nctaxi

Here's a tip that has helped me in the past. Find an unusual way to get there. I found a nice piece of public land that runs along a lake, so after walking the 2.5 hrs from the front, I get to the back and low and behold there is the public access to the lake on the other side. I go back the next weekend with my canoe, 3minutes later, I'm standin' on the back side. Bow hunting ain't much but, come muzzleloader when everyone runs all the deer to you, man the shot opps! If you can gain access to public land through someone's property, streams, lakes, etc. the hunting can be great. Hope it helps.

davidmil

I love bowhunting public land. It's become a game to me. I find all the patterns and try to figure out what all the deer are doing. I then try to get back in a ways away from the masses. Most public land hunters are road hunters. THey rarely get more than 150-200 yards off the road. Get back in further near some thick stuff. Find a trail along the edge or and intersection of edge and entering trails. Get in before the others arrive and get set up. Not long after daylight you should have deer moving away from the hordes pushing them. Stay long. Most guys get antsy 2 or 3 hours after seeing nothing and get down. Any deer that have bedded down will more than likely be pushed up and they'll head for the hills and your spot if you did it right. Late afternoon they'll be coming out of their hiding places to get back to the feeding grounds they've been pushed out of. It may take a few hunts to put the pieces together. I say it really takes 2 or 3 years to learn a wood, food sources, patterns of the deer and other hunters. Find out where others hunted if you meet them and file it away. It could be a spot you may want to check out for the future, but mostly you want to know where people are pushing deer from. Their spot may be great, but I guarantee it'll soon be over hunted and a place deer avoid. If they ask where you're hunting, just give them a wave of the hand and say off that way, no particular spot. Tell them you like to walk around, they'll avoid you.[8D] If you find the mother load and tell one stranger, I guarantee all his buddies will know about it and be hunting it within days, and next week and next year. Great spots are usually small and thick. Don't go chopping trees or cutting limbs or over hunting it. Don't go busting into it either. Do that as a last resort. Escape routes are not going to stand out like neon lights or big paths. Usually it's a terrain feature that gets them more cover than the surrounding ground and gets them hidden better than surround ground. Many times it's just an area with the slightiest few more saplings leading to thicker stuff. When you've found what you consider the PERFECT spot, don't be afraid to admit you screwed up. If you hunt it once or twice and don't see deer, it's not the place. Move on. Moving on may be as simple as moving to the other side of the thicket. There's a piece of public ground my buddies and I have been hunting for about 35 years. It gets a lot of pressure from 4 sides. The woodsvaries from1-2 miles by 7 miles. We get back in about a 3/4-a mile. In 35 year we've come across about8 hunters. Most were lost. This year I had one come by. He was lost. I gave him a heading and watched his blaze orange disappear into a thicket. Out popped two does my way. 3 minutes later I see the guy pop out going exactly 180 degrees from the heading I gave him to get back to his friends. He was already an hour late. I figured he changed his mind and he disappeared into the swamp he'd originally come from about 150 yards in front of me. 10 minutes later here he comes from my left front like he had originally. I waved my orange at him and he come over. He said, I just met you back on the hill about an hour ago. I said NO, you met me here an hour ago. He didn't believe me at first. Now he's 2 hours late. I finally walked the guy out about 1/2 mile and put him on a grown over firetrail that would put him 100 yards from his meeting spot. It was straight down hill, cross a creek and you'll be 100 yards from the road, straight ahead. I hope he made it. While I was doing that my buddy shot a deer up where I'd just left. Guarantee that guy will never be on the mountain again. He's a confirmed 150 yards from the road guy for life.[8D][8D]

Kamil

Welcome to the boards! I have never hunted anything but public land. This is a very tricky kind of hunting. There are good days where you will see a ton of deer and there are days that the woods will be loaded with hunters and you willd not see anything. Like i'm sure some of the other guys have said...you have to go further and deeper...go into the swamp that others hunters will not travel...take that extra step and walk in 30 minutes early to take your time...take those extra steps and they will lead more to you being successful than anything else. Public Land is for everyone, everyone has the same rules and right, but it is about the effort you put in that will assist in gettin your deer.

Copper31

Welcome to the boards. I use to hunt public land and always had a blast. I don't have to much advice for finding deer. I have a hard time doing that on my land that I hunt alone. But one thing that Iwould suggest isto get to know the other huntersaround there. Maybe skip opening morning and just drive and see if there are other vehicles parked. If you can catch other hunters by there vehicles just introduce yourself and tell them where you were thinking of hunting. Good way to make another hunting partner. I had a fellow hunter do this to me when I hunted public land and first it threw me for a loop, but then I realized he was just being a good sportsmen. Knowing that he had every right to hunt the same tree I was in, he also understood how much time can be put in just finding that right spot. I told him where I was hunting and let him know some of the other areas that I had tried. He would stop by my truck at the end of the night and I would do the same for him. Made a good friend. Now that I have rambled my advice would be just to respect other people in the area. The respect that you show them may be given back in double.

Anthony T.

Not alot of bowhunters in Va are they. Hardly anyone here bowhunts. it's a great time to get out there. I hunt alot of public land also. It's best to get to a spot where no one else is going. Go deeper in the woods than anyone else and you can find the deer that are hiding from all the hunters.

cjhaley

Next question. Went out scouting the area friday and found some good sign. in telling some buddies that have hunted all their lives I found that they did not think I needed to watch my scent and could go scout in plain cloths. I was assuming that with about a month away from season that I needed to be careful about my scent. Am I wrong about this?

Anthony T.

If you found good sign, go back and hang a stand, then leave the place alone. These guys lyed to you man, it don't take much of anything to move deer out of a spot. I don't recommend go there no more than 2-3 times. And since you already been once, 1-2 more times is all id go.