140" public or 160" private

[Seeker529]

whatever one is easierand i know i can harvest lol

[Jmitch]

Currently my goal is to kill a good one on public but I'm not passing a good buck on private to make that happen either. Whichever steps out first is my answer I dont discriminate

[brancher147]

160 on private. Every big buck I have killed has been on public and already have a 140 and another just shy of 140. I have hunted some really good private and more private than public a few years. Just can’t make it happen on private. Forget about the score really, any big buck on private would be nice.

[thwack16]

160 on private. While there is some cushy private out there, the majority of it isn’t. And I’m sure not hunting it.

[ButtonBuckFever]

There's private then there's "private". If you're talking taking a golf cart to a heated box blind over a feeder, I wouldn't shoot a squirrel.

Around me, there are kind of pockets of pressure on both public and private. So, the distinction gets blurred sometimes.

If you're talking about managed private with little pressure vs. typical public, I'd take the 140.

[Thesouthpaw]

Where I live in WV, it's probably more likely to kill a 140 on public than on private... Every 40 acre parcel has 5 guys hunting it. The large chunks of public are the only places that you can really get away from people.

[funderburk]

140” public land slob.

[Mschmeiske]

Typical or Non? Haha. Honestly, I can’t pick

[OH nontypical]

Can I have both? In all seriousness, I'd be thrilled with either. I think MOST private is still difficult hunting. Theres not too many Drury and Winke farms out there, so a 160 is a 160!

Right on. Most private tracks don’t have a single 160 on them let alone have multiple 160 inch bucks on them. I still hunt both and would be happy to shoot a 160 anywhere.

[tim]

I’d be happy with either but I’d chose the 160. Back in 2011 I did both in one year . Killed a 143 on public the killed a 179 on private.

[Wlog]

Can I have both? In all seriousness, I'd be thrilled with either. I think MOST private is still difficult hunting. Theres not too many Drury and Winke farms out there, so a 160 is a 160!

This^^^

[SaddleMaster]

I only hunt public and my goal right now is to get my first Pope and Young in the forest I hunt. My overall goal is to consistently kill P&Y on public. So I would definitely take the 140 on public this year and all the years I have remaining.

[Southern Man]

To be honest I'd be more likely to take a 160 on public than a 140 on private. Public here is not hunted well or that much. Private is hammered and comes in small parcels. I've come to the realization that I'd take the public over private regardless of the score. It's a whole lot more fun.

[1STRANGEWILDERNESS]

I have been pondering this chip guys carry around on their shoulder toward private land hunters.

I know of a few true sanctuary type private lands where some doe doe head can crack something big every year but honestly I would bet 75% of private ground I would pass over for specific areas of public ground I hunt. I know I would.. I’d be just as happy with a 140 or 160 on either. I however may feel better telling people about the public buck. Because if it were private you’ll likely get a psh.. must be nice.. type response like it was some sort of cake walk. The only part of it that easier for me would be retrieving the animal!

There is a lot of really crappy private land and a lot of it is over pressured as well. My step dad gained permission for 40 acres in prime deer country this season. There were 8 blinds on the property! 8! Where’s a big buck gonna hide in that 40 lol

[Kraftd]

Either, both, all of the above? If we're really parsing this out, would depend on lots of other things. A 140 public from some states is much easier to come by than even a 140 private in others.

Honestly I'm happy to see the general consensus here has been what it has. I think the holy grailness of public land can get a little over-blown at times. I know I had a period, that I luckily have gotten over where I wasn't quite as happy about my private land deer. Public is a heck of an accomplishment, but private can be dang fun, and hard too.