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Post by josephwrealty on Aug 17, 2013 20:36:09 GMT -5
Ok I am a new hunter at least as anything other than coyote is concerned. Therefore I look to veteran hunters for there opinion and knowledge regarding various subjects. I have heard horror stories regarding hunting on public property and run ins with other hunters from fellow hunting buddies but until recently not experienced any issues. This past week while squirrel hunting a friend and myself were set up in a section of woods that we had moved into quietly from before sunrise in order to ambush squirrels after sunrise as they went about there buisness. Well shortly after sunrise while watching the squirrels just start to move around above our heads a gunshot rang out. Which put the squirrels we were watching on high alert they no longer were casually going about there buisness instead they begin to either move like ninjas from tree to tree or froze hugging branches. I knew that while on public property there would be other hunters but this gunshot rang out from less than 100 yds to our right just on the other side of a small draw. my friend had told me before going into the woods that if others saw our cars parked in the small parking spot that other hunters out of courtesy would go on to the next pull off and hunt another section of the woods. I told him that I wasnt so sure considering stories I'd heard that would be the case but will see. Well after hearing this shot and watching the squirrels go nuts I knew I had been right no such courtesy had been shown. Therefore we engaged the best we could taking one squirrel. Than as we were engaging two ther individuals proceded to walk right past us less than 50 yds away blowing a distress call and talking loudly along with wearing no camo which spooked the already spooked squirrels to the point they all vanished. We call it a day shortly afterwards. The reason I put this in this section is because as we walked out of the woods and after getting to our cars which we saw had been joined by 5 other cars some parked on the grass. We spoke about the upcoming deer season and I asked would the sane thing happen come deer season. Would other hunters walk right by our stands and runing our hunt etc. I was told that during deer season that if other hunters approached a stand I occupied to flash my light at them so they would know the spot was already taken by someone who got up earlier abd into the woods sooner or that other deer hunters would see the parked vehicles and know hey someone already gas set up in this section let's move to plan B. But as I think about the subject I wonder how us it really going to be ciome deer season. If I put in the effort to scout out a location get up early enough to put up my stand there before anyone else does that mean for the most part I'll get the opportunity to hunt that stand peacefully or will I be dealing with other hunters rountinely walking into my set up or non chalantky walking past my stand essentially ruining the entire day. I myself do not walk into other hunters set up as courtesy but I truly am worried about the stories I've heard combined with what I've recently witnessed. Also if I preplace a stand on a public spot that I worked to scout out and it doesn't get stolen does that mean that is my spot to hunt or can someone else set up a stand directly next to it or even use my stand if I don't get up early enough. How does sportsman like conduct work on public property? What should I prepare myself to encounter and if I have a run in how should I handle the situation? Well I hope some vets can give me some insight.
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Post by schoolmaster on Aug 17, 2013 21:42:41 GMT -5
Some hunters will be sportsmen and be courteous and others will not. It happens on private ground too.
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Post by antiwheeze on Aug 17, 2013 22:53:42 GMT -5
I hunt mostly public land and have messed up others and been messed up. A couple of years ago on opening morning I set up and climbed a tree before daylight. Several other hunters entered the woods nearby and would pass around me when I shined my light at them however one hunter seemed to be a real pest and just wouldn't go by and seemed to circle me. He eventually set on the ground about 50 yds away from me. I later figured out why he was so perplexed. Although I couldn't see it, I was 10 yards away from his hang on tree stand he put up the day before. sometimes its just a matter of who gets there first.......or not!
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Post by BOBinIN on Aug 18, 2013 8:52:54 GMT -5
Sorry to say...but it's pretty much a "free-for-all" out there, especially in gun season for deer and spring turkey. Just too many hunters looking for a decent place to hunt to be courteous to each other.
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Post by jdaily on Aug 18, 2013 10:11:38 GMT -5
I hunted public ground ONCE due to a convenience factor. Never, ever again, unless it is water fowl. Get your butt out and go meet some farmers. The worst thing you will hear from a farmer is NO. Shoot, I will tell you NO, NO, NO, NO, NO! But what I have found, is for every 5-7 no's you will get a YES. Just last week, I got permission to hunt a bean field that is always loaded with Dove. And if you noticed, I didn't wait til the day before season to start to ask permission. Then, after you get permission, do something that most nobody ever does. Mail them a hand written Thank you and offer to help them out around the farm. That will go a long way. Good luck!
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Post by firstwd on Aug 18, 2013 13:05:06 GMT -5
If you are counting on other hunters to go to a different area because your vehicle is in a parking lot, then you are obviously not going deep enough into the woods. Humans are the most notorious critters in the world for taking the easiest path. If you want success, especially on public ground, you have to be willing to go where others aren't. That doesn't always mean the farthest point away. I had a farm I hunted that the best place to kill a deer was around the old corn crib and the garden in the barn lot.
The thing about public ground, is it's public. Every person you run into while hunting might not be hunters.
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Post by josephwrealty on Aug 18, 2013 16:22:53 GMT -5
I spend ALOT of time scouting for private land to hunt. I would say that I've knocked on over 100 doors easy along with cold calling. It has produced decent results of course the answer I get a majority of the time is no yet I continue to do it considering I get a yes about every 6th or so attempt. A majority of the private land I hunt though does not come with permission for deer. Attaining private ground for deer and turkey is the hardest of any land to attain. Therefore I do plan on utilizing public ground. I hope that if I spend enough time scouting and go deep enough or far enough off the beaten path that I will get away from most other hunters. Yet I was simply asking if other hunters show courtesy to other hunters or should I just expect a free for all and plan accordingly. I understand that just because my values include good sportsman like conduct that most likely that is not the norm for other hunters I will encounter on public land. I was hoping I would get some advice on how to best utilize public ground considering the issues that do exist with public ground.
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Post by duff on Aug 18, 2013 16:43:28 GMT -5
Have zero expectations and make the best out of each hunt. If you get a bad place mark it up as cost of public land hunting. Good luck. You will have good hunts and bad hunts.
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Post by beermaker on Aug 18, 2013 19:53:59 GMT -5
My comments are based on 22 years of hunting on public land.
Keep in mind that it is like going to the city park, public pool, library, etc. If you encounter someone else, chances are that how they are conducting themself(s), right or wrong, is not going to be in the same manner that you are. You just learn to expect the unexpected and not be surprised when a hunt gets ruined. That is just the nature of public access hunting.
Successfully hunting public land is often more about patterning other hunters than it is patterning animals. My group has been hunting a 600 acre plot for 20 years. We found a very little known access point and have had great success there. There used to be a group of guys from Indy that would come down and stay the first week of gun season. We quickly learned that they would head back to camp about 10:00 for warmth and a drink. My buddy found that out by accidentally-on-purpose wandering by their camp and sharing a few whiskeys with them. We shot a whole lot of deer around 10:30 for many years after that. They have not been back in several years and I have not actually seen another hunter there in at least five. That guy wandered past about 100 yards away and I harvested a nice doe about the time he was out of sight.
My uncle owns an expansive grain farm that borders public land for about a mile. He does not own one stick of timber. He sold it all to the state many years ago. Several people thought that his land was a public right of way to the woods. He did not mind hunters parking there until some clowns left a mess of beer cans a cigarette buts in the barnyard. That was it! Family only after that. I chased off more hunters than one would believe. The only other access was from an unpaved road on the backside of the woods. I learned that the best way to hunt that property was to set up about 50 yards deep from the crop fields and get there very early. The guys entering form the public road pushed the deer my way nearly every time.
I honestly do not know how many deer that I have harvested. I would guess it to be somewhere around 60. What I do know is that exactly eight were on private ground.
Do your homework spend some time online studying maps. The DNR has a very useful map and there are many other online tools to use. Also nose around the local DNR office. I went to the one in my area to get some maps. There just happen to be a property manager and conservation officer there. They basically told me what properties to hunt and the ones to avoid. By the way, the first thing they both said was that it would be rare to see another hunter in archery season, but to avoid particular plots during shotgun.
I'm done rambling. Good luck.
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Post by moray on Aug 19, 2013 8:39:38 GMT -5
I hunt on only public land and will echo the advice given to you by the others.Go farther in and to the places lazy hunters don't want to go to. Last year I found a spot that was fairly close to a parking area with so much sign I couldn't keep myself from putting up a stand there. I went to that stand on opening day and found it had been stolen. I was pretty mad but it also worked out for the better. I told myself I would never be lazy again and scouted the same area but much farther in. During the rut I ended up killing my biggest buck ever and during gun season I had a ton of deer pushed by me,never seeing another hunter. I had to pass on a bigger buck because I was tagged out. I have found that during bow season you shouldn't have any trouble getting away from other hunters but gun season is different. You will always have hunters that move around after sitting for a few hours. Stay in your stand and let them move deer for you. The big buck I has to pass on came by at 1:00, just about the time hunters were heading back into the woods from lunch.
Good luck!
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Post by josephwrealty on Aug 19, 2013 10:11:08 GMT -5
Thank you. Go farther, go deeper, think smarter and put in more time and effort seems to be the theme. What I suspected
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Post by majyang on Aug 19, 2013 11:06:36 GMT -5
PH, I don't have a monster buck harvested every year type story to tell about w/regards to hunting public land (as a matter of fact, i've yet to harvest one at all... seen them though) but one thing i like about hunting public land is there's tons of it. Granted not as much as we all would like or as close enough by as we'd like either but plenty to go around none the less. Can't tell you how many times i've gotten lost in the woods trying to get deeper in to find places where others won't likely go (thank goodness for GPS)... only to find a stand there already or then to have someone walk up on me later. Regarding sportsman like conduct, I'd say exercise sound judgment/ practices on your end, hope (not expect) others will do the same on theirs, make plans A-Z for back ups and talking about it on great forums like this one also helps. I've scouted out and picked out more public "spots" to hunt then i have time for, there literally is that much land out there for those who are willing to include the journey as being a part of the hunt. Plan "G" had become "A" a number of times when i arrive only to find the parking lot has someone there already. Since i dont' know because i'm not there counting cars, i can only assume that there has been plenty others who've also shown me that same courtesy. In the end though, PLEASE keep your cool out there no matter who you bump or who bumps you, and i mean that for everyone one us out there as we're all out there just trying to enjoy our sport of choice.
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Post by swilk on Aug 19, 2013 11:28:55 GMT -5
For every story a guy has about being messed up on public ground there is an opposite side to that coin and a different guy telling about the time he was messed up on public ground.
It is what it is. Dont expect anything from anyone else and you wont be disappointed.
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Post by DEERTRACKS on Aug 19, 2013 12:24:17 GMT -5
Go deep & hunt the less accessible rough & thick stuff the deer escape to when pressured. Let the other hunters push the deer to you.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 19, 2013 17:38:24 GMT -5
The secret to hunting public land is to use the public to your advantage. Study topos and aerials to figure out the obvious places hunters will flock to.
As for sportsman like conduct, you have to understand that hunters are merely a segment of the general population. That population contains crimnals and preachers, thugs and boy scouts. Wht would anyone expect all hunters to be model citizens when a large portion of people today have no respect for rules or society in general.
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Post by gillgrabber on Aug 19, 2013 18:15:21 GMT -5
Years ago my Son and I offered to help a local farmer bale hay for the day. I learned it was exhausting work and wore us both out; however, he was thankful and allowed us to hunt his property all we wanted after that. It lasted until the farm was sold. It was the best pre-season day I ever spent and it taught my Son the value of hard work to boot.
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Post by kevin1 on Aug 20, 2013 7:08:00 GMT -5
I haven't hunted a public for some time now, but back when I did I used to scour the net for topo mapping sites like Terraserver. These not only allowed me to get the lay of the land before actually scouting it, but also revealed the most likely paths of entry that others would take. Once I knew these spots I set up well away from them, even though it often meant a slog through brush. Once settled I sat and waited for the deer to get pushed to me by the others. Topos also help you find those hidden little publics that others may not even be aware of, though you have to be extremely cautious to ensure that you are in fact on publicly owned ground, especially when it's surrounded by private land. A site that features GPS tagging is very useful for this purpose as it absolutely establishes that the ground is public when combined with a GPS in the field. I've had a few landowners run me off of "their property" several times, even though the map I showed them clearly indicated that they were wrong.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 20, 2013 8:23:59 GMT -5
I was a area guide at Ft. Knox for about 30 years. I can assure that 95% of the hunters would hunt within a couple hundred yards of the road and near where another vehicle is parked. I'd guess those that don't take time to scout, see another vehicle and assume that its a good spot. You can always find alternate ways of access that hunters will not use until they see your success by going the extra mile it takes to get in the spot the deer want to be when they feel pressure.
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Post by mkfrench on Aug 20, 2013 9:41:10 GMT -5
Expect the worst, hope for the best. As said above use the othe hunters to your advantage. Don't leave the woods between 9:30 and 10:30 like EVERYONE else.
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Post by josephwrealty on Aug 21, 2013 18:23:27 GMT -5
Thank you for all the responses. The info was very useful.
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