difficulty of private vs. public land
08-10-2007, 08:54 AM
#22
Giant Nontypical
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Phoenixville, PA USA
Posts: 5,541
RE: difficulty of private vs. public land
Public land in PA is tough, especially in densely populated areas like where I live. I have killed deer on public land, but you have to put your time in both on stand and scouting. A buddy of mine took a 145" deer last year on public land in PA. He is an incredible woodsman and usually walks an hour to an hour and a half to get to his stands, but it can be done.
08-10-2007, 09:18 AM
#23
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Southern MD
Posts: 2,520
RE: difficulty of private vs. public land
Something I just found out down here in MD. The DNR justopened 400 acres of public land this year to bowhunting only. The only other times this land has been hunted is during managed hunts a couple of weeks each year. Now it us open to bowhunting by special permit (free), daily reservation for only 6 bowhunters each day, Mon-Fri after 1pm until the conclusion of bow season. It is also in a county that allows unlimited does.
There is another 800+ acre piece, that gets no bowhunting according to the DNR guys I talked too, that I hunted during firearms last year and have scouted quite a bit. I also found another 400 acre piece of public land that, by reading the sign in sheets, gets no bowhunters. The bonus there is a huge set of sheds that we found.
I can't speak for other states but public land here, around where I live,doesn't seem to see a whole lot of bowhunting action. During muzzleloader the action heats up and during firearms you can hear guns all day for the first couple of days LOL. Then all of the deer clear out of the main, easy access areas and, if you don't hike much or have private land, pickings are kind of slim.
There is another 800+ acre piece, that gets no bowhunting according to the DNR guys I talked too, that I hunted during firearms last year and have scouted quite a bit. I also found another 400 acre piece of public land that, by reading the sign in sheets, gets no bowhunters. The bonus there is a huge set of sheds that we found.
I can't speak for other states but public land here, around where I live,doesn't seem to see a whole lot of bowhunting action. During muzzleloader the action heats up and during firearms you can hear guns all day for the first couple of days LOL. Then all of the deer clear out of the main, easy access areas and, if you don't hike much or have private land, pickings are kind of slim.
08-11-2007, 02:05 AM
#24
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location:
Posts: 68
RE: difficulty of private vs. public land
I have never killed a mature buck on private land but I have killed 2 that were ancient and 1 that was probably 3 and 1/2 on public land. It can be done but its tough and you have a lot of factors that you have no control over.The biggest difference is on private you can manage it so you have a lot more big deer running around. On public land for every guy that will pass a small buck you will have a guy that won't. I have been very fortunate the last 3 years and have shot 3 real nice public land bucks the last 3 years.It took me many years to do it. I can say that when you do kill a p&Y on public land you have done something that many hunters have not.
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