Public Land Expectations
- muskieman
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Re: Public Land Expectations
My main public in SE MN holds plenty of 120-140 bucks with alot of bigger ones then that. Deer up to mid 200's and some giant typicals. In fact your chances of a super buck are better on my public then any private I hunt!
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- Master Chief
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Re: Public Land Expectations
Tennhunter3 wrote:Public I hunt is only buisy muzzleloader and rifle weekends that's it. Have seen several bucks on cameras and 1 Boone and crocket. I go looking for a mature buck and am pleased with taking any mature animal. At times it seems public land bucks change patterns so much when you think you have them figured out .
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Is the B&C on TN public? We don't have the soil to produce a B&C
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- Wlog
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Re: Public Land Expectations
headgear wrote:Dewey wrote:I have scouted public land all over WI and a few other states and believe just about every decent size chunk of public land holds good bucks. It just comes down to if your willing to put in the hard work to figure them out.
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Very much agree with this but I would also add the land needs to have the right kind of cover and or hard to access areas. I've hunted a lot of big acre pieces that just didn't hold mature deer because the pressure and access were just too great. There might be one nice buck that shows up every 4-5 years but I need to be hunting locations that hold them every season.
The state land management in my area goes out of there way to make easy access. I know they mean well but it's not doing any favors to the guys who are trying to get away from everyone else.
Guys that want a nice easy trail probably out number the people looking for tough access though.
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Re: Public Land Expectations
This year I picked my new areas by easy entry routes looking for where creeks meet the road slip into creek and walk in it to stand . My top 2 areas were logged in bow season had me freaking out since one was holding a buck near Boone and crocket size. My mind went blank where to go now since I only had 3 areas I knew and the buck I was dreaming of killing vanished.Always have backup plans for your backup plans. My season was very crazy it rained more then any year I remember hunting was difficult. Have at least 5 areas and 15 stand locations ready when thrown a curveball. You can lose your best spots very quickly to logging.
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Last edited by Tennhunter3 on Wed Jan 07, 2015 6:23 am, edited 2 times in total.
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- whitetailassasin
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Re: Public Land Expectations
I hunt central Michigan state owned public land. Expectations for me are a 3.5 year old or better. A few seasons back I was shooting a basket rack or two every season most being 1.5 olds. I would have encounters with mature deer but prob 6-8 a year. Consisting of long shots, thick brush, rut, jumped up. I told myself I wanted to up my game so I started targeting these deer. Even on the heavy pressured hunting grounds I hunt it's very good if you do your homework and scouting, you can get a crack at a mature deer. This season I had 4 good encounters. 2 I passed on both 2.5 year olds but over 100 inches and 1 buck that was borderline b and c but was out of effective shotgun range. The other resulted in a kill zone thread
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- headgear
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Re: Public Land Expectations
When there are trails everywhere you have to get wet. In the woods I hunt there are logging roads everywhere, I have to find the roads or areas that are too wet to drive, then you lose other hunters pretty fast. It can vary by year, not a lot of water and atv tracks everywhere, 6-10 inches of water and I can have the place to myself.
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Re: Public Land Expectations
muskieman wrote:My main public in SE MN holds plenty of 120-140 bucks with alot of bigger ones then that. Deer up to mid 200's and some giant typicals. In fact your chances of a super buck are better on my public then any private I hunt!
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I agree. Despite some loss in numbers, I hear the APR is really starting to pay off.
I haven't scouted SE MN hard since bonus buck opportunties started in WI. If bonus buck goes away, its the first area I'm headed.
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Re: Public Land Expectations
The public I hunt holds decent bucks, I would say mostly 1.5 and 2.5 with a few 3.5 and the occasional buck older than that. I'm ok with a 3.5 though, that's a target animal anywhere for me. I have seen good sign and huge 4 finger tracks and seen a few decent ones while hunting. I think most spots hold bigger deer than people realize, they just don't encounter them because they hunt like they see on tv.
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Re: Public Land Expectations
muskieman wrote:My main public in SE MN holds plenty of 120-140 bucks with alot of bigger ones then that. Deer up to mid 200's and some giant typicals. In fact your chances of a super buck are better on my public then any private I hunt!
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I need to hunt that area!
All kidding aside, I think that I am learning that I need to start reassessing the properties I am spending the majority of my scouting and hunting time on. They are all close to my house, but due to size, or lack of cover, I don't think they hold a nice buck consistently. I think I also have been operating under the idea that a better hunter hunting the same property would be able to get onto a better buck. While I still believe that is true, I also think a better hunter might just move onto a better property that holds the type of deer they are after.
I have also noticed on some of the smaller properties that I hunt that there are enough guys that will get back into the spots that are "harder" to get to. The amount of work to get to those spots just doesn't compare to getting to some of the spots that you would find out at a huge cattail marsh like Horicon. I would say I have a moderate to higher tolerance for working to get to a spot compared to other hunters I know, but I definitely have had my moments out in Horicon where I have had a steady stream of curse words coming from my mouth!
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Re: Public Land Expectations
fishlips wrote:muskieman wrote:My main public in SE MN holds plenty of 120-140 bucks with alot of bigger ones then that. Deer up to mid 200's and some giant typicals. In fact your chances of a super buck are better on my public then any private I hunt!
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I need to hunt that area!
All kidding aside, I think that I am learning that I need to start reassessing the properties I am spending the majority of my scouting and hunting time on. They are all close to my house, but due to size, or lack of cover, I don't think they hold a nice buck consistently. I think I also have been operating under the idea that a better hunter hunting the same property would be able to get onto a better buck. While I still believe that is true, I also think a better hunter might just move onto a better property that holds the type of deer they are after.
I have also noticed on some of the smaller properties that I hunt that there are enough guys that will get back into the spots that are "harder" to get to. The amount of work to get to those spots just doesn't compare to getting to some of the spots that you would find out at a huge cattail marsh like Horicon. I would say I have a moderate to higher tolerance for working to get to a spot compared to other hunters I know, but I definitely have had my moments out in Horicon where I have had a steady stream of curse words coming from my mouth!
Horicon has all the ingredients to kick out good bucks every year. You don't necessarily need mega acreage though.
When I lived in Madison I focused on a lot of limited draw hunting opportunties like the Dane County Parks, Waukesha Conservancy, etc. These properties can all kick out good bucks. You just need to submit the applications, maybe work some hours for the nonprofit organizations.
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Re: Public Land Expectations
I have applied for the Dane Co parks spots a few times, but haven't drawn. Some of those spots looks pretty good.
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Re: Public Land Expectations
I hunt public land in Pennsylvania. My expectation is a pope and young every year. But my goal is the bucks in the 140+ range. I have 3 buck this year 150"-160" and 10+ that would be 125+. Even higher number of 2.5 year olds. One buck that is in the 150's is a 4.5 year old and in extremely good health with a perfect 10 point point frame. Tall tines and wide. Has the potential to come close to Boone and Crockett size if he blows up like most 5 year olds do. I start with a property by analyzing cover, terrain, and size. I target the thickest swamps, thickest laurels, and highest peaks. Then I identify and all access areas and choose those farthest from any road, trail, and parking area. Don't overlook the close stuff however if the terrain or cover makes the initial list. The perfect 10 has one bed that's 5 minutes from a parking spot. Simply too thick for most to tackle. In the end once you have a hit list of areas strap on your boots and get walking. Nothing beats time in the woods. One tactic I use to obtain a buck hit list and just to get an idea of the deer in the area is mock scrapes and cameras. Put them near thick bedding and the matures are typically the first to show up. Preorbital gland for the licking branches and interdigital for the scrape is all it takes and can be ran from summer to winter. Once rut turns on a little tarsal gland helps motivate them.
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- hunter_mike
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Re: Public Land Expectations
My goal is to be able to shoot at least one 2.5+ yr old buck every year on public. I know that enough of them exist where i hunt, i just haven't developed the skills to do it yet. Like you said, location is everything and some guys are just better at keeping themselves away from poor locations.
One property i hunted too much this year because i have shined multiple mature bucks within a mile of it. I ended up hunting near the fences, but realistically i was just hunting very low percentage spots due to the amount of pressure and lack of habitat. This is a place i think i just need to dump and never go back, but its always so tempting when i shine the neighbors and see ol mossy horns.
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One property i hunted too much this year because i have shined multiple mature bucks within a mile of it. I ended up hunting near the fences, but realistically i was just hunting very low percentage spots due to the amount of pressure and lack of habitat. This is a place i think i just need to dump and never go back, but its always so tempting when i shine the neighbors and see ol mossy horns.
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Re: Public Land Expectations
BassBoysLLP wrote:Bucky put together the following list in this thread (viewtopic.php?f=5&t=7247). My approach the last 10 years hasn't been much different.
1. Get away from big cities if possible
2. Look for special access (only open for a small porition of the year)
3. Look for limited road access (very few access pts - bonus)
4. Look at surrounding land owners properties (you want to find areas that have large chunks of land privately held - big farms!, especially those surrounding the public you gonna check out)
5. Water creek/river +1, large hills +1, bluffs +2, marsh/swamp of good size > say 600 acres +1
6. Historical record books
7. New property, First time open to public hunting +++ pending size/location
8. If you are in the area, check out a local bar/sports shop... big bucks on the walls? If so ask some basic questions - this works well in bars where someone that does not give a crap about hunting will spill their guts (you gotta sort through the BS though)
9. Tag restrictions - draw +, OTC -, CWD free -, special permit +, high cost + (if you can afford), limited harvest quota + (more for next yr = increases odds of upper age classes)
10. This one is important, is there a sanctuary? - restricted hunting area, unaccessible to hunting, camping area, neighboring property that is not hunted/conservationist/tree hugger/etc, smaller city adjoining property - deer will retreat into city, especially older age class deer
I'm sure there are some I'm forgetting... but this is my thought process of whether or not it is worth my time
Good list, my method is pretty similar.
In Iowa obviously we have some pretty good hunting....even then I think probably less than 20% of the public land I scout is what I would call "good" for holding big bucks. Higher pressure states I bet that percentage is even lower. I think a lot of guys give up or settle for mediocre hunting spots too easily...keep scouting new stuff all the time and you will start finding great hunting. I keep tabs on close to 4000 acres of public all together and probably only have a dozen or so real hot spots year to year across all that area. I expect a 4 year old or older buck to be in most of those spots.
- Scoutking07
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Re: Public Land Expectations
I hunt some small pieces of public in north eastern WI, but the majority of my hunting is done in the National Forest to the north. I tend to bounce around a lot and keep my options open as, like most of you I'm sure, I want to chase the biggest buck I can find. I usually run 7-8 trail cams on public along with my father running 8 of his own. During the Summer months we bounce them around and try to find big bucks. Over the past 15 years we have our common "go to" areas or spots we know a big is living. If I scout a new property and don't see mature buck sign, I move on. I experience the same situation as many of you are mentioning about the smaller pieces of public can obviously have big deer moving through them but it can be tough to get close to where they are spending the majority of the time in daylight. That is why I like the big woods. There are considerably less deer per sq. mile but, I can set up wherever I want/ need to in my best effort to kill the buck I'm after. I've acvtually killed more mature bucks in the bigwoods than on the nice farm land pieces to the south.
As far as picking public land that holds mature bucks, it comes down to one thing in my opinion...COVER. Food can be found, traveled to, or browsed. Yes it is very important, but when choosing public to hunt my search starts with the mindset of "where could a buck hide out and grow old." Even with the best food, fields, food plots in the world, a buck can only get as big as it can old. Some very good insight on this topic.
As far as picking public land that holds mature bucks, it comes down to one thing in my opinion...COVER. Food can be found, traveled to, or browsed. Yes it is very important, but when choosing public to hunt my search starts with the mindset of "where could a buck hide out and grow old." Even with the best food, fields, food plots in the world, a buck can only get as big as it can old. Some very good insight on this topic.
Always pick a spot!
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