I am scouting and learning all new public land since I move 2 years ago. And I have come to realize on public land that I need to change my entire scouting methods.
Granted I can't visual scout an area as well as some but I think I need to throw out the "Field and Stream" obvious stuff at first glance and go from there. I made a quick sweep through an area Tues. just before the rain. Found a tree, found a couple fresh rubs and the spot was a not real obvious location. Well come Wed. and I had more time to hunt than I thought, instead of hunting this spot I chose to push further, a point off a woods leading to some smaller brush and trees into a marsh. Never hunted this land before, got back there and the trail was like a park. I was not happy. So I continued to follow it out and sure enough just as the end of woods at the start of the point there is a $300 trail camera. I said Hello and was upset. Now what? I got out to edge of marsh off of the highway and the deer sign was good. So the deer, bucks were skirting this heavy trail and skirting the Scent Lok guy's camera. I scented up the trail leading out that night so I busted hump towards another smaller point coming out of cattails to this island. Not real happy about how things have gone and hot as . It got real quiet last night and sure enough the noise in the cattails started. This drought makes it harder to pinpoint bedding also, the ditch at end of this point is dry. Deer can bed almost anywhere. It made my night to have a angry six pointer come directly to me. Tearing up brush and giving me some good footage. To me it looked like even this little guy avoided camera area. The lightbulb is starting to shine a little brighter!
Public Land..Educated Deer and Educated Hunters?
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Re: Public Land..Educated Deer and Educated Hunters?
Getting good at killing public land bucks, makes you great at hunting private managed bucks.
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Re: Public Land..Educated Deer and Educated Hunters?
Dan,
I think how I screwed up the last few years on our private land is I dove in too hard and too often. This year I am trying to blend your "Beast" methods with some managed land tactics and tread a little more lightly. I hope it pays off. I posted a pic a few weeks ago of one of the "Good ones" and will be going after him next week for a couple days. I can't wait...
As for public land, if you see human sign do you back out and totally relocate?
I think how I screwed up the last few years on our private land is I dove in too hard and too often. This year I am trying to blend your "Beast" methods with some managed land tactics and tread a little more lightly. I hope it pays off. I posted a pic a few weeks ago of one of the "Good ones" and will be going after him next week for a couple days. I can't wait...
As for public land, if you see human sign do you back out and totally relocate?
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Re: Public Land..Educated Deer and Educated Hunters?
As for public land, if you see human sign do you back out and totally relocate?
In some public there is human sign almost every where... I try to find where the bucks get around others (because of there lack of mobility) or find small secluded spots that other ignore. The key is to not over hunt them...
On private, you can get away with hunting spots you couldn't on public, but if you hunt private managed mobile and with a smart plan trying new spots constantly, and spreading your self out farther, just like you hunt the public, your success should go up in both areas.
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Re: Public Land..Educated Deer and Educated Hunters?
This is going to sound real stupid but an easy way is find areas that there aren't hardly any mature trees. That and thick nasty worthless impenetrable crap that the deer can't possibly be using. That'll eliminate 95% of the public land hunters.
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Re: Public Land..Educated Deer and Educated Hunters?
I hear ya about thickets and brush. Once you get in them, its hard to find a way out. I even found a bed that was probably being used prior to bowhunting. It was about 30 yards off of main trail, towards marsh edge. And so darn thick. Even if I wanted to try and set up, no trees. Just the old broken down, trunk the diameter of a silo trees. With branches going in all directions. Good input...
- headgear
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Re: Public Land..Educated Deer and Educated Hunters?
Buckfever wrote:This is going to sound real stupid but an easy way is find areas that there aren't hardly any mature trees. That and thick nasty worthless impenetrable crap that the deer can't possibly be using. That'll eliminate 95% of the public land hunters.
This is basically what I do, ask myself where other hunters are not willing to go. Like you said, at times it can be almost easy to find the best spots on certain public tracks of land. Dive in a there are beds and sign everywhere, it still takes a lot of skill and trial and error to figure out that exact spot and get a buck in range but you can really narrow it down fast.
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Re: Public Land..Educated Deer and Educated Hunters?
The thing I noticed the most about public guys around here is the hunted mostly the same tree or area yearly. You would be surprised to see how a buck uses a small drainage or knoll to slip past these hunters. I just try to findout where everyone is going and hunt where they don't, sometimes 50 years from the truck or a mile deep.
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