public lands

[ryan]

I realized that when it comes to hunting on public lands when u locate that perfect spot to set up on opening day go in the opposite direction cause everyone else will also be in that area and your chances have now gone down the drain... my idea is to head in the direction where there is the least deer activity and hope the other hunters push them my way

[gfdeputy2]

This is the reason my crew switched going to NY from gun season to bow season

hardly anyone on the public land we hunt during bow

Rifle is like going to Dunkin Doughnuts on free coffee day

[ryan]

agree Elite lol

[upstatehunter]

Public land is a trip....guys sitting 10 feet apart....You feel like a bullet is going to rip through your chest at any moment....I like to sit in spots where I think the deer will head when hunters go in at first light....when gun season opens and I hunt public land, scouting in my opinion is out the window

[ryan]

I have  now decided to band my back and go as far in as possible hopefully no other hunters makes the trip that far in might be the best option

[upstatehunter]

I too have gone in far to avoid other hunters but become very picky on what i shoot

[gfdeputy2]

after going public land hunting & hearing the shots we wondered if there was any ammo to be found on a store shelf during gun season

never been so scared in my life

Then to see the hunting group that came in late putting a drive on through everyone the Drivers screaming & shooting in the air was enough for me

[Core]

after going public land hunting & hearing the shots we wondered if there was any ammo to be found on a store shelf during gun season

never been so scared in my life

Then to see the hunting group that came in late putting a drive on through everyone the Drivers screaming & shooting in the air was enough for me

lol

 

This thread is hilarious.

 

These gun hunters sound like animals.

 

I've been on public land so far for bow 9-10 times and have run into another hunter once. I see 1-2 cars parked in my vicinity at a time, though as yet none have been parked where I was (meaning no hunters actually crossing paths).

 

The more I read about gun season the more I picture scores of people running around with orange vests shooting at anything that moves.

[gfdeputy2]

lol

 

This thread is hilarious.

 

These gun hunters sound like animals.

 

I've been on public land so far for bow 9-10 times and have run into another hunter once. I see 1-2 cars parked in my vicinity at a time, though as yet none have been parked where I was (meaning no hunters actually crossing paths).

 

The more I read about gun season the more I picture scores of people running around with orange vests shooting at anything that moves.

 

Yup that was pretty much how it was or at least what it felt like to me during the week was not as bad but weekends were horrible. the last year we went for gun season we stayed out of the woods & hit the Vineyards & breweries instead

 

[ryan]

the experience I had on opening day last year will stay with me forever I cant even count how many times I checked myself to see if I was shot.. gun shots way to close for my comfort I don't kno if these guys were shooting at anything that moves in the woods and I was wearing my hunters orange scary

[gfdeputy2]

the experience I had on opening day last year will stay with me forever I cant even count how many times I checked myself to see if I was shot.. gun shots way to close for my comfort I don't kno if these guys were shooting at anything that moves in the woods and I was wearing my hunters orange scary

 

It is funny because you would expect that here in NH

if land is not posted it is legal to hunt.

but we do have a lot of large traks of land here not posted

 

[JimR]

^{I have given up on opening week of gun season on public land. I must say that after opening week things quiet down and you can have a nice hunt with little to no company in the woods.}

Edited October 20, 2015 by JimR

[ryan]

im thinking of leasing some land if nothing better comes up soon

[ryan]

^{I have given up on opening week of gun season on public land. I must say that after opening week things quiet down and you can have a nice hunt with little to no company in the woods.}

  

 

 

 

Yep I think I will wait out opening week ..

[Jeremy K]

Just walk about 50 yards into the woods off the road and put scrapes down everywhere parallel to the road ,everyone will think they have the hot spot and conveniently located just off the road ,meanwhile you are deep in the woods by yourself.

[stoneam2006]

Idk what public land you all hunt but I hunt a lot and I mean alot of it opening day thanksgiving black Friday all included and never had anything but positive impressions on the people and environment there...wierd

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[ryan]

Idk what public land you all hunt but I hunt a lot and I mean alot of it opening day thanksgiving black Friday all included and never had anything but positive impressions on the people and environment there...wierd

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where are you hunting ?

[robw]

I just hunt steep hills, swamps, thick brush, etc.  I hunt state land every year, and realized early, if its an easy walk - lots of other hunters, hard walk, usually alone, and see lots of deer

 

only exception I've had, one wide open hill top on opening day, 200 yds from where I park, (could see the windshield when the sun hit it) watched ~ 15 hunters walk in past me by dawn, and had 20 deer pass me by 9 am opening day.  I had that area to myself, shot 2, and had a nice short drag.  That does tend to be the exception to the rule though. 

[stoneam2006]

Everywhere from Alleghany state Park fingerlakes adks I literally hunt all over the state on Stateland and have had 0 bad experiences sure every now and then I hear someone blasting off but that is not the norm

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Edited October 20, 2015 by stoneam2006

[gfdeputy2]

I would say it all depends on the area

But I can see why people in the area we hunt are reluctant to give permission to hunt their land

[monkeyman2269]

It can get crazy

[ryan]

how crazy would be too crazy for anyone here to say that's it ?

[gfdeputy2]

If I bump into more then a few people on my way to stand that is too many

[Five Seasons]

public land for bow season is pretty similar to hunting your own private land. the exception i've found is that the densities are lower and the deer are still more skitish.

 

gun seems to die down quite a bit after opening weekend and thanksgiving so don't give up. sometimes closer to the road is actually better because the deer circle back after being pushed.

 

of course deep is good, but it's still not a substitute for good terrain. you still want to focus on funnels and pinch points, transitions and areas you can access without bumping all the deer to the pumpkin sitting around the corner. So I'd say, it's not necessarily distance but ease of access. that's where you want to be.

 

had to hike down a big ass ravine to get to a public land spot that was a funnel due to a creek and the ravines. it also was a transition zone between bedding and hard woods. it was a mini-nightmare to get him out, but it was only a 5 minute hike in. but to a lazy guy, you wouldn't want to hike back up.

 

 

2 schools of thought with time of day. some get in super early so the tardy hunters will push the deer. others will head in late, and possible push deer but stay later as the early guys leave and bump.

 

I usually leave around 10 but got in late one day and at 10:45 came this doe. she was clearly bumped and on a tear but stopped long enough for me to drop her. (dont laugh at the size of our mississippi deer )

Edited October 20, 2015 by Belo

[Marion]

public land for bow season is pretty similar to hunting your own private land. the exception i've found is that the densities are lower and the deer are still more skitish.

gun seems to die down quite a bit after opening weekend and thanksgiving so don't give up. sometimes closer to the road is actually better because the deer circle back after being pushed.

of course deep is good, but it's still not a substitute for good terrain. you still want to focus on funnels and pinch points, transitions and areas you can access without bumping all the deer to the pumpkin sitting around the corner. So I'd say, it's not necessarily distance but ease of access. that's where you want to be.

had to hike down a big ass ravine to get to a public land spot that was a funnel due to a creek and the ravines. it also was a transition zone between bedding and hard woods. it was a mini-nightmare to get him out, but it was only a 5 minute hike in. but to a lazy guy, you wouldn't want to hike back up.

2 schools of thought with time of day. some get in super early so the tardy hunters will push the deer. others will head in late, and possible push deer but stay later as the early guys leave and bump.

I usually leave around 10 but got in late one day and at 10:45 came this doe. she was clearly bumped and on a tear but stopped long enough for me to drop her. (dont laugh at the size of our mississippi deer )

Is that second pic of a fawn that just lost its spots?

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