Public land hunting????

[mb915]

Pretty much what everyone else has said is what I do.  I hunt in the National Forest in VA, there are only so many access points to the forest, so naturally those are my starting points, just like the other hordes of hunters.  The first thing i do is look at topo maps of the areas and try to pinpoint areas that are more than a mile from any road that could be good, or at the top of the mtns, since most people are not willing to walk to the top of the mtns since it will take upwards of two hours, and there are normally some great saddles along the mtn tops.  My plan is the farther you can get away from the crowds the better.  The funny thing is, this one public land i hunt in pa, my best spot is the exact opposite.  I literally sit about 15 yards off the trail people can walk/drive on.  The last two years during archery, i have see numerous bucks, and even shot one last year(unable to find though). This spot is just overlooked since everyone else thinks its to close to the road and there is no way deer would be there.  But by implementing these tactics, my hunting partners and i have tagged a few nice bucks over the last three years.  So get out there and put some miles on those boots.

[zos41]

Two excellant points here, if you can get back 1/2 mile or more you are beyond most of the hunters, also if legal you may see deer also on the road going in or trail people walk down going in by posting within 50 yards of the trail.

[Bukmastr]

Its all about bedding... Especially if you want to take mature bucks.
I hunt mostly on public land, and a lot of hunters use the same land I do.
But they tend to over look certain areas. Bucks do not get mature by hanging out
where people do. Find the bedding areas in the overlooked areas and your getting close to killing a good buck.

[hunting124]

I haven't try to hunt on public land, but I guess it seems to be also comfortable to hunt on those places. I was planning to do this the next time I go out for a hunt,I guess it would be a lot of fun..

[adirondackhunter]

I only hunt public land and had great success.I use a topo map to find starting places in the area.

[Demoderby4]

Public land is great, but it also has its downfalls. I wouldn't hunt much if it weren't for public land so I'm very thankful for it. If you take the time and look at topo maps and really scout around after the season and get set up before the next summer you can really be ahead of the game and get some good spots that produce all season long, not to mention that not many people will disturb your spot if its in an overlooked spot or about 1/4 mile away or more from the main road/trials. After setting up in the winter after the season then go in there once during mid day at the end of summer or so and make sure everything is trimmed up and ready to go and your ready for opening day or whenever you end up hunting with minimal disturbance! I have had great success sitting less than 50 yards away from the main roads going thru the state land as well as over 1000 yards away from the closest rd. If the land is heavily hunted heck popping down by a good used trail could be the best spot lol. That's why I love it, if you find the right spot, or at least an active spot you are almost guaranteed to see something at least opening weekend or the first few days of the season.

The one down fall i hate is obviously how over populated with hunters state lands can be (thats why far away spots are great) i also hate when people put on drives opening morning or opening day at all really when the woods are still full, its just inconsiderate if you ask me wait until the end of your hunt if you have to do that on state land, their are other people who enjoy hunting out there too, give them that respect.

[JOEL]

Respect? whats that?it went out the window years ago[:(]

[flatpicker]

I am really lucky to live in the state of Missouri. We have so much public hunting land it is not over used, you can always find a quit place to hunt. In saying that I still always start scouting in spring for my hot spots. I turkey hunt with Bow and I use some of that time for deer scouting in the fall.

[mightyfofaad]

We don't own any land up there so we go one the hundreds of acres that are public land. So my question is..... Do you hunt on public land? do you have any susses? How do you choose where to go? Thanks for reading.

Well, I don't know what the terrain is like in the area you're referring to so it's a bit hard to advise you. However, I can tell you about my experience with public land & it may apply to you.

First off, I've never had any success on public land, or a co-operative when the land was flat. Two reasons. First, that's where most of the hunters from downstate NY go ... it's usually overworked with inexperienced hunters crashing around & shooting at anything that moves, including cows & small Japanese cars. Aside from the first hours of opening day ... those deer are going to be bedded down until the last Yahoo leaves the woods. Now this applies to the Catskill region of NY.

It's a little better in the Adirondack region. But in any case you need a state land map, a deer population map & a topographical map. I find it much more successful (and safer) to hunt in the mountains. Now I'm not talking about scaling the Himalayas, but 2500 to 4000 foot mountains. Remember that you're often starting from about 1000' anyway.

Climb up to the top, actually just below the top ridge & look for a spot that has a food source, is nearby a water source, and, a good view of the approaching area from just below that ridge. That's their escape route. I guarantee there will be deer in that area, often used as a bedding area.

Now if the area has all those features, there will be deer ... no if's or but's. Remember, you started out by picking an area that showed deer population in the 30 to 45 per sq, mi. range. It doesn't pay to hunt where there are no deer! [;)]

[nhdeerchaser]

My honey hole is on public land!

I get in early, and wait for all the yahoos to kick the deer past me!
No dead deer for me yet, but I'm in a good spot!

Mike