Your 1st DIY Out Of State (Public)
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Your 1st DIY Out Of State (Public)
How did some of y’all plan your 1st public oos trip? I’ve been trying to plan my 1st mid west trip since last year and am having a HARD time picking a piece of public ground!
What did you look for in a Property? Was it distance from house (drive time)? Was it the different habitat (farmland or big woods)? Or was it trial and error? What made you say “this is the place I wanna go”? After researching properties for the last 7 months I’m no closer to picking a spot now as I was when I came up with this idea. I’m pretty set on the state and timeframe I’m gonna go and I’m pretty set on staying in a tent.
Thanks in advance!
What did you look for in a Property? Was it distance from house (drive time)? Was it the different habitat (farmland or big woods)? Or was it trial and error? What made you say “this is the place I wanna go”? After researching properties for the last 7 months I’m no closer to picking a spot now as I was when I came up with this idea. I’m pretty set on the state and timeframe I’m gonna go and I’m pretty set on staying in a tent.
Thanks in advance!
- jporcello
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Re: Your 1st DIY Out Of State (Public)
my buddy had hunted OOS and new the area a little bit, so we decided to join him the next year. i basically cyber scouted for months and watched everyone of Dans dvd's and listened to a ton of podcasts. once we got boots on the ground we made a few mistakes about where we started and probably hunted a few spots more than we should have, but we learned a ton. for me its all about the scouting once your there. use the topo maps and pick areas where you think most people wont go or look for the hottest sign and look for hunting pressure. we hunted hill and farm terrain. good luck
“The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, but expecting different results” Albert Einstein
- brancher147
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Re: Your 1st DIY Out Of State (Public)
I did an out of season scouting trip. Poured over maps and info online (this was 10 years ago so I actually used a lot of paper maps). Called the DNR area managers for the areas I was interested in and told them what I was looking for-this was extremely helpful. Went the first year, covered a lot of ground, and saw some really good bucks and sign/spots. Talked to locals while hunting the area and got some real good info and continued to bounce around a lot looking for good spots. After a few years of that, I finally brought a real good buck home.
Some do. Some don't. I just might...
- Edcyclopedia
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Re: Your 1st DIY Out Of State (Public)
Web, topo & other people's experience. ..
You wI'll be vulnerable as it's your 1st time on your journey of new properties - have fun & don't put too much pressure on you experience. ..
You wI'll be vulnerable as it's your 1st time on your journey of new properties - have fun & don't put too much pressure on you experience. ..
Expect the Unexpected when you least Expect it...
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Re: Your 1st DIY Out Of State (Public)
I try to look for the places that you don't read about online. If you can find info on what public land is the "best" online, so can everyone else. Look for the ones nobody talks about or the ones nobody wants to hunt because of terrain or access or some limiting feature.
- PK_
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Re: Your 1st DIY Out Of State (Public)
What state are you in? Are you successfully hunting public land in your home state? Do you hunt multiple pieces of public and explore new public? This is a good way to prepare yourself for oos adventures.
Pick 3-4 decent size pieces of public in the region of whichever state you pick. Keep your camp mobile, quick pop tent or sleep in the truck. Keep moving until you find good ground. I prefer to go solo on exploration trips unless other guy(s) really of same mindset.
My advice is just go for it. Keep expectations low for year one or even two. But the effort will be worth it once you find those hidden gem spots.
Don’t get caught up in the ‘which state’ dilemma. It’s more about how you hunt and choose hunting locations than it is about picking the ‘right’ state. Only suggestion would be to start out in one of the cheaper OTC states to build your experience/confidence, then after you find consistent success there, step up to one of the more expensive/premium states. I think a lot of guys jump right into a $500 tag state think it will be a gimme and then can’t stomach eating that tag and don’t want to go back much less try a ‘lesser’ state...
Pick 3-4 decent size pieces of public in the region of whichever state you pick. Keep your camp mobile, quick pop tent or sleep in the truck. Keep moving until you find good ground. I prefer to go solo on exploration trips unless other guy(s) really of same mindset.
My advice is just go for it. Keep expectations low for year one or even two. But the effort will be worth it once you find those hidden gem spots.
Don’t get caught up in the ‘which state’ dilemma. It’s more about how you hunt and choose hunting locations than it is about picking the ‘right’ state. Only suggestion would be to start out in one of the cheaper OTC states to build your experience/confidence, then after you find consistent success there, step up to one of the more expensive/premium states. I think a lot of guys jump right into a $500 tag state think it will be a gimme and then can’t stomach eating that tag and don’t want to go back much less try a ‘lesser’ state...
No Shortcuts. No Excuses. No Regrets.
Everybody's selling dreams. I'm too cheap to buy one.
Everybody's selling dreams. I'm too cheap to buy one.
Rich M wrote:Typically, hunting FL has been like getting a root canal
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Re: Your 1st DIY Out Of State (Public)
I like to book a reasonably priced cabin (nice if you can split cost with hunting buddies) close where you are going to hunt. I personally wouldn't do the tent thing unless its early season or I'm in the back country. A tent would be more economical but you're gonna be cold and possibly wet in November, and it gets dark early so you'll have a lot of downtime in the evenings. Comfort is important and worth the cost to stay energized in my opinion. You can still hunt like a beast all day, but it sure is nice to go back to the cabin to recharge and go at it hard again the next day. Being tired and miserable can definitely have a negative impact on your hunting. Stay warm, dry, and get a good nights sleep. You'll save money by cooking your own meals in the cabin vs eating out.
Whether scouting in off-season or even as soon as I arrive to hunt, I like to drive around the public parcel and mark all parking areas on my GPS. For your own use, but also to get a feel for how other hunters access. Also mark any little "overlooked" area where you can pull off and access. Don't wait until 5 AM in the morning when its dark out trying to figure out how to access brand new public, you'll be like a lost puppy...I've been there and its frustrating.
Whether scouting in off-season or even as soon as I arrive to hunt, I like to drive around the public parcel and mark all parking areas on my GPS. For your own use, but also to get a feel for how other hunters access. Also mark any little "overlooked" area where you can pull off and access. Don't wait until 5 AM in the morning when its dark out trying to figure out how to access brand new public, you'll be like a lost puppy...I've been there and its frustrating.
- The_Real_Jmill
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Re: Your 1st DIY Out Of State (Public)
Similar experience, try not to over think it just pick what you think looks good and go get boots on the ground. Everyone starts somewhere I picked a relatively small wildlife area and am continually expanding and trying to challenge myself.
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Re: Your 1st DIY Out Of State (Public)
Great answers! I like hearing others opinions and ideas what to seek out. Thanks fellas, will take all into consideration.
- jporcello
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Re: Your 1st DIY Out Of State (Public)
i was also told try to invest at least 3 season in an area for the best success
“The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, but expecting different results” Albert Einstein
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Re: Your 1st DIY Out Of State (Public)
First, pick a state. Now you can find a property. It's hard to narrow down properties when you are looking at multiple states. Next, know your seasons. Things change with the orange army. Once you know the seasons you can pick a date. Next find a property that has some traits you like. Example: hill, river bottom, farm land, access....
- Lockdown
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Re: Your 1st DIY Out Of State (Public)
I didn’t read the other posts so sorry if I’m repeating others.
3 main things:
Pick an area away from the larger cities.
Pick an area that has multiple properties that could be good. You need options
Pick big properties. Big enough that deer can escape pressure and you can escape other hunters.
3 main things:
Pick an area away from the larger cities.
Pick an area that has multiple properties that could be good. You need options
Pick big properties. Big enough that deer can escape pressure and you can escape other hunters.
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Re: Your 1st DIY Out Of State (Public)
I did my first one last year and it was a blast. First things first don't get discouraged, take it all in stride and PLAN to fun.
onX Hunt- worth every single penny for an out of state hunt. I'd rather leave my bow at home than that app
No lie I probably spent over 100 hours on a computer before I left. Any intel you can gain will help.
Pick the right buddy to go with, I think 2 guys is max, too many logistics as it is.
As a couple others have said find a good place to stay, even if its few extra bucks it could really make or break your trip. I really don't know how guys hunt out of tents in November.
Pack your own food, don't go crazy back at camp cooking big meals, your gonna be beat. We lived off of canned foods heated in microwaves for a week.
Drive around and find main parking area's, that can eliminate 75% of your hunting area's right there.
Lastly but most importantly you have to hunt OVERLOOKED spots. You're not going to go into a place blind and out walk everyone to a back corner somewhere. Guys always find another way in if they've been doing it a couple years. You're main goal should be to hunt overlooked spots. Our most productive spots we hunted was when we could see flashes of cars driving by.
Good luck!
onX Hunt- worth every single penny for an out of state hunt. I'd rather leave my bow at home than that app
No lie I probably spent over 100 hours on a computer before I left. Any intel you can gain will help.
Pick the right buddy to go with, I think 2 guys is max, too many logistics as it is.
As a couple others have said find a good place to stay, even if its few extra bucks it could really make or break your trip. I really don't know how guys hunt out of tents in November.
Pack your own food, don't go crazy back at camp cooking big meals, your gonna be beat. We lived off of canned foods heated in microwaves for a week.
Drive around and find main parking area's, that can eliminate 75% of your hunting area's right there.
Lastly but most importantly you have to hunt OVERLOOKED spots. You're not going to go into a place blind and out walk everyone to a back corner somewhere. Guys always find another way in if they've been doing it a couple years. You're main goal should be to hunt overlooked spots. Our most productive spots we hunted was when we could see flashes of cars driving by.
Good luck!
- CChunter
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Re: Your 1st DIY Out Of State (Public)
Lockdown wrote:I didn’t read the other posts so sorry if I’m repeating others.
3 main things:
Pick an area away from the larger cities.
Pick an area that has multiple properties that could be good. You need options
Pick big properties. Big enough that deer can escape pressure and you can escape other hunters.
How big would you say a property needs to be?
- BKMississippi
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Re: Your 1st DIY Out Of State (Public)
We decided at the end of 2013 that we were going in the fall of 2014. We then decided to pick a place soon enough that we'd be able to make a scout trip in February. Before we got up there we looked at maps and found places we wanted to look. We learned a lot on that trip, and familiarized ourselves with a small part of the WMA, probably 500 or 600 out of 7,000 acres. From the time we got back home until the drive up for the hunt, we studied topo and aerial maps. We cherry picked spots outside of the 500 or 600 acres we scouted, and zoned it spots we scouted. I had a blast doing my homework. Our drive is about 8 hours. Also, we tried to stay a good distance away from metropolitan areas.
The truth is you can go anywhere from Ohio and Kentucky all the way to eastern Colorado and find great whitetails. Pick an area with good soils, find some land to hunt in that area, and get after it.
The truth is you can go anywhere from Ohio and Kentucky all the way to eastern Colorado and find great whitetails. Pick an area with good soils, find some land to hunt in that area, and get after it.
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