Public Land Hill Hunting

[DaHunter]

Do you see fewer guys hunting the leeward top 1/3 compared to other spots on public? This will be my first year trying it but Im concerned Ill run into other guys because we have limited hilly areas around here. A lot of ag fields, flat woodland, some swampy spots. Im just hoping the other guys focus on those areas rather than the hills.

[ Post made via Android ]

[Bowhunter4life]

I have seen very few and I mean very few guys set up on hillside in good spots on public land. I went out scouting this past weekend. Came across 3 stands. One this guy had his stand placed in the a dry creek bed right on the edge of a cornfield. There are big rubs entering this cornfield right in this spot. What is funny about this is up on the point above where this stand was located I found a buck bed and it's still being used. When this guy entered that stand the buck could no doubt see and smell him from the thermals coming up this point if he even hunted it on the right wind. I'm sure being set up on the field edge there he was hunting with the wind in his face so the buck more than likely wasn't even bedding there when he was hunting it. The other two stands I found were right on top of a ridge where there were some rubs. I'm yet to see any good set ups that I have ran across here in the hill country public land I hunt. Most guys set up by the sign and there is always a lot of sign around field edges and on tops of the ridges.

[ Post made via Android ]

[PK_]

Most will be on the field edges, some daring ones will venture a hundred yards or so into the hardwoods, and a few lunatics will dive into the swamps and scale the vertical earth…

I see very, very little hunting competition in what are truly the best spots to kill big bucks, and that is no coincidence.

[keb]

I hunted some hill country this year in Iowa lots of hills, guys were all over it like white on rice, I ditched that plan and hunted scrub timber and weeds, any other type cover I could find and it was off the chain!!!!!!! Guys were not seeing anything in the timber. I was seeing a shooter every 2 to 3 days in the off the wall locations.

So it could be good or it could be bad, just have to see what the other do come time and have back up plans.

[Missionshooter]

I hunted some hill country this year in Iowa lots of hills, guys were all over it like white on rice, I ditched that plan and hunted scrub timber and weeds, any other type cover I could find and it was off the chain!!!!!!! Guys were not seeing anything in the timber. I was seeing a shooter every 2 to 3 days in the off the wall locations.

So it could be good or it could be bad, just have to see what the other do come time and have back up plans.

This was my experience to a T last year. Ideally, yes hunting public land on the leeward side of the hill 1/3 from the top would be where the bucks cruise without pressure.

I had too many other hunters mess up my spots because all the trees nearby were huntable.


I got frustrated and started hunting like KEB and found brush pockets and scrub timber with very few trees to hunt out of. This allowed me to hunt areas I had to myself and I started to see more bucks.