Experiences hunting on public lands

N

nra_guns_winner

Moderator
Who all has had a bad day of hunting on public land and why. I'm asking this because I have only lived in this area a few months. I am thinking about giving an 7500 acre corp of engineers land a try. I plan to go out to that lake in the next few weeks and spend a day looking around. I've been using flash earth to help with that a little. Give flash earth a try. It has been nice to be able to see the area from above first. http://www.flashearth.com/
 
Opening day of squirrel season at our local wildlife management areas, I counted 25 trucks at one WMA and 17 at another. There are three more in the county that we didn't visit but I'm sure they were just as busy.

I don't mind sharing the land with other hunters at all, but when you can't find a place to park...:eek:
 
Same way here and why I don't visit them during deer season. I have learned that you need to get a far back in property as one can just you get away from the others, the deer have learn this also but it makes a long haul to get them out.
 
i try to stay away from most public lands, especially during deer season unless its bow. Like others said, you will need to get back beyond the crowds. Some time spent over a topo could help alot, because alot of time you can use all those hunters as unwitting drivers. Look at where those hunters will be parking there cars and moving into the woods........then locate yourself a stand way deeper off the road and get there super early....all those guys will drive the deer your way.
 
I've hunted on WMA land in OR, TN and SC. The only bad experience I've had wasn't a big deal. A guy across the field from me was shooting at doves that were behind me and out of my range. The were WAY out of his range but he must have liked hearing his gun go off. I didn't appreciate him shooting over my head, so I left. I've also had people squat too close to me on public dove fields. When I point out that the field isn't crowded enough to justify their positioning, they have apologized and moved.

I used to hunt deer on paper company land in west TN. Get a topo map, aerial photograph and go scout some areas that are beyond remote. Most people won't go more than a 1/4 mi. from their truck. If you are willing to work for it, there are lots of good opportunities on public land.
 
I don't have a problem with public lands.....I just don't hunt them on Opening week :D

I hunt in the Sunter National Forest, and after the second week of rifle season, you don't see too many other hunters until the long Thanksgiving weekend. ;)
 
I've never had a problem, but I've only been out for spring turkey and jumpshooting waterfowl in swampy beaver ponds. Might try public land deer for the first time this year - we'll see!
 
Well, Thank you all. I'm not to worried about it being crowded. I guess thats because its 80 miles out of the closest big city. I guess I'm more so windering if the bow hunters out before gun season will leave and deer for us gun hunters. I only gun hunt, I guess thats my problem. Thanks again.
 
I live in No Colo and it caused me to quit hunting for several years.
I don't really want to write about it all right now.Well.Ok
Started by walking to my stand in the dark AM.About 8 AM a guy walked within 10 yds 50 yds past me toward the expected elk,and sat down.I moved 100 yds .30 minutes later,bang,he wounds the bull that would have been mine with a .250 savage.It gets away.He asks where the hell I came from and why was I crowding his stand.When I explained I was there when he walked by,he called me a liar.He was holding his rifle in one hand,muzzle forward,pointing at me.I moved sideways three times to not look down his bore.The third time I mentioned it.He said,"Don't worry,its not loaded."
He was an old man.I don't hit old men.I left.I emptied my rifle and hung it up.I had dutch ovened some chickens and vegetables the night before.I focused on making soup.Camp cook.Buddies came in,I gave them soup.
2 came in,said they found blood and no drag marks out.Some bastard shot a mountain lion then just buried it in the snow.
A little while later a couple guys drug a cow elk to my camp and dropped it to go get a truck.I asked,"Is it tagged?" They didn't want to tag it.I said,OK,I don't have a cow tag,and Mr Game Warden comes,and I tell him these two guys...???"
Thats just one trip.I got more.
 
Love those Deer Drives

I love it. My lease borders the back side of public land. I really have A good time when those deer start moving(slipping) to the back side to excape the hunters coming in from the road. It is almost like A deer drive in slow motion. It is like A funnel (I'm sitting at the small end) once you find the trails they use for the excape routes. I just sit on the top of the hill and pick me one. Thanks Guys
 
I crow hunt state land without a problem, but it's generally an off time when no one's in the woods.

I've hunted state land for deer once on opening weekend. I'll never do it again. There are WAY too many people without a clue.
 
Hunting for deer on public land is ok. If you hunt blacktails along the coast, you're more likely to avoid other hunters than if you hunt whitetail or mule deer. The North Cascades seems to attract more hunters than the rest of the state.

Hunting elk is more problematic because there is less public land open to elk hunting and it gets crowded. I've never hunted there, but I've been told a certain area East of the Cascades is a free fire zone and should be avoided.
 
State land hunting... Here's some thoughts and warnings:

1. Expect to lose a stand if you leave it in the woods. I've had somewhere around 15 stolen on public lands. Fortunately, I built all but 1 myself, so it wasn't too big a loss.

2. Recon. Online tools today are great. Look for good areas and get the GPS coords for them. Hike in with the GPS and a copy of the imagery to mark game trails on.

3. Prepare to walk. My experience is most are too lazy to hike far. The farther you go out on public land, the less chance you have of getting your area disturbed by someone else. Not always a guarantee (see note 1), but I never saw the SOBs that stole my stands, either.

4. Prepare to extract. I made the mistake of shooting a 200# blonde feral pig at the farthest stand from my truck! A normal 45 minute hike now became a real pain. Get one of those game haulers. Your back will thank you!

5. Bring lots of water. Its easy to get dehydrated hiking a long way in and out. Don't neglect the basics of life.

Good luck!
 
I hunted State Game Land in Berks County, PA couple times with my USAF buddy and was stunned by the amount of hunters! Seemed like the pumpkin army had arrived in full force. In contrast, the western states including northern California are quite vast and virtually no other hunters in sight.

This photo was taken at one of my favorite mule deer hunting spots in western South Dakota. I've never seen another hunter, heard any shots, or even seen boot prints other than my own.

Jack

Dakotamuleyparadise.jpg
 
I hunted a few years on Milford lake Kansas. It is just outside Ft Riley. The first year I learned, First week of any open season the woods are off limits. Every person who owned a gun also new it was opening week. Most non hunters give up after a week. They seem to think all the game is gone and they are to lazy to actually HUNT for the game. :)

Since we have moved back to Indiana, I have gotten to know several farmers. I dont have to hunt public. Probably wouldnt anymore anyways. Its just to damgerous. My only issue now is tresspassers :D
 
Not my story but one my dad told me and one that taught me to always try to get a private spot to sit on.

opening day, 1992, late november. Early morning my dad sneaks in to his setup he had ready for three weeks before the season starts. As the darkness slowly turns to the bleak greyness of predawn two thoughts run through his head.

1) there sure were a lot of trucks up here when I pulled in
2) I don't see anyone. I wonder where the guns are poin...

BANG!

Dad dives behind a tree (almost). Some other hunter was not more than 20 yards from him let off a round from his 12 gauge and nearly changed the pattern on his pants from mossy oak to desert tricolor.

When on private land you at least have a chance to set where people are and choose where the guns are pointed.
 
I live in Kentucky and wouldn't dream of hunting WMAs during deer gun season. Too many hunters running around with high powered rifles for my taste.

I have hunted public land in Wyoming however. Very rarely do you see another hunter out there and if you do, the land is so expansive that you have really very little to worry about.
 
East Texas public land hunting

For $45, TX offers public hunting lands, mostly in East TX, where we have mixed hardwoods(about 30%) and pines (70%). Rolling hills, some cut over areas with lush regrowth- a lot of "edge" which whitetails like. Also some "thick stuff" for security cover/bedding areas. Small streams meandering thru hardwood stands (oak/hickory).

I avoid opening week, and all subsequent weekends. Therefore, Mon thru Thursday, I see few other hunters. Hunting over bait is illegal, which means you have to know how to HUNT - mostly a lost art when hunting private land in Texas.

I enjoy it, though I seldom harvest an animal. Peaceful, serene landscape, no people, no cell phone coverage. Just me, God's creation, and God's creatures - what more could I want?

Depends on your philosophy of life and your reason for hunting.

Typically, I get into my tree stand about an hour before first light, stay there until about 10 o'clock, then still hunt until about 1:00, "explore" new terrain (25,000 acre area, after 5 years on it, I have hunted/scouted only about 1/3 of it), then about 3:00 o'clock, I reposition my tree stand and stay in it until dark. Then I drive to the (free) campground, eat, and bag out, sleeping in the bucket seat of my pickup, tilted back to a reclining position (very comfortable). I'm usually asleep by 7 pm, and set my battery powered travel alarm clock for 4 am - 9 hours of sleep.

Repeat for 3 days, usually 2X in Nov, and again 2X in Dec, (avoid the weeks of Thanksgiving and Christmas, because the kids are out of school and in the woods all week) depending on moon phase, cold fronts, etc.

It's a good life.
 
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I went hunting with a buddy on public land, but it was shotgun only. As we got to the front gate to go in, there were people being arrested because they shot one of the fake bucks that the Game Wardens set out. Well, they were waving us through, but my buddy stopped and rolled down the window to talk to the wardens, and the one on the passenger side (the side I was sitting on) looked in and saw that I had a pistol on me; strike one. Well, they pull us both out of the Jeep, hands on the roof of the vehicle, and they pull out my shotgun, which unfortunately wasnt plugged during a waterfowl season; strike two. Upon further investigation, they look under the seat I was in and find two ounces of marijuana, not mine, but apparently for me, strike three. But the really messed up thing was, they arrested me, and not my buddy, they let him go. But I cant complain too much because he did come through and posted my bail, but he shouldve fessed up about the homegrown under my seat. Thankfully, all charges were dropped after months of arguing my case, but that has got to be the worst experience that I have had.

But I do remember one time I went to the same bit of land and i went to one of my usual spots, and sat down next to my favorite tree, and all of the sudden I hear, psst, psst... WTF?!?! and then I see this WELL camouflaged guy waving at me from maybe 15 foot away... I just get up and walk right back out the way I came from... I only hunted there a few times, and hopefully the last...
 
Last time I was deer hunting....

on public land I got into position and waited on daylight.
When the sun came up I could see someone in three directions. I decide it would be safest just to stay put.
Some how a deer got to me. I double lung shot her and she ran about 90 to100 yards through a thicket. After about 15 minutes I started the blood trail and follow it to a gut pile.
I then loudly walk off public and and have not been back in deer season.
 
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