Stateland hunters

[Swamp_bucks]

Trying to put more work into getting nice deer/more on stateland.  It will be a long time until i get my own land. So trying to gey better.  Ive mainly hunted stateland since i was 18, so 14 years now and i have taken 8 bucks granted  small(minus my 8pt) off 6 different pieces that have heavy pressure. But my questions are if you strictly hunt stateland.  

How many different pieces do you hunt?

How many spots per piece do you have?

Does hunting pressure help decide your spots?

Main type of stands do you use?

I have 7 pieces usually averaging upwards of 5 spots per piece and dont really worry about pressure until crossbow.  My main source of scouting is done on the Huntstand app on my phone befote i put boots on the ground.  And my main stands are ground blinds and was climber but will be adding a hangon with sticks to be my main stand. I like to be .5 miles plus in but have some spots i could spit on the road.

[Hunter007]

I know so many places to hunt at this point  it's hard to remember them all including in your area   .

Usually i go to the closes spots to home there probably  not the best necessary but i don't always have the time to get to the better ones . I use to use tree stands now I stick to ground blind and still hunting . I may hit 10 or more  places during the season sometimes more then 1 in a day .  

 

[cynthiafu]

I have hunted state land all my life . I grew up playing on the land and camping there as a teenager . So I put alot of foot work in it but it changes every year . Never stays the same . What worked for you one year may not work the following year. Last year I found deer bedding in the oddest spots . One was on a point of an island under very little cover . Never seen a deer out there in my 40 years of hunting . That day he was and scared the pee out of me when he bolted out of it . Never go a shot in because I never figured he would be there. I use that island to watch the other side because they walk along the Waters edge . Whole year not a one walked on that edge . Buy my little island was loaded with poop and prints . To me nothing can tell you where they are they are just going to be where they want to be.

[DanD]

My dad and I hunt 3 different pieces of stateland; however, we spend the majority on a piece that is primitive weapons (bow/muzzleloader) only as it gets far less foot traffic. We are still figuring things out, but we both have a handful of different stand locations depending on wind direction and what we're seeing as far as deer and people. Hunting pressure is probably the number 1 or 2 variable that dictate our spots. Most guys don't walk nearly as far as they used to which pushes the deer to semi-predictable places for food/cover on the pieces we do hunt. As far as stands, my dad keeps his feet on the ground, but depending on the day/conditions I either take my summit Golaith or Lone Wolf Alpha hang on with stick steps. I like the lone wolf bc i can get in just about any tree; however, the summit is more comfortable for longer sits and it has a rail to help steady on shots. 

[The_Real_TCIII]

I used to hunt three different pieces with my climber and had a lot of success. I’d had a few spots on each and if I saw a truck at one I’d move on. Even got to know a couple guys and we’d text our plans to not bump into each other. If you can hunt mid week it’s even better


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[grampy]

4 hours ago, Swamp_bucks said:

Trying to put more work into getting nice deer/more on stateland.  It will be a long time until i get my own land. So trying to gey better.  Ive mainly hunted stateland since i was 18, so 14 years now and i have taken 8 bucks granted  small(minus my 8pt) off 6 different pieces that have heavy pressure. But my questions are if you strictly hunt stateland.  

How many different pieces do you hunt?

How many spots per piece do you have?

Does hunting pressure help decide your spots?

Main type of stands do you use?

I have 7 pieces usually averaging upwards of 5 spots per piece and dont really worry about pressure until crossbow.  My main source of scouting is done on the Huntstand app on my phone befote i put boots on the ground.  And my main stands are ground blinds and was climber but will be adding a hangon with sticks to be my main stand. I like to be .5 miles plus in but have some spots i could spit on the road.

First off, You are already doing awesome by killing 8 bucks in 14 years on state land! I've known guys that hunted state land for decades and didn't kill a buck. That is something to be proud of!! You are a good hunter!

I have hunted state land, here and there most all my life. Granted maybe only once or twice a year, as I have private land to hunt. And now days there are only a fraction of the hunters, on state land that there were 20 or 30 years ago. So it is much better hunting than years ago. One of my best bucks was taken on state land awhile back. (Partridge Run) We also have state land that borders our property. So I guess I do have a 'general idea' on how to successfully hunt public land. So I'll throw my two cents in for what it's worth?

#1...There are dozens of public land spots within an hours drive from where I live. I only hunt three of them. All three hold a good population of deer. Along with some mature bucks that are 3+ years of age. You have to have, on that land, what you are looking to kill. Be it meat for the table, or a mount for your wall, or both. That is entirely up to the individual hunter. Some spots have very few options of either one. Some with perhaps more of one than the other. Others have an abundance!!  So you need to do some scouting to be sure that particular area holds enough of what you are looking for, to give yourself a reasonable chance at success.

#2...Average number of spots on the state land I hunt is five. Depending on wind direction. Also I always look for the pinch points, that I know will concentrate deer movement. For instance, in Partridge Run, there is a steep ravine that I hunt the upper flat just above it. It is very tough going to get in there, but worth the effort. That is where I killed that buck a few years ago. I have yet to hunt that spot and not see a deer. So having just a few "good" spots is better than having a dozen so-so spots, I think.

#3... Always use the movements of other hunters to YOUR advantage if you can!!  If there is a way to park and get in to your set up, away from the main parking area where most hunters enter, that is the way to go. Go in from the back side if possible. Place your set up's with this in mind, that the majority of hunters will be coming from X direction, and the prevailing wind is coming from Y direction. Get in before them, and have them move deer to you with the wind in your face!

#4... On state land, I use whatever is available on the ground. Be it a blowdown, a rock outcropping, dense thicket, big stump, or my favorite.... a blind put together from stuff found and gathered from nearby. It blends in perfectly, and you can set up right away, if some hot sign is found. And without hauling a bunch of stuff on your back going in. Go in light and be ready to move on something you've found, or if the wind direction changes. NEVER hunt public land especially, with the wind not in your favor. Public land deer will not let you get away with that very often, if at all.

There are tons of better hunters than me out there getting it done on public land. This is just a few basic things I've picked up over many years. Hope it helps you, or anyone who reads this post.

Best of luck out there!

[Hunter007]

On public land Some times I try and get out mid week if I can because parking lots are almost always empty then,  but there are times when hunting with a lot of hunters in the woods can work in your favor  with some luck other hunters  push deer to you  at times also , so not sure if one scenario is better then the other really. Sometimes it just comes down to luck I guess and some educated guessing (funnels )on which path the deer are going to move when pushed by other hunter on the other side of the hill  or from bordering private land .   It also helps if you learn about as many different public land spots as possible because things change from year to year . And I have a few spots on each that I use when blind or tree stand hunting.  

Edited August 15, 2019 by Hunter007

[Swamp_bucks]

I no my biggest tactic for atleast opening day of gun is escape routes. I will hunt wind i might not normally hunt because ive seen deer run with the wind at their backs just to get to the private land or thick cover.  One good thing ive learned is most hunters are within 200-300 yards from parking or just off nice easy logging roads plus people are very predictable.  Only time i catch people a long ways out is when they start doing drives then its just a matter of being on the escape routes.  And like most of you said with stateland you always need a back up plan deer move fron year to year and so can hunting pressure.

My number one goal this year is to try to atleast see a wall hanger on stateland this year.  But learning how the bigger bucks bed is whats going to help me the most i think.  

[G-Man]

Learn tree types and isolated.pockets. yes it state.land but a few fertilizer stakes around drop line make specific trees more flavorful and utilized.  Public or private land July im.walking with binoculars and looking for.mast , what trees have them and by carefully.looking at old nuts on ground in early spring you can find preferred trees by looking at droppings on the forest floor fresher looking dropping were winter feed, older droppings that are decomposing were hit early in the seaon. They will clean up their favored mast before they move on down to less and less prefered.. you can be fooled by heavy heavy mast years as nuts may persist on the forest floor longer but again oldest dropping reveal the early drop of preferred mast.