Public Lands Are Tough Hunting

[Mossyhorns]

I have never had to rely soley on public grounds to bow hunt deer before.And it's tough going.You might see a deer or two on day then not see one again in that area the next four days.Then there is the slob hunter that carries his cell phone and on at that.Yes i moved to another spot farther away on the trail.Everywhere i find what i think is a good secluded area,i find a ladderstand already setup.I refuse to move in on someone elses setup.
At first i was disappointed and bummed out have to hunt state grounds.And still am to a point.But now i am looking at it as a bigger challenge.To bag a decent shooter with all the disturbances and compition of hunting areas. Yesterday afternoon i went out.Winds were blowing 25-30 mph and 40*.I did see one deer about 60 yds from me.After coming out and getting on the parks trail.I ran into a guy that was waiting for his two buddies.One of them shot a basket 6 pt,and the other got a doe.I helped them pull them up to the parking lot and load them into their pickups.One was from Schamberg and the other two were from Gurnee,IL.their first time hunting this lot.And i have been watching the sign in sheet.Those where the first two deer taken since opener.

[Myk]

I wouldn't worry too much about those ladder stands. There are some people who own MANY stands so they can "stake a claim" in every good spot on public land. I would only worry about being near another hunter.

The worst part you're going to find is possibly after you get something.
My nephew and his father have to shotgun on public land. I think they've got one deer in their life by hunting. When they got to it, someone else was tagging it.
I sure wouldn't wait any 30 minutes. If you hit one I'd get own and quietly stalk after it to get it in view. If it's a good hit it will be dead within minutes and you will be there to stop the guy who saw it go down from tagging it.

[tcoop]

I have been fortunate and never had to hunt public land.

tonight on the way home from a family function I drove home thru some public hunting land. We saw no less than 20 trucks parked in the parking areas and along roads. I couldn't belive it.

After we were thru the area, we spotted a group of 14 deer. One nice buck and one trophy. I have seen deer in this field many times, so when I saw a guy out at a near by farm house, I stopped to ask for permission. Unfortunately, he only owned his yard. None of the acreage where the timber or fields were.

We also saw 3 other individual deer. But not one was on the public ground.

tcoop

[rojo36]

All I can say is I feel for you guys on the crowded public land . Here a good share of the hunting is done on public land or timber company holdings and other hunters is seldom a problem .
I have to agree with Myk an empty ladder stand on public land doesn't buy anything . If it did a guy could buy enough stands and keep the whole area for himself . Public land is first come first served and the faint at heart stay home . No more of this mister nice guy ,Mossy . Rojo :D

[scott]

My uncle has a 600 acre dairy farm here in lower MI so I don't hunt public land very much, but when I do hunt it, I'll usually wait until the late part of the season when the weather is pretty cold, there are quite a few fair weather hunters out there, so there is less commotion in the woods at that time. If you can stand the cold It's a good time to be out there. I too have shot a buck later to find a couple of hunters standing over my deer it isn't the greatest feeling in the world, luckily the fellas hadn't tag it yet when i walk up on them. I thought there was going to be some kind of confrontation I'm glad there wasn't we ended up flipping a coin seeing how no one tag it. I wish I could say I won the toss but there was two of them and one of me and flipping a coin is what we agreed on. Wheres a C.O. when you need one. I have a wife and a four yr. old son who i wanted to see again you never know what might have happened if things went south.

[tcoop]

You don't have to be on public land, my cousins friend claimed one of his deer one time. He later tried to claim my deer. He was field dressing it and I walked up and put my tag on it. Oh, I did have to finish field dressing it though. I should have waited a little longer. At least he got the point.

tcoop

[Mossyhorns]

I'm glad that has never happened to me.I doubt i would compose myself in a very friendly manner so to speak.You toucha my deer,i breaka you fingers......arms...legs...... :blink: [cont]

[Myk]

I had my friend tag my deer before. I use fragmenting slugs so it would've been easy to see if it was mine. That was the first and only deer he checked in without gutting. I dug around in the hole and instantly found part of my slug.

I'm amazed my nephew didn't mention that he's a cop. But I think he thinks that he'll get shot if he would.

[Mossyhorns]

Well i was out this evening and moved in deeper about 150 yds.Got set up.Waited about 45 minutes then pulled the grunt tube out.I gave a short soft grunt just one.A few seconds later i heard a grunt back.Now i wondered is this a deer or another hunter.So i put the grunt away in my pocket.About 5:30 here come four does out from under a canopy of scrub trees 25 yds away.At first i got readied and was going to shoot one.Then i thought maybe if i wait it out and don't pressure these deer.They would soon be followed by some kinda buck in the near future.My plan is to draw them into my area.Using my drip bottle and laying some tarsonal gland lure gel down for now.I'm afraid if i put some mock scrapes down.Someone else will see them and move in on me.And i hoping the lure would start some activity and i would see some scrapes made.
Give it a week and rattling might be a good thing too.

[Myk]

Passing on deer on public land? After they answer your grunt?
Either your freezer is as full as mine is or you're very much the optimist. :)
I hope it works out for you.

[Mossyhorns]

No the freezer isn't full yet.I'm just hoping to at least something with antlers.If i had taken a doe i would have had to make time from work to get it to a meat locker the next morning.Which i really didn't want to do.Unless it had enough points on it.I finally heard back from the one guy that kept telling me to get back to him after a couple weeks.He said i could hunt his place during the weekdays.So i have to get out and scout it and get a stand in.

[Myk]

That's good news.

I'm working on a coyote place. I was at the tobacco shop and the lady mentioned she had a farm after I said I'd already got a deer. I asked if she'd been seeing any yotes.
She has and isn't pleased. She seems very willing to have them dead.
If she lived closer I'd have pushed it right then, but she's on the other side of the river.

I doubt if it would ever turn into a deer spot because her son deer hunts. Plus it would be like my other bowhunting spot. I never get there unless I'm out for coyotes or with my friend, because I can hunt 5 minutes away.

[tcoop]

Myk,

Follow up on that. We need all the coyote spots we can get. I lost one this year.

tcoop

[Myk]

I forget if she said Mossville or Mapleton, so it's a ways out.

[Mossyhorns]

didn't you mean MOSSYville

[Jerry]

Here in Texas you have to hunt public land. Everything else is wrapped in leases.
So when you do go to public land for any kind of hunting you compete with many hunters. Usually you can find at least one hunter per acre on very busy days. But luckily this is only for deer. but even turkey is starting to get crowded.

[rojo36]

Oregon has a lot of public land to hunt deer and elk on , but most of the turkey hunting is on private property .

Dang Jerry with one hunter per acre it wouldn't even be safe to throw rocks .

[Jerry]

It's not. I would not even hit the woods during deer season. Just because you literally could step over people every where you went.

I quit hog hunting during deer season because I was afraid that my dog would get shot.

Hopefully with so many corporations not fulfilling their leases this year that the prices will finally go down to make it affordable for more to hunt.

[rojo36]

It's was hard for me to imagine Texas being that crowded because when I lived there you could hunt just about anywhere . Then I also happened to think that was 51 years ago . That's one of the things I like about the western states there is still a lot of public land to hunt .