good and bad. I'd spread the bad word;)

[tracker12]

We have a lot of great public land here in Maryland with lots of deer.  Rarely crowded except for the start of the gun season.  That being said I have started hunting more urban areas and gaining permission to hunt small tracks of land. For the most part little competition, nice mature bucks, and lots of does to harvest.

[bowless]

The local public land around here is pretty low in deer numbers, and public is all I have access to.  Waay too many doe permits handed out over the past few years resulting in nothing but tag soup for me.
The "no tree stand area" sounds like a great idea, time to start scouting in a different way.
By the way, being from the east I really don't understand how the whole lease thing works, but sounds like it may be the way to go.

[Swinestalker]

I don't hunt it exclusively, but do hunt public land every year,(Homochitto National Forest) generally with success. Got one nice 8 point off public so far this year. First of all, I find remote areas that are hard to get to. Then I generally hunt the edges of bedding cover in natural ground blinds. Sometimes a natural food source. This is a game of details, and attention to detail really helps your odds. The public areas in SW Mississippi have really improved the last few years since the the dog hunting has been curbed. I have access to some of the best private land in the state, yet choose to hunt public land often. Nothing is as satisfying as success on public ground. Pre scouting before season and ground blind construction are something I look forward to every season. It is not easy, but that is what makes it so special.

[Jerry Jeffer]

I hunt exclusively on huge tracks of public land. It is a lot of hard work. You are dealing with deer that know hunting pressure. LOTS of scouting and brainstorming on tactics to hunt the good spots you find. Some good spots are right off the road, and some are miles back. You just have to put in a lot of time. I get shots every year, but don't always pull it off.

[randy grider]

i love hunting public land, and do so at every opportunity. The vastness of it, com,pared to my 40 acre farm, exploring, and finding new hotspots, its all the fun. That being said, I have only harvested 3 deer in many years of hunting public land, and probably over 20 deer on that 40 acres ! What makes a successfull hunt though ??? A week at a WMA hunting with friends, or 2 hour sits at home in the magic hours ? I prefer the former. Just wish there was more public land closer, as its all an hours drive.

[AkDan]

I've been messing around with public land in PA and MD these past few years for deer (and turkeys).  I've hunted public in many states from WY to the east coast and up here in AK.

Some areas public ground is great...I remember growing up having a turkey woods to myself.  Elk in WY was unreal!  Deer in ks, turkeys in mo, mn wi ne.

not so much these days.

PA and MD has been a lesson in futility!  just seeing a deer is exciting.  Guess I was spoiled as a kid growing up having deer everywhere both public and private.

you can thank the antler movement and greed for that one, or as I'll believe to my grave, the insurance companies for starting that agenda.  A gentle nudge to the qdm industry and a giant boot to the game departments and many areas have relatively few deer!

I hunt alone most of the time, can only get one tail in one of my stands at a time.  If I want to sit around a fire and roast a burgers and brats with buddies I'll do that after dark, or go grab lunch somewhere in between.  When its time to hunt, its not a spectator sport...unless it's turkeys than I enjoy calling.

The game offices are using our greed and the industry push for antlers to annihilate game population at the prior blind eye of the hunting community!  It only seems as of the last 10 years people are starting to say something.   It's a common thread as the years go on in many of the states I've visited or conversed with!  Those that find themselves against this are usually those with limited access of some form, or have some sort of niche to one spot.   I've shot plenty of critters in many places so this isn't a rant about not killing!   Been there have the shirt!

The areas in PA we see deer regular are from the road where no one has access.....what's that tell you!  I do see more deer in MD on average but finding access is like trying to marry ms usa...one lucky sob gets to do it and his social security doesn't match with mine LOL!

As for leases....one word of caution, make SURE they have the same mindset and goals as you do!  If not do NOT spend your money!  They hunt with similar mindsets, they manage with similar goals, and have at least to some degree some what similar expectations of the over all leased ground/game populations.  Just because they shoot stickbows or guns or throw atlatls means nothing!  

I spend a disproportionate time chasing small game, usually grouse, yet find very few guys are willing to go, or in areas of restricted access even approve of me doing it so I go elsewhere.  Thankfully I'm not spending a months worth of pay for access to ground only to get run out by the same 'friends'.  

just a rant of caution on leases and our progression as a hunting community!

A buddy puts it well.

Limit your kill don't kill your limit!

[Wheels2]

I hunt both and public was just as good as the privately owned farm and woods I hunt.
I went out last year right after a snow and did some tracking.  As a result, I started hunting a spot in early archery.  Unfortunately activity really declined as the season progressed.  The deer stayed in the real thick stuff later in the season.  However, the same thing happened on the farm.  Also they went more nocturnal.  I ended up and broke down shooting a doe in the last week on the farm.  
9 bucks and 14 does on public, 3 bucks and 6 does on the private.
I hunting both a day or so in firearms season and saw only one deer on the public land. We were plagued with rain and fog a lot this year.
I hunted two mornings in late flintlock season (one each place) and have yet to see a deer.
Next year I plan on hunting the public ground more as it is closer and the deer activity was just a bit higher.

[RedShaft]

I do.
It's very hard to get on deer around here. Most time we are lucky to get one shot ata deer in the entire season during archery. I have had many years I never got to draw back. Also take into consideration I hunt 4-6 days a week usually.

We deal with many other hunters and now low deer numbers also. So it makes it very hard.
I tell you this, if it was not for such a deep love of bowhunting. I would have quit long ago and just hunt with the rifle. Or I would only hunt the rut and be done. But I try and bitch my way through the seaso every year.

I don't thin many even have a clue what it's like to hunt public land. ESP with low deer numbers.

So I feel for ya I really do. It's hard man....

[ron w]

Around me it's tough hunting public land, not because of the number of hunters but the lack of deer. I hunted many years without even seeing a deer......not one. Very hard to hunt animals that are not there. Last year I took a 4 mile hike on State land on 2 day old snow [4"], saw 1 deer track and that had a coyote track right on it.....that's on a 4 mile hike.

[RC]

I don`t hunt public land only but do 90% of the time. This year on public land I killed 6 hogs and two deer. One nice ten point all with homemade longbows. RC

[Chuck from Texas]

Around here there is no such thing as private land. Central La.
Chuck