Hunting Public Land? It was BAD

[DeerSpotter]

Tonight I was bushed in so good, three people that were scouting for guns seasoned, for a special doe hunt in that particular county, walked up within 10 yd. of my double blind before they noticed it was there.

I am so tired of hunting public land, and now the areas I am hunting in, the whole county, has a special doe hunt(rifle) is going on for just this week, Saturday and Sunday.  I think they were already going nocturnal.

I am just going to take the initiative to get some private property to hunt.  It was really upsetting, they came down 45 minutes before the time I thought I would see deer there, there is a real big buck that I have been trying to get there.  Have only seen him once, but his tracks are all over the place, this afternoon there were a lot more deer tracks with his tracks.  So that's why it was so upsetting, but then they knew where I was at, so when they came out of the swamp and reeds, they walked again about an hour later 30 yd. down a path from my double bull blind.

A couple of yahoos, and the bad thing is they had a kid with them about 14 years old, so he'll grow up doing the same thing, disrespecting hunters.  So needless to say, I did not see any deer today.

     


Carl

[Zmonster]

Sorry to hear that. I had a similar situation happen this Elk season too. Its VERY fustrating. No respect........

[Stone Knife]

I hunted public land for many years, most of the time it was OK but there were times like you described. I finally was able to buy some land of my own to hunt. If it is not possible for you to own land for hunting, private land is a good option maybe you could lease some acreage or get the right to post the land, then you could have a honey hole to yourself.

[Bonebuster]

I do not own property to hunt. I do have permission to hunt some very nice pieces of land,
and do put in time there. But I love to hunt big places. Public land is much more challenging for a number of reasons. The thing that makes public land the most challenging for me is disturbance caused from other hunters.

I put alot of effort into preventing others from knowing where I hunt, and I usually have to do alot of walking to get into areas where the type of people you describe are not willing to go.

I wish I could buy some property, but my priorities do not include a land payment, insurance, and property taxes.

On a good note, I find myself driving past my private land access to our our beautiful tracts of public ground simply because its more fun.

My scouting cameras prove that the big bucks are there, and the big bucks prove that they are much better at avoiding me than I am of finding them.

[Recurve50LBS]

Carl,

I sure know where you are comming from. I generaly hunt public land here in NJ. Several years back I found a honey of a spot to sit for deer. So one Saturday afternoon I decide to hunt this spot. I'm up in this tree for an hour or two when I hear this group of city slickers comming down the game trail I was hunting.
 Belive me when I tell you that folks from NYC sure are loud talkers. This group of slickers (10 people) walk past my set up, never noticing me 12 feet above their heads. Well one guy from the group decides to stop at my tree to relieve him self. Being a bit of a practical joker, I say to this guy," Hey Pal, How'd you like to find another tree to pee on cause I like my trees dry." Well this slicker just about does #2 in his pants when he looks up and sees me. He then announces to his group in a louder voice that they need to be careful because there are hunters up in the trees.
 Now you would think that someone in the group would have the common sense orjust some  plain decency to leave the area. But no,they just continued on their noisy, merry way  without seeing as much as a sparrow or the deer they were hopong to see.
I left after they were out of sight but not out of ear shot. I was quiet angry at myself for choosing to hunt this area on a Saturday afternoon.
Oh if any of you reading this is wondering how I knew this group was from NYC. When i got back to the parking area there were about 5 cars, all with NY tags.

[Jerry Jeffer]

I hunt a lot of public land. I have to expect that others will be cruising around. It is for everyone to use. I often have deer pushed to me from others walking around. I have also had nice bucks scared away from others walking around. That is just how it is on public land. This year I have been fortunate enough to hunt week days ( been working alot of week end OT). If I spend the time scouting, I can usually find a place that is out of the way from others. Even if deer sign is limited, it usually turns out good. Once people start using the woods, the deer go to these less used places. Sure I want to get a deer, but I'm still having fun trying even if I don't get one.

[cory hunter]

im going to be hunting public land in the adirondacks this season for the first time, this will be a rifle hunt although, but im still very skeptical. i insisted to my dad we paddle into the most rugged country on the deepest trails. i dont want to see other hunters, or get shot.

[tomahawk953]

brokenarrow1
i have hunted both private and public land and have used a method all my life that works. you have to draw the deer and turkeys and hold them in an area when hunting vast land. to do this, pick out 1 mature white oak or red oak and while hunting carry a small bag of fertilizer. poke holes in the ground all around this tree and fill with fertilizer plum out to the dripline. this will become your secret tree. do 1 and only 1. the deer and turkey will travel to feed here and give you that extra chance

[redfish]

Well, it is public, and one of the problems is that you are "bushed in" so good that they don't know you are there until they are right in the middle of your hunt.
I've stumbled up on some hunters myself and sure didn't intend to.

[zilla]

I think it depends on what part of the country you are in.. Around here, I can hunt for days and see no one on pubic land.  Then G&F opens chicken season in the middle of archery season and I sometimes see bird hunters.. .

[The Gray Fox]

For a real public land challenge try active military bases.  You never know which of the training areas will be used and if an area you want will be available.  Even the open to public hunting areas can be doubtful at times.  One time at Ft. Benning I was up in a tree watching an active trail, when along came a full platoon of Rangers running at a good gait, singing Jodie calls.  Needless to say I left for the morning.  On the other hand, Ft. Campbell, KY has a well managed hunting program and some of the finest deer around.

[onemississipp]

The game on active duty army post, are afraid of anything. That could be to one's advantage. At Fort Carson, CO we would have prong horn and prairie dogs walking through the rifle ranges, of course a seeze fire was called. Elk, mule, and white tail running around every where. Deer walking across a helicopter .50 cal and rocket range. I watched a video of a deer walk through a range while the 50 was engaging a target. Deer walked about 20 yds from target and never flinched. The deer was not shot.

[eagle24]

Different strategies for public land.  I hunt some private land that only myself and one other person have permission to hunt.  I can take my time and hunt the edges in the early season and not bugger up the area.  I don't feel pressure to get to deer before someone else does and can use a more patient strategy.  On public land, if it is hunted fairly heavy, I pull out the topos and find the thick, hard to get to areas.  The biggest percentage of hunters on public land seem to hunt the areas that are easiest to get to.  I think the deer vacate those areas pretty early in the season and move farther back into the harder reached spots.  You can often use the heavy hunting pressure to your advantage if you are willing to push deeper into the property.  Sure, it is a lot more work, but there are often honey holes created due to pressure in nearby areas.

[NDTerminator]

Broken Arrow, I grew up in Minn and that writing was all ready on the wall in the early 70's.
I moved to ND after I got out of the Army in the early 80's and never looked back.

Best decision I ever made in my life.  Great hunting, easy access to private land, and over a million acres of public hunting land not even counting a couple million acres of Badlands!...

[Curtiss Cardinal]

When I hunt public land I tend to look for the bigger pieces or the tiniest pieces available for the same reason. DEEP in the big pieces farther that 90% of hunters or the tree huggers will walk in. It suprizes me on some land it's only 500 yards in in others it's a mile or more. The small pieces because most hunters will ignore them or not do what it takes to get to it. There is a small 150 - 300 yard wide by 1 miles long strip of public land that is wedged by private land seemingly on all sides; but there is one narrow public dirt road that goes to a fishing access for a river. There is a 20 yard wide section of shore along that river that is the downwind end of that narrow strip of public land. When my car is parked there people just think I'm fishing the river. You just have to stretch your tatics.

[Starkman]

I've noticed in Arkansas most public land is hunted heavy with rifles.  I look for wildlife management areas that have a short rifle season, and when that ends, I hunt it.  Once the regular deer rifle season and duck season begins, most hunters are hunting their lease land and duck hunting, and never step foot on public land the rest of the season.

Anywhere around public access points are going to have lots of activity.  Try to find access from private property, maybe offer a tress pass fee to the land owner to gain access.

Bob

[redfish]

Mentioning Army posts. I got in early one morning on Ft. Hood and got set up where I had seen a nice buck the day before. Right after dawn, a bunch of Hueys accompanied by some Cobras came in and unloaded infantry just a couple of hundred yards from me.
You have to stay flexible.

[DeerSpotter]

" I wish I could buy some property, but my priorities do not include a land payment, insurance, and property taxes. "

I understand about this, we just sold our house in June, paid off everything, and purchased the house were living in(which is brand-new) and we paid cash for it, I'm working part-time job and archery shop(I do have to put up with the wheels) that every chance I get I lead the young people to the traditional side of bow hunting, it's a lot of fun, so it's really not a "JOB".

I really appreciate all the response from you guys,

I have worked really hard this year, scouting and looking for different lands that are far away from easy access, to the armchair hunters.

This year I've been going to a spot where I have seen the big buck, onetime, and increasing in doe activity around his tracks, although I have not used a trail camera, as I hate donating to thieves, so I've been doing it the old-fashioned way.  Where I place my blind, I had three trails bottlenecking into one, that was going to a corn field, with a bean field alongside it, and a large area of thicket behind me.  And the swamp and reeds beyond.  It was ideal, and I was told by the DNR there are plenty of the year in an area, that's why the special hunt this weekend with guns for just doe's,

When I first started hunting and went to an area that was 15,000 acres, I would go as far as 3 1/2 miles into the river on it.  But I started realizing I wasn't seeing any wildlife at all, and then I was seeing people carrying pillowcases, they had anything and everything in it, Blue Jays, sparrows, squirrels, and they would not with 22 is like they were machine guns, so I gave up those areas for good two years ago, and left it to that " so-called hunters".

I really like this site, setting down when these threads is like setting down in a room in a cabin, and talking with you guys, there's very little "ego" on a site like this, nobody's trying to prove anything to anyone, I appreciate you guys.

And someone mentioned about fertilizing the oak trees, I have thought about purchasing the type of food plot seeds, that you just toss it out rake in little bit, and you get a food plot in two or three months, and doing that on public land, I think what I'll do it in an area that I can go in two or 3 mi., and do that thing next year, until I can get private land,

I did take my wheels out yesterday, I still haven't sold them yet, but I see where Brooks, from double bull, stripped his wheel bow and uses it like a traditional bow, drawing with three fingers, and shooting and releasing with two finger under.  If I can get rid of the boat anchor, that's another option for me.

But I think I should just bite the bullet, reduce the price and make some kid happy.  But I sure do love shoot my Turkey Creek three-piece takedown Longbow. I can't wait for snow, then I can track, right up to their sleeping area, once it snows eliminates all those other idiots out there, " Fairweather hunters".

I don't mean to sound negative on that, but if you going to do something it should be done right.

Once again thanks for all your response


Pastor Carl

[DeerSpotter]

I guess the one thing that I would add to it, is that I hunted in South Dakota, for a good number of years, never failed to get my deer there, but this was over 25 years ago, I had good hunting friends, and I always filled my tag within three to five days and we all hunted public land, never any troubles.  Times sure have changed.

I guess it could go back all the way too 1975, when I shot my first deer with a longbow.


OK OK, as anybody have any cheese !  

[Recurve50LBS]

I just came home from an afternoon hunt on a WMA in my area. I got into the woods by 3PM. While climbing my tree I hear motor sounds getting closer and closer. Sure enough here come 3 dirt bikes riding through. I decided to stay since it's early. A couple minutes later while raising my bow from the ground come 2 more dirt bikes. They stop 30 yards away from my tree and shut off the motors.
I was pretty pissed because it is illigal to ride any motorised vehichle on trails in WMA's In the Garden State. I decided to nicely remind these 2 young men just what the law says about what they are doing.
These 2 guys start looking around to see just where the "Forest Voice" is comming from and can't see me because I'm up in a tree all cammoed out in a ghilly suit and my face and hands blacked out with burnt cork.
These guys decide to leave the area. Pushing their dirt bikes! LOL
Any way 2 hours later I spot my first 3 deer, and another hour after that my 4th deer sighting. Even though these deer offered no shot opportunities I'm glad I decided to hang around.
My next step I'm gonna take is to give NJ Fish and Game a call to complain about the number of dirt bikes and atv's tearing up the woods and ask for more enforcement officials to come and enforce the existing law about operating these types of vehicles on WMA's.
I know that WMA's are public land for all to share and enjoy but the laws are written for a reason and should be enforced to teach these law breakers a lesson.