Public Land Safe and/or successful

[Jbird93]

What are y'all's experiences hunting on public land that allow firearms as well as bows? I have my apprehensions seeing I usually hunt private land or bow only public land. Also is the success rate on rifle/archery public land as good?        Thanks guys

[Brianlocal3]

I gun hunted as well as bow hunted most my hunting life, I was in the woods with a gun so I'll be in the woods with a bow
Wear your orange and don't go walking around

[dirtguy]

It really depends on the public land, and the location on that land.  I have one big tip about hunting public land and I am very lucky to be able to use it.

Find a land owner whose property abuts the public land but at a location that is remote from public access.  They only need to allow you to gain access over their land.  They don't have to let you hunt their land, just park and walk in. The more remote from public access, the better.  

In this way you get onto land where the likelihood of other hunters is lowered.  You also come onto a land that the deer are likely to go to when the gunshots start.

[Nantahala Nut]

x2 What Dirtguy said.  I had a family friend with land that adjoined a public game land.  Access was on the other side of it and those hunters pushed deer straight across the property to him.

[AZ_Longbow]

All i hunt is public land, during gun seasons I wear my orange, bow season my coyote tan. It has been safer than driving to my hunts every time and I see alot of animals. Though AZ has alot of public land.

[Stump73]

Used to be in some of the public land ive hunted was like a war zone. Didn't care much for it. Seemed like there was about an acre of ground for every hunter.

[Petrichor]

I'll let you know this is going to be my first season with bow hunting and first season on private land and also first season in Baton Rouge.  I cannot seem to develop a connection with somebody that will let me use private land.......=(  I only gun hunted on private land back when I lived if Florida.

[wislnwings]

I've hunted for years on public lands around South Louisiana.  They get hunted hard.  I feel safe as long as I use common sense and if something doesn't feel right I just go somewhere else.  I also usually do not hunt opening days, especially for firearm seasons and I try to hunt on weekdays as much as possible to further avoid the weekend crowd.

[John Scifres]

I hunt public land a lot.  Wear your orange during gunseason.  Safe and successful?  Depends on the spot.  Most times it's too crazy for me to bowhunt during gun season.  Unless I already have a freezer full.

[mlsthmpsn]

Depends a lot on your location...gun deer season in Wisconsin is a religion, opening weekend you'd be hard pressed to be anywhere open to the public and not see orange many many times throughout the day...no matter how remote you are.

I once found this sweet little spot tucked way back in the corner of this very swampy wooded public land...no roads in any direction for about a mile. I scouted and never saw another boot print out there for weeks...so I set up, knowing that deer drives on opening day of gun season would push every deer there way back along the river and funnel them all right through the canary grass/dogwood swamp before they jumped over to he cedar swamp on private land.

So, I'm set up, waiting for daylight...and here comes headlights ramming through this farm field...parks and two guys get out, and walk in, and setup about 20 yards from me....then light came up and holy crap, orange everywhere about every 60yds in a grid in every direction...then the banging started.

What a waste! on my way out, I stopped by a group of guys by a pop-up blind (on my trail out anyway)...I know they just shot a bunch at what appeared to be a 60 lber high-tailing past that area...when I get there...I see the side of the pop-up is blown all to hell....dude is bitching up a storm because the damn box (which was also laying on the ground next to the blind) said "shoot-through mesh"!!!!

I laughed, left and never been back.