Tips For Public Land Sucess???

[2001ZincSR]

I recently moved and Im looking for new spots to hunt. There is quite a bit of public land around me but Ive always had a hard time hunting the deer on any public land. I have been sucessful but it was mere luck being in the right place at the right time during gun seasons. Im hoping to get out early this archery season and bag a deer or two before gun season comes around. Even during the archery season Ive noticed quite a bit of hunting pressure on public lands. Does anyone have any advice on how to find and set-up for deer on public land? Ive never been able to pattern any types of movement usually due to the hunting pressure. What do you guys suggest for someone entering a new area for the first time?

[BuckSlayer]

Throw some golden acorns on the ground...then aim a trail cam toward it...see what you got coming in...if theres deer find a good tree and keep putting the corn out..dont get much easier than that...if you dont wanna use bait then look for pinch points that deer would travel through to get from a field to field or maybe a good travel route from a bedding to feeding area...if you find a really good down to the dirt full of tracks deer trail it might be a pretty good place come fall...it just takes alot of scouting!

[coonskinner]

if youre talking about the wayne or se ohio public hunting is very good where ever you walk in the woods...find a spot about 100 acres...treat it as if everything around it is other farms...learn it well...then if need xpand outward from there...i personally box in areas...using county roads and powerlines as boundaries then i name each sections...i now know thousands of acres on the wayne but i treat it as if it were a bunch of different farms with boundaries...as for deer they are all over the forest...as for archery pressure,i do not see that but it does pick up around the 8th of nov. for a week or 2...but then its not bad...as for gun season...the pressure is near roads...go out in the middle you will only see a hunter or 2...but will see more deer...lot of people complain about the wayne,i know theyre hunting near the road...the ones complaining about archery season dont hunt there i suspect during archery season...90% of the forest sees no bowhunters at all in my opinion...:eek:

[Buckman]

Stay off the logging roads. I used to always seem to have great spots with easy access, but of course all the other guys see the same sign as you do. Go in farther most guys hunt no more than 200-300 yards off the road.

Try to get 20-30 minute walk off any trail and maybe use a stream to get to and from your spot. I used to be a people magnet until I learned to go in farther than the other guy, and hence my success went up on mature deer.

[coonskinner]

Stay off the logging roads. I used to always seem to have great spots with easy access, but of course all the other guys see the same sign as you do. Go in farther most guys hunt no more than 200-300 yards off the road.

Try to get 20-30 minute walk off any trail and maybe use a stream to get to and from your spot. I used to be a people magnet until I learned to go in farther than the other guy, and hence my success went up on mature deer.
i have had stands including 2 with climbing sticks that could be seen very easily from a gas well trail(4wheeler trail)...no problem...they were in from oct. to the beginning of summer...yes national forest...most were in a ways...one was less than 5 minutes from our deer camp (wn)...which is a public camp /picnic area with parking lot...as said pressure is on the roads...and archery season has no pressure...theres plenty of woods and thousands of acres for each hunter...:eek:

[SouthernOhio#9]

I have hunted public land my entire life, and i have seen some big bucks that live in these public places! All public land gets hammered in gun season, but early season archery is not that bad! My best advice is to scout thourougly!!!!!! That is the best advice i have! There is alot of public land out there and alot of hot spots, and the best way to find the deer is to scout! I have scouted alot of public land through hunting, shed hunting, and even just walks through the woods. But the only way to find these deer is to get out there and hunt them.

[Baz59]

WALK! thats the best advise to give. Go were the other people dont go, to lazy to go, or just plain cant get to. Although i have never killed a deer on public land i have had the chance......then my brother closed the deal on him the next year!!!lol...

[TIP]

My advice would be to find out what the deer are feeding on first.
If they are feeding on acorns look for a bedding area near by and set up close to it.
Now if there is no acorns look for anything green.
Looks like this is going to be a bad year for acorns from what I've been hearing.

[BuckSlayer]

Ive been telling people its going to be a good year for acorns...I was out fishin a couple days ago and there was some oaks hanging over the lake just loaded down with acorns...i guess it just depends on where your at.

[backstrap]

I arrowed my first p&y buck last season on public land. My brother, and my buddy have taken 3 p&y's and one booner all from public. Public land can be a challenge to say the least, but you can be successful with a lot of scouting, determination, and planning. Here's a few tips that helped us score every year. When scouting new public land we drive the roads that run through and around the land, looking for deer trails. When we find a decent trail we park the truck at the nearest pull-off then follow the trail, until we find good solid sign. We look for a food source, either hard (acorns, beechnuts, etc.) or softmast (crab-apple, paw-paw,persimmon abandoned orchards etc.). 2-3 year old clear-cuts are deer magnets, and deer will flock to these areas to eat the new growth. We look for interior edges, where hardwoods meet up with pines, or hardwoods, and thickets meet. Bucks love to travel these areas, much like they would a field edge. That's usually where we find the first rubs of the season. Creek crossing, bottle necks, and low spots along a ridge line are ideal areas for deer travel. Just remember when hunting hilly terrain morning thermals will carry your scent up, so it's a good idea to set up high on a ridge top. Evening thermals work in reverse, hunt low, along the creek bottoms, or bottle-neck areas. Another tip and one my buddies and I really believe in, hunt the mid-morning, mid-afternoon times 9:00-3:00. Most hunters break for lunch then, and it's a super time to way-lay a buck. I shot mine at 1:10 in the afternoon. Also during the pre-rut, and rut, bucks will tend to wander searching for receptive does. The does by that time are usually bedded, and the bucks will search out doe family units. As stated in the above posts...WALK, stay away from logging roads, and trail areas, most hunters are lazy...and won't venture more than 100-300 yards in. The walk to some of my stand sites, may take me 45 min. to reach. Yeah, it's work, but believe me it's well worth it. Scout early and often, and do some in-season scouting as well. Prefered food sources change constantly, and deer will change their habits quickly. Also if you come across a rub-line that's been made recently find a spot and set up on it quickly. He's telling you "Here I am". It may take you several seasons to piece together the public land puzzle, don't give up, the rewards are well worth the effort. Best of luck....

[coonskinner]

I arrowed my first p&y buck last season on public land. My brother, and my buddy have taken 3 p&y's and one booner all from public. Public land can be a challenge to say the least, but you can be successful with a lot of scouting, determination, and planning. Here's a few tips that helped us score every year. When scouting new public land we drive the roads that run through and around the land, looking for deer trails. When we find a decent trail we park the truck at the nearest pull-off then follow the trail, until we find good solid sign. We look for a food source, either hard (acorns, beechnuts, etc.) or softmast (crab-apple, paw-paw,persimmon abandoned orchards etc.). 2-3 year old clear-cuts are deer magnets, and deer will flock to these areas to eat the new growth. We look for interior edges, where hardwoods meet up with pines, or hardwoods, and thickets meet. Bucks love to travel these areas, much like they would a field edge. That's usually where we find the first rubs of the season. Creek crossing, bottle necks, and low spots along a ridge line are ideal areas for deer travel. Just remember when hunting hilly terrain morning thermals will carry your scent up, so it's a good idea to set up high on a ridge top. Evening thermals work in reverse, hunt low, along the creek bottoms, or bottle-neck areas. Another tip and one my buddies and I really believe in, hunt the mid-morning, mid-afternoon times 9:00-3:00. Most hunters break for lunch then, and it's a super time to way-lay a buck. I shot mine at 1:10 in the afternoon. Also during the pre-rut, and rut, bucks will tend to wander searching for receptive does. The does by that time are usually bedded, and the bucks will search out doe family units. As stated in the above posts...WALK, stay away from logging roads, and trail areas, most hunters are lazy...and won't venture more than 100-300 yards in. The walk to some of my stand sites, may take me 45 min. to reach. Yeah, it's work, but believe me it's well worth it. Scout early and often, and do some in-season scouting as well. Prefered food sources change constantly, and deer will change their habits quickly. Also if you come across a rub-line that's been made recently find a spot and set up on it quickly. He's telling you "Here I am". It may take you several seasons to piece together the public land puzzle, don't give up, the rewards are well worth the effort. Best of luck....

xactly or one could come to deer camp (wn)...you wont have to do all those seasons of scouting which is about what one needs to really learn whats going on...and the driving the roads works too...if you live near the forest really helps too...:biggrin:

[2001ZincSR]

thanks for all the tips. I need to get out there and scout now to find a good stand come this fall.