Trad Gang

I've been relegated to mostly hunting public land for most of my hunting career (15 years give or take a few).  I would like to share my tips and have everyone add to this so we can all check back from time to time.

Here it goes:

1) Hunt the overlooked areas.  The thicker and harder to get to the better.  This doesn't always mean walking a mile in to hunt, sometimes the best spots are simply walked past as the other hunters make their way in.

2) Hunt all day or late mornings/early afternoon.  The deer start to pattern the hunters and you'll see them get up and start moving after most guys are going in for lunch.  Also, they'll be ready to bed down until after dark come early afternoon.  I see a lot of movement between 10 and 2 each day.

3) Hunt weekdays(if possible)....usually less pressure in most areas.

4) Scent Management....This point cannot be overlooked.  Public land animals receive a lot of pressure.  If they think something isn't right, they are quick to react.

5) Talk to other hunters...Form a plan with the group of guys hunting the piece of land.  Try not to infringe on each other so everyone has a fair chance to hunt it.  

6) Have a plan to get in and out without a lot of noise and disturbance.  It can be hard in the thicker areas I like to hunt, but it's imperative to minimize noise and scent on your way in.

7) Have fun...harvesting an animal on public ground with a stick and string is a particularly great feat!

8) Game cart....great to haul out your harvest when you are way back in there.

9) Goes with #1...but most bow hunters (at least the guys in the midwest after whitetails) like to be in treestands...so hunt the areas there are no trees (scrub tree areas and CRP).  You'll find the deer in there because that's where the hunters aren't.  Usually requires a hub blind or natural ground blind.  Hunting from the ground is particularly deadly on public land.

I'll have to agree......   :thumbsup:

i might add:   hunt funnels and to hunt the back side of pressure from other hunters..they kinda go hand in hand

I have done most my hunting on public lands here in Oregon and some on private timber company lands.
I agree with what has already been shared above - great information, but I would like to add what has helped me to be successful on public land - One needs to spend an extra amount of time out in the woods getting to understand all the variables of the area you are hunting.
Being public land means things can change very quickly, at least here in Oregon - new logging, or a new road, people not obeying the ATV rules, people poaching at night, people growing illegal crops to name a few.
I have experienced all of these and they threw a wrench into my best laid plans. I was able to capitalize on a couple of them because I had spent a large amount of time getting to know every ridge, canyon, trail, and hell-hole the animals used.
To be honest this is why my success has been down these past years. I have been to busy to get back into the woods like I once use to.

God Bless and Happy New Year,
Paul

Get dropped off, in my area as soon as they see a truck parked the next day the scrubs are all over the area.And gut it at home.

I think your #1 rings so true.
One of the areas I hunted this past season on public land was only about 75 yards off the road.  I felt like a lazy slob hunter being that close to the road, but heck there was good sign and I consistently saw deer there.

Good stuff indeed. I will add I've found it advantageous to get there early as most hunters are courteous enough to give you space if you are planted. I've found that dead end roads usually pull folks close to the end.

Use crowds to your advantage.

I used to hunt the local public hunting area on the first day of pheasant season.  Get to the back of the area as early as possible. When the bird hunters and the dogs get going, so do the deer.  If you are sitting on an escape route, they can drive deer right at you. (Running pheasants too sometimes)

Another thing that I have found on public ground, that late season is very good.  Alot of the hunters are tagged out or weather is too bad, went this past weekend on public ground and didn't see anyone.

Agree with all! 1 and 9 are my favorites and worked very well for me this season as well. I will add a couple of odd tactics that I use.

1) Use scent to your advantage. I will sometimes use socks or other small articles of clothing to steer deer in my direction. Odd tactic? Yes....but it does work on occasion.

2) When I locate certain natural foods that I know attract deer, such as crab apples and persimmons, I will spike the trees with fertilizer spikes in the late winter and early spring. More mast and I think it makes the mast more appealing to animals.

I have hunted public land all my life. My best advice is, if you can't hunt away from other guys. Find some private land to hunt even if its just weekends. You will be happy and misery free!! I have yet to find anyone that will let us hunt due to everyone and there mother hunting around here. Public land gets pounded hard even hard to reach areas. That's why I am miserable and constantly complaine!! Find private land if you can. Unless you hunt a state where there not much hunters around we have millions v

I forgot to mention hunting late season and bad weather.  I'm glad it was brought up.  Especially cold, a lot of guys stay in.

I also have noticed if you see one truck in the lot, normally another guy will pull in.  I noticed that tonight.  Normally I try to go someplace else if already a car or truck in the lot, but doesn't seem everyone does.

Also, maybe not leaving out treestands or blinds.  In IA it's legal to hunt from anyones treestand if it's left on state land.  Not sure if people do but it also gives away your spot.  I carry in my lone wolf and sticks on each hunt.

I hunted public land for 25 years.  One trick that paid off was to pattern the other hunters; not just the deer.  What routes do they take in and out, where are the ATV trails, where might they spook a bedded deer when they moved to meet or leave for lunch or come back afterwards.  

I found getting in early, hunting the thickets, getting settled and staying put for the full day paid off very well.

By choice I exclusively bowhunt public land, exclusively with trad gear, as I like the challenge.

Here is some of my public land.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xs3mTtrHwrA

Don't hunt public land but here in Va the private is much like hunting public in other states.
Here are a few of my tips.

1.On trails I use I'll rake several spots to bare dirt so I can see boot tracks of other hunters.

2.Not sure if you can do this on Public but I like to make foney buck sign in odvious ares to attrack other hunters.

3. spend some time in the spring(turkey hunting) to checkout new land

4.Snow!best aid in the offseason to understand deer movement in a area.Always back track

QuoteOriginally posted by overbo:
......2.Not sure if you can do this on Public but I like to make foney buck sign in odvious ares to attrack other hunters......

:thumbsup:

Great thread

If you find a really thick spot, especially thorns, you can create a funnel to allow critters to pass by your ambush.  Use some cordage to tie off on stiff trees on either side of the thick stuff.  Pull it tightly and you magically created a path without disturbing the place by chopping.  It takes critters a day or two to use it   Oh, spiders really like these early in the season  Made sniper tunnels like this to keeper snipers back in the thickets

In my "neck of the woods" in Va, private gets more pressure than public. I love hunting public, large expansive tracts that I have room to roam on ! I like hunting the thick steep stuff !

+1 on the first post.  don't be afraid to put yer snake boots on, haha.  def a +1 on the hunt during the day.  so far this season i've encountered deer right in the middle of the day 1-2pm, seems like they come back out when they realize the humans left.......most of the humans  ;)

Well I used to hunt a pretty good spot of Public land and what we did was take plenty of trucks and park them in the public parking area and some would leave in a different truck and go further up the road just to make that area look very over run by many hunters...Kind of like a decoy but only have 1 or 2 hunters in that spot..Law didn't say you had to hunt the area you parked your truck in now did it  

Forgot to mention one important thing..If there is a lane or path leading out to the woods that has soft mudd or sand you are hunting make certain all your buddys walk out and back three times about 50 yards or so to make it look like tons of cattle just went through there...  :rolleyes:

+1 for hunting the steepest and thickest stuff I can find in the area I hunt holds good deer and naturally keeps people out....that and going in farther than most are willing to walk is a big help too

On public land and private land in Iowa, that can be even more harrassed than the public land, wheelie guys set up multiple tree stands to lay claim stakes on the territory.  In Iowa public land that piece scrap metal hanging in a tree does not give you the ownership of the area or even the piece of metal you hung in the tree.  The results are that these boys will sit on their claim stake every time they go out no matter what the wind is doing.  After a couple of weeks, the deer know exactly where they all are at.  The best places to hunt is where no tree stands can be hung, deer like brush more than open timber after all of the claim stakers show up.  Creek bottoms with lots of sticks and brush, hill sides with scrub cedars, a patch of private ground that no one has access to and thickets on the other side of a water barrier is where the deer will be during daylight hours.

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I found a spot on a large piece of public land that is great.  I can access it fr.om private property but my spot has big swamp on the three other  sides.

1) thickest cover possible
2) use hunting pressure to hunt, when you see deer and then disappear ask why
3) be polite, everyone makes mistakes, don't be a jerk when someone walks in, usually they didn't know
4) Look for turkey's, if there are turkeys there are deer.

3) be polite, everyone makes mistakes, don't be a jerk when someone walks in, usually they didn't know
Good point toddster. Public land is just that and anyone has just as much privaledge as the next guy. A month or so ago I climbed up about an hour before first light and 45 min later a hunter comes along so I do as usual and give him a brief flashlight. He in obvious anger tore outta there making as much noise as possible. I know his frustration but it comes with public hunts.

I've hunted public land almost exclusively my entire life.  Early on out of necessity, now out of choice.  Very good information given so far. I'm certainly no expert but I would also add:

1.  Stay Mobile.  The old saying "Your first time in is your best chance" applies even more on public land in my experience.  I like to have multiple stand sites for options and pack my stand in with me for each sit.  I very seldom sit the same stand multiple times, especially in a row.   The one exception is if I'm in a funnel or travel area during the rut when I feel the bucks I'm seeing aren't in their core area but simply traveling through.

2. Scout Post Season.  This one is obvious and talked about alot but I think few people actually do it.

Lots of good points.  Great thread.

I'm far from an expert, but I have good luck seeing deer during the week whenever I can get out there to hunt it. Find edges and funnels and scout them in the off season to find where other hunters like to set up so you can avoid them. I have the best luck near creeks/rivers in the thick stuff. Play the wind even if you have to deal with a cross wind situation, sex scents work good early November until gun season (Nov. 15-31 in MI). I hunt from the ground to avoid leaving sign for others to find, even going so far as to cover the bare patch of ground I scape out of the leaves when I find a good blow-down to sit near.

That being said, stay mobile like others have said and scout as much as you can in the springtime, especially. Maybe make a few natural blinds to hunt from in different areas that don't show a lot of hunter traffic, if you're lucky enough to find them.

After getting to know an area well, you'll know most major trails and where they intersect, which is a great place to be downwind of sitting in a blow-down or treestand at any time.

Mine advice is stay positive and focus on the things you can control, public land is a mind game in its self. I stay focused on what I'm doing, not what the other guy is doing.

If you can just outlast the others, is huge be it time on stand or vacation days hunting. Also physical fitness and mental toughness can't be leased or bought you earn it.

Lots of good advice above. I'll add a few tips that should help aswell. All living things require three fundamentals to survive. The quality and quantity of these things determine whether the creature will thrive, or merely survive. They are food, water, and cover. Every habitat type has a limiting factor of one or all three. Determine what that limiting factor is, and you'll find the most action!  Try to improve this limiting factor if possible. That may be fertilizing mast or a patch of browse, or placing a feeder (where legal), or erecting some sort of water hole. You can't change cover on public ground, so find the safest, best cover and work from there. Look for anything that stands out. Any type of edge, be it a ridge line, a creek line, a clump of bushes or a small thicket of prickers, or a transition area of one type of trees to another.
Also, do what other hunters are not doing. Like hunting mid day, overlooked areas, or hard to reach areas. Try to use the terrain to your advantage. Both for getting to and from your honey hole, and for deer movement. Deer will take the path of least resistance when offered. Clear the trails leading to your stand, and maybe redirect a few leading away.
One more thing, don't be overly aggressive in highly pressured areas. Watch your wind and scent, and use calls and attractant scents sparingly. How many times have you actually heard deer making vocalisations? Certainly not every 10-15 minutes every time you are in your stand. Try to stay as low impact as possible. You want the other hunters to put higher pressure on their areas, and push them into your lower pressured set up. Hunt only when everything is right, not just because you have no where else to go.

TTT

If you are still looking for some ideas Josh, I wrote a 3 part series on public land tactics on my website. You can visit the site in my signature and do a search for "Going Public" to find those specific articles.

I agree! Those are good tips. I like hunting public near my home as much or more than some of the private lands I am able to hunt.

The public land I have hunted have gated roads. I never park or hunt at these areas. I like to find areas that have no roads or gates or general parking areas. I have seen lots of deer by parking and hunting at places no one parks at.

Hey Tim... Thanks for bringing this one back up!!!!  Great stuff here and exactly the type of info I've been looking for lately!!  Can't wait for this season and hoping to get my first trad deer!!  
Thanks also to all the Trad Gang family for helping everyone out by posting tips from your experiences.  It truly helps us less experienced guys grow and hopefully reach our goals!!

Being polite is a great point,as well as staying positive. Michigan gets our state land POUNDED with hunters. Here is what I do when hunting state land.

1 > Google earth the heck out of your chosen areas for a good general idea.

2> Utilize a boat/canoe/kayak/etc. to access deep areas via waterways if possible.

3> Mountain bikes are a good choice for covering ground to further/deeper areas as well.

4> Hunt with a buddy or 2. Then you have the ability to corner areas,and also have help getting game out quicker from deep areas.

5> Think mountain climbing,and military when packing for day trips,and deep excursions. Go light,but stay essential.

rat'

WHen I hunt public lands which is almost exclusively what I do, I pattern the hunters.

Then I get in very very early... way before daylight and set up on escape trails to heavy cover.

Deer will abandon normal patterns when hunters start bumbling thru the woods.

The opening weekend of pheasant season is a killer time to do this and I don't want to compete with them with my bird dogs anyway.

Where i hunt there are mountain bike and walking trails throughout the woods. Instead of walking right from my truck through the woods to my spot i will using those winding trails to get as close as i can to my spot and then go through the woods to my stand. I've seen deer many times completly ignore people walking on those established trails but the moment one person takes a step off the trail they are out of there. They know who the hunters are and who the civilians are.

Here is one I forgot that seem's to work for me.  Beside's safety reasons, I put a map of the area and place I am hunting in windshield.  I have had three guys over the years, who seen it and didn't come in because I was there.  One guy started doing it and worked for him too.  I know the downside is "everyone" know's your there.
Last year, I used my boat more.  I know nothing new, and takes more time to put in water.  but it was shorter walk to stand, less scent, and I seen more deer and the biggy only had to drag onto boat and then was off.  There are some spot's where no way to walk in on the "hidden" fields with out them smelling you, the boat got me there and a nice harvest too.