Do you hunt public land?

[Goose]

Do you hunt public land and if you do what is your best advice for success?
 
I hunt public land a couple of times a year and I gotta say that it is a different game.
I feel that scouting and "thinking outside the box" are 2 of the most important things with regards to tagging a public land buck.
Aerial and topo maps are also a big help and can save a lot of time.

[bowbrown]

I don't hunt public land that much but I would get off of the beatin path and don't be scared to do some walking to get in deep and I would try to hunt midday when no one else is there because the deer pattern the average hunter, first couple hours of the day and the last couple.

[DeerCamp]

I hunt state land. I try to keep my mouth shut about which one I hunt as there is already enough hunters there. I look at topo's and am out in the woods all the time. I like to go in there and scout once the season ends to find where other hunters have hunted and where the deer trails and beds are. It's easy to tell this with snow. Another thing I try to do is GO DEEP and hunt the long hours like bowbrown said. I will talk to anyone and everyone to get an idea of where they are hunting, so I stay clear of that area. I have taken a lot of bucks of state land including a real nice 9pt I took this past Nov. It's possible.It's hard to put out trail cameras, due to them always getting stolen. Your best bet is to buy a cheap one and LOCK it up anyways. Put it out there and see what happens.. You should take a look at the John Eberhart section. He shoots a lot of big bucks of state land, and his books are all about state land hunting pretty much. So give that a try for more advice. We also have a webinar coming up on pressured hunting lands, such as state land.. Might be worth the money to check it out.

[Todd Loftis]

YES I DO !!!!!!  I live in NC but very year my Dad and 2 brothers and myself go up to the SE part of OH for the first two weeks of NOV.  We mostly hunt Public land up there and we get off the road and hunt the travel cooridores of the BIG WOODS.  I use topo maps to find the funnels and saddles.  Take in some food and stay until dark.  We have had a lot of luck.  That is where I took my biggest buck a 147 10 Pt.  But we really have a great time and it does not cost that much.  Just the linsense and a place to stay which we all chip in and rent a cabin in a State Park.

[Todd Loftis]

I

[Todd Loftis]

I am trying to figure out how i can post a picture of my Public Land Buck.  I will get it on soon.

[69Viking]

Due to limited access to the private land I hunt I decided last year to give Public Land a try. I live next to Eglin AFB in NW Florida and I know their WMA very well from working there in the past so I decided to give hunting there a try. I only hunted it a few times last year but learned a lot and did manage to see one doe while on stand.

What I have learned in my little bit of time out there is that you need to watch for the funnels and yes go where others wouldn't think to go. The more time you spend scouting the better your chances will be at finding that spot you just know will score a shooter! Some places might be right in front of you that you only find by chance from spending time in the woods.

I decided this year to take up bow hunting because there are certain areas of the Eglin WMA that are archery only. It's in one of these Archery areas I stumbled on a deer trail one evening returning from a scouting trip. A doe and a fawn crossed the dirt road in front of me so instinctively I pulled over and scouted the area before it got too dark. I discovered deer were crossing between a creek/swampland area that ran parallel to a fence that you couldn't see from the road. Due to the fence and the creek/swampland a funnel came to narrow opening where the deer were crossing the road. Unless you saw deer cross the road at this point you would never know it's there.

A couple weeks later during Muzzleloader season I stopped in the same area just after it rained. I found tracks in the road and followed them to an opening where there had been a controlled burn near the swamplands. I was admiring the nice pine trees along the trail looking for a good place to put my climbing stand during archery season this October when I hear a snorting sound. I turn around and standing 20 yards away from me was about a 6 or 8 point buck that when I looked at him took a couple hops and disappeared towards the swampland. Now on two occasions I had seen deer in this location with a very distinct trail that went between the funnel created by the fence and the creek. Come mid October this is where I hope to put my climbing stand for some early archery season success. Only 4 months away and I can't wait!

[MSHunter]

All I hunt is public land, as I don't have access to private land.
All suggestions so far are great. I try to segregate myself from other hunters as much as possible, that means hiking farther, staying out later in the morning and getting out earlier in the afternoon. John Eberhart's books have some good advice. I try to scout right after the season to mid/end of July. I try to stay out of my proposed hunting areas after July. While scouting, I look for areas that I think a deer would feel safe in, thickets, swamps, etc. I use MSN.com/maps to get a aerial view of the areas I've scouted. I print out the page and make notes on it as to what I have observed and where I'll try to hunt in the fall.

[Goose]

I agree with you guys on Eberhart, he's hard core and his tactics work.I also recommend Greg Miller and Steve Bartyllas books.
Seems to me that as in most things in life, if your willing to put in the work and time you will be better off and reap the rewards.

[Gahunter]

YES one little thing i have learned in sw ga is if there is a small creek or creeks walk them they will revill crossings and escape routes from bedding areas.