state land woes

[Chain2]

Nobody on this planet wants to be retired more than I do. Then I can get out during the week. I'm ready, my bird dogs want me to retire as well.

[stikbowshooter]

I hunt public land in Iowa and I mix it up a lot. If I find other hunters are walking in deep I will hunt closer to where I am parking. Some of my best hunts have been within 150 yards of my vehicle. When going in deep I make sure I am the first one in the parking lot.

[lifeandlongbows]

Funny you mention that stikbowshooter, I killed a doe no more than 25 yards from the road doing that.

The tricky part of Michigan is that most properties are bordered by private land/homes. One man's "deep" is another man's "shallow" LOL

[Whip]

I haven't read all of the responses in detail so if this has been said I apologize.  But you say you hunted the same spot repeatedly for a couple of weeks?  To me, that is your problem. No way can the wind be good for the same spot time after time.  Not only does the wind need to be favorable for where you expect deer to come from, but it must be perfect so they can't smell you coming and going.  Even if you think the deer haven't busted you, you can bet they are aware of your coming and goings.  They smell you as you enter and leave and they smell everywhere you have walked after you leave.  Your scent lingers long after you are gone on your repeated entry and exit routes and it doesn't take them long to realize that "your spot" is too be avoided.
The other hunter and his climber didn't help, but my guess is you are your own worst enemy.

[J. Holden]

Never fall in love with a spot on public land.

Every trip is a scouting trip on public land.

Love that!

[lifeandlongbows]

But you say you hunted the same spot repeatedly for a couple of weeks?  To me, that is your problem. No way can the wind be good for the same spot time after time.  Not only does the wind need to be favorable for where you expect deer to come from, but it must be perfect so they can't smell you coming and going.  Even if you think the deer haven't busted you, you can bet they are aware of your coming and goings.  They smell you as you enter and leave and they smell everywhere you have walked after you leave.  Your scent lingers long after you are gone on your repeated entry and exit routes and it doesn't take them long to realize that "your spot" is too be avoided.
The other hunter and his climber didn't help, but my guess is you are your own worst enemy.

I would have to agree there. I've heard at least 2 maybe even 3 weeks between spots. And if you are on the ground...probably better off hunting different locations throughout the year. I know for a fact I've screwed up a lot of locations for myself in the past not following this formula. I won't be touching any spot I've already hunted for the remainder of the year.

[John Scifres]

I won't hunt the same spot more than twice in a row on the public land I hunt.  I figure if you give them a morning and evening commute to see or smell your presence, they are taking an alternate route on their next trip to work or home.  And no permanent stands. 

That might change a bit in the rut but everything changes in the rut.  Park your butt in a saddle with lunch and a pee bottle and a favorable wind and wait.

Public land deer are smart and wise to the ways of the two-legs.  But you can use that to your advantage.

[Bowguy67]

Lots of guys are recommending resting spots. I also do so and it doesn't matter private or state land. It should be known you need to hunt the wind and it's important your scent doesn't blow into them on entrance, exit or after they pass you.
You can't use the same way in and out almost ever because of the wind direction.
Not only will today be screwed up if you don't avoid their sense of smell but you make em suspicious for weeks if not the season.
That being said, let's look imagine a clock. If the deer are going into a cut cornfield moving from 12 to 6. Say it's a hill but your truck is beyond the corn. Most guys hunt than get down and blow deer out. Keep doing that and your odds lower. I'd like to see a 2-8 wind direction. That'd keep the scent blowing away from the deer, and I'd be on the downwind side. Upon getting down I'd walk across a ridge and skirt way around em. Are some deer blown up? Prob. But the deer you're hunting are less disturbed.
If you analyze things you'll see a need for a whole buncha stands depending on wind or just one climber you can move each time to up your odds.
State land hunters need to keep adjusting and thinking imo.
Need to add not all spots are huntable on all days. That's a hard pill to swallow for some guys but it's important too

[Sam McMichael]

One helpful idea may be to get as far back in as possible, and find the really thick stuff. I have observed that even most bowhunters like a relatively open spot and deer often prefer the heavy bushes when hunters are around.

[Pointer]

Been there done that brother..lol.  I've had some private land available to me for the past 3 years but prior to that it was always public land. I've always considered myself lucky to have a 17,000 acre state park just over an hour from my house. I remember back around 2006 and through maybe 2013 the place had plenty of deer. I always saw some..maybe not every single outing but certainly for a few outings each season. Then it just all went away. Dealing with other hunters was always a challenge and I would go at least 3/4 mile into the woods and many times a good deal further than that.

I remember one hunting a scrape line and finding someone else' scent wicks hanging there along the same line about 50 yds from where I was sitting.

That's just the way it is on public land. Now the place seems to be shot out. I mean until last week I had not seen so much as a track in 3 seasons.

Still, I'll always be grateful for having that place to hunt so close to home. A property that large allows you to really cover ground and feel like you have hunted

[TSP]

I've found public land hunting here to be interesting.  I don't see any deer but the old busted-up couches, abandoned cars and stacks of torn-up trash bags make it all worthwhile.  The state does it's part as well, limiting tree stands to two and requiring that hunters provide them the GPS lat/long locations of each stand in order to get the state permission permit needed to use tree stands on public land.  Oh, and lest we forget the 4X4s parked and blocking road access, walkie-talkie deer drivers, and the ubiquitous squadron of ATVs that show up and linger after you've just spent 2 hours hiking in.

Ayah, public land hunting...the practical alternative to completely wasting your time.

[Soonerlongbow]

One thing I've found is no matter how far you hike from the gate/parking spot, eventually your a mile closer to the next gate.

[TwistedHollow]

That's so true soonerlongbow. I like how some of the guys drive around and try to figure out where you walk in at and are going to . That's why I don't use bright eyes anymore.

[Trenton G.]

That's so true soonerlongbow. I like how some of the guys drive around and try to figure out where you walk in at and are going to . That's why I don't use bright eyes anymore.

I think they come in handy on state land. Just have them going the opposite direction of where you're going. I used to use little bits of orange ribbon at a spot that was super tough to navigate in the dark. Then I found out my cousin was following my ribbon path so took them all down and tied them in a big circle. I don't know how many times he went around, but I haven't seen him back there again!

[toddster]

Yes public land hunting can be difficult, that is all I hunt.  But, at the same time, I am great full we live in a country that still has land for access to harvest game.  One of the things that I do is, learn how the other hunters change the animal behavior and use that to my advantage.  This was a huge cause for me to start hunting on the ground, so I am more flexible.

[mgf]

I have not enjoyed hunting the local state management areas but I love the National Forest further down state. I think some of the state forest would be ok too.

One of the things that I really dislike about the WMA is that you can't really go "further back". They have access trails like every ten feet. It's crazy...nothing but tree stands everywhere you go. I'd rather hunt those places on the ground and moving around a bit but I'me afraid of bumping into occupied tree stands and ruining somebody else's hunt.

I guess if all I had to hunt were the state WMA I'd just stop hunting. Even the squirrel hunting is lousy on these places.

For the most part I've never had access to deer hunting on private land.