We hear the term "hunting the hard way" a lot when it comes to using traditional gear, but I would submit that there is another "hunting the hard way" that is rarely spoken of.

That's the private vs. public land hunting.

This is just my opinion of course, but anyone who consistently takes big game on public land with traditional gear is not just doing it the hard way, they are really accomplishing something significant. Especially these days when our public hunting lands seem to be more crowded than ever.

Don't get me wrong - I love a good piece of private land that keeps my freezer full, but I am infinitely more proud of the deer I've taken from public land. Every one is a major accomplishment to me.

So for those of you plugging away on public ground, you are truly doing it "the hard way" and my hat is off to you.

All I hunt is public land. I pack in and out every hunt carry about 20 pounds with me. it's very rewarding when you kill a deer on public land.

Used to think it was hard but have been hunting public only last seven years and find its not that difficult. It's a lot more aggressive style hunting that changes weekly and seems like you have to clean the slate off regularly and keep up with deer patterns. Very soon they will be in there winter patterns and completely disappear from areas that were good last week.

John, we have a lot of good public land here in Pa., and out here in the rural areas we don't have the pressure that public land close to urban areas has. Matter of fact, some of the public land out here is rarely hunted, and most of it will have tracts that are very good hunting spots. The only time it gets worked hard is on the first day of rifle and the next two Saturdays. I hunt public land over 90% of the time and do okay....even without using tree stands or blinds. I don't kill deer every year, but manage one about every three. Now understand that the areas near Pittsburgh and Philadelphia obviously have more attention because that's where half of our population lives.

Public land is the toughest by far! Nuf said!

George, it's good to know that quality public land still exists in the East. I was pretty spoiled in Southern Illinois too - having good success on public land, but when I needed to put deer in the freezer, I would usually hunt private farmland where the deer were a lot more predictable and consistent and I was the only one hunting there.

Of course, the quality of one public area and the next can vary widely, as can private. But by and large, guys who fill tags on public land with a recurve or longbow have chosen the toughest way to do it. Most rewarding too though.

Crossbows have changed the game in Oklahoma. I have probably 50-50 and honestly the trophy quality is better on the public land even though it's a lot harder to hunt

I thought they would here in TX too, but the archery-only area I normally hunt is still pretty much compounds. I've seen one guy with a crossbow, and he clearly had no idea what he was doing. Nice guy though, just getting started.

Incidentally, the year I ran into the x-bow hunter, I was hunting with a longbow and wood arrows. He looked at me like I had just walked out of the 1920's. LOL. He said "people still hunt with that stuff?" :D He must have been good luck because I killed a nice fat spike 2 hours later.

I hunt public land because they are large enough to use the wind and explore lots of good territory. The places that I own are not large enough, nor have varied access points, to allow for still hunting into winds from varying directions.

Here in AL public land hunting has been rough this year. So far ive seen 1 coyote and dozens armadillos. Im just happy to be out in the woods, deer or no deer.

I've got some public land that's more of sure thing than some private land I hunt...

John....I know the areas that you hunt, and I would agree 100%.

ky, the experience has been the same for me, and strangely for friends I have in both PA and WV. Everyone I know who hunts public land is having a tough time this year. Must be the unusually warm fall and lack of movement.

Bluegrass, I could have said that for a few years in IL too. Not so here in TX, I can assure you!

Roadrunner, I love being able to roam, and to choose stand locations and approaches based on the wind. Tough to do that on small tracts. I get bored hunting small tracts too, seeing the same deer every day. Great way to fill the freezer though!

Entirely a matter of perspective. Sounds to me to be easier to have 100's and 100's of acres to roam, to be able to pic and choose based on bedding areas, wind etc.

Most private land hunters are stuck with one or two decent stand locations, and then only if the wind is favorable.

I've got a few farms in central ohio to hunt but usually the public land has less people per area than private farms that allow hunting without a lease. Gun season all bets are off tho. We don't have the area PA has in public land but what we do have is very good hunting lands. Within a few miles of Coshocton Ohio there's a couple public areas that add up to about 50 thousand acres that gives up more trophy bucks than anywhere else in the state. So anyhow public hunting can be great if there's enough of it to go around.

In the absence of other hunters, I'd agree with you.

Texas is a huge state with hunting leases and clubs taking up the whole state. For your size and population there's very little public lands. I'm gonna catch heck for this but I love hunting, I dunno why anyone who hunts would live there on purpose,lol.

I hunt Illinois public land and during this time of year it's open to bowhunters only two days a week, the rest of the week it's bird hunters. So, for five days of the week the deer are constantly jumped and pushed around, including their bedding areas, so trying to pattern them is almost impossible. There is no doubt that taking a deer off heavily hunted public land vs private is very difficult, doing it with a traditional bow makes it even harder due to the limited range.

Sorry, one last thing. With the pressure your public areas get the deer would get to the point they'd almost be psychic I would think,lol.

I guess it just depends on where you live. I understand a lot of you back east are far more limited on public land than those of us who life in the west. I have national forest land running from my back yard all the way to Canada. While they do get hunted the majority of the pressure is right on the roads. Take a walk and the deer and elk have no idea hunting season is happening.

GLF, that's funny but you kinda gotta know the place to really appreciate that comment.

Yes, TX has a LOT of hunting land but 98% is private. If you can afford it or you are very lucky, there is some phenomenal hunting here. If not, well you're kinda screwed.

I love my home state, but being landlocked is not something I enjoy about it. And the deer here on public land are indeed nearly psychic. They know the hunters better than we know ourselves. LOL. Sure makes it a challenge.

AK, that sounds marvelous!

When you are talking about Texas, even the 2% or so of public land is a lot of acres, but sometimes it takes a lot of driving to get there.

I grew up there, but have lived in other states. I like Texas, one BIG reason is that you can hunt something year around and there are no stupid laws about possessing "killing devices" when in the woods with no hunting season open. They have something called "no closed season" on certain species. You don't have to stop hunting when deer season closes, just move to hogs, varmints, skwerls, or rabbits. It also means that I can carry a pistol or take a bow or an M1 Carbine in the woods while shed hunting or stump shooting, or whatever. You can hunt east TX thickets, coastal areas, high desert, mountains, farm lands, and anything in between on the same license.

But I also like some things about other states too.

I know the extremes, I guess...

Started off hunting whitetails from a tree in MN - rifle season on a mix of public & private land...small area, so the experience was the same either way... And the opener was great; just very few deer taken after 1:00 PM or the following day.

CO... Tons of public land, and used to be very lightly hunted once you got away from the roads.... In more recent years, I've noticed a growing number of wall tents set up (illegally) for the whole season. Counted 4 last time I combed the area on satellite photos. Kinda discouraging to hike in 3 hours and run across somebody just rolling out of bed... But it's public. Not much you can do but go in deeper.... And report the violators. Cell phone pic with time stamp & GPS coordinates seems pretty effective. We stick to wilderness areas, though.. at least you can dodge the ATVs that way...

CT Public gets ugly. Shotgun season, state land is a lottery split into two, two-week periods with tags limiting the density to 1 gun/20 acres. Second half of that has a 5% success rate, and the 4-week ML season after that is about 4%... My hat is off to ANYONE who can connect regularly under those conditions, and I don't care WHAT they're shooting with.

Hoping to split the difference next year and hunt some limited-entry areas... It's not public land and it's bow-only... Hoping to get drawn and learn the area so that I can hunt it from the ground.

I just prefer a nice, slow stroll through the woods to an all-day sit.

Depends on the public land.

Deer were not plentiful at Camp Gruber, a 16,000 acre Oklahoma closed Army Base in the early sixties and I would expect there are less deer per hunter now. I'm told hunters are rock throwing distances apart now. Used to see them, but hiked back some off the roads in Gruber in 1962 - 1964. Really didn't need to as I saw almost no hunters during the week in the early sixties when we used a pup tent for shelter.

However, my friends who are lucky enough to get a draw to the McAlester Navy Ammunition Depot each year tell me they see plenty of deer now and large ones too. One fellow last week said he saw lots of deer and another shot a very large buck there several years ago.

If a state has many public lands and if some are well controlled with a specified number of hunters like McAlester, than public land is a fine opportunity for those who cannot afford to pay for a lease. Good tent camping sites are usually available on public lands or hiking-in and camping, so they can be ideal for many of us who like to combine deer hunting with a few dog stories and a little campfire coffee.

Roadrunner, you're right. There are indeed a lot of things to like about this place, esp. if you own land or have access to private land, which is why many Texans will never leave, ever.

I started out hunting on 40 ac. that my dad bought in the late 70's just so he and us boys would have a place to hunt. I am so grateful for that.

Even when I had maybe the sweetest deal on a place to hunt (private land) just 1/4 mile from my house (I'd usually see 20-30 deer a sit), I still made the 1 hr. drive up to hunt public land a few times every year for a change of scenery and for the challenge.

I'd fill the freezer with those private land deer, but the public land deer were my "trophies" every year.

There are over 1 million acres of public hunting land in Texas. I've only hunted waterfowl on public land but have seen some bruiser bucks while duck hunting. I am lucky to have friends who own land that I can hunt but no doubt there is quality public hunting grounds in Texas.

About the same way here George most people are hunting their leased farms now days,I still hunt Public land cannot afford the lease cost.

My 80 is surrounded by a lot of public land and I hunt it more than I do my own land. Killed as many nice deer on public land as I have on my own. Now the hunting pressure isn't real great, particularly the past few years, but that's because the deer population is way down because of bad winters, predation and overshooting of does.

Flash, out of curiosity, how many deer have you taken with a traditional bow on public hunting land in TX?

I haven't read all of the replies, but to address the original question... am I truly doing it the hard way? That's kind of a silly question because doing it difficult for the sake of doing it difficult isn't my goal or gauge of success. I don't know and don't care about that, as stated. Digressing, I do what I do because it heightens my challenges and rewards, and allows me to act as close to a hunter/gatherer/predator as my local regulations, personal and societal boundaries allow... and it offers me the most enjoyment. Again, I don't it because that's what it 'is', I do it because free/natural feelings led me there... or past there.

This is as simplified as I can make it... I make and use as much of my own gear from natural resources as current knowledge and skills allow, collected from previous excursions and/or kills that vary widely in scope and breadth... as a consequential process, not a goal. I've traveled in this direction for some time now, and while most hunters would see my current path as quite 'narrow', perhaps, I've departed from their mainstream values, and relevance, long ago and feel my own to be 'true, real, and greatly enriched' compared to what they(my own) used to be. IMO.

Homemade, hard earned gear, long stays on big public ground, any and all legal critters as 'random' opportunities present themselves... animals, plants, birds, fish, or otherwise useful, natural items. Hunting, gathering, deep reverence, circle of life... and simple death and usage. Sorry if that sounds cliche or melodramatic.

Everyone has their own ideas its human nature. Private surrounded by private there's as many issues as public at times. You can't control others but one thing you can do anywhere you go is try to learn to use others around you to your own advantage to increase your odds.

You make or break anything based on your own knowledge. You can and others do use public and are successful when they know how to do it and use others. Even on private I use others to my advantage.

The longer your at this the more knowledge you gain if you pay attention to detail.

Another joker who thinks hunting with a compound is just as difficult as using a recurve or longbow. Must have never dawned on you why over 90% of the deer killed with arrows come out of compounds.

I didn't start this thread to create a debate. Rather, it's a tip of my cap to those who are consistently taking big game on public land with a traditional bow. 'cuz it ain't easy. At all.

Zero limbwalker, I've never deer hunted on public land. Just stating that I see some nice ones while waterfowl hunting on public land.

I have quite a few friends in Texas. On one of them finally gave up hunting. He was paying 1200 per gun just for deer season to take his son deer hunting on a lease. Then another friend has almost given it up, he lives west of Lubbock and says it's just too far to drive to find decent free hunting. I didn't ever think it would happen here but it has. It's not to the point Texas is yet but it gets worse ever year. I'm lucky in that I know people who have farms. But most of the public areas here don't get that much pressure yet except gun season. My best public area is archery only so the gun season actually helps it to be better.

If you breath you will get debated. Why do others worry about this or play into this it does no good you don't gain wisdom that way or woodsmanship either? If your a killer you don't even consider what others do, you just go try and u sally get one. What is harder is getting older that's the only thing I find in life and that's about it.

You might not have as much knowledge younger but then there could be some trade offs when you get older that you may have to bare up with from a lack of desire possibly due to case specific possible reasons.

Whats the difference what weapon you use its not the weapon as some think its the effort normally that lacks. If you have the drive and the time you can do it anywhere. Every thing we do has its set of circumstances now that can't be debated but someone will try.LOL

LBShooter stated:

"I hunt Illinois public land and during this time of year it's open to bowhunters only two days a week, the rest of the week it's bird hunters. So, for five days of the week the deer are constantly jumped and pushed around, including their bedding areas, so trying to pattern them is almost impossible. There is no doubt that taking a deer off heavily hunted public land vs private is very difficult, doing it with a traditional bow makes it even harder due to the limited range."

I've killed so many deer with compounds, I quit counting long ago. I don't know how many with trad bows. Not nearly as many. However, the one thing that doesn't change regardless of what type bow you choose, is the average shot distance in similar habitat, regardless of your weapon. I hear versions of your quote all the time and know it to be incorrect. In the same habitat, aside from wide open country, average distance of kill shots will be the same, regardless of which bow you choose.

Range isn't handicapping you in Illinois forests. God Bless

John it's like a lot of archery history that's discussed in here. This is a world wide sight. Different people have different experiences because of geography. Not sure anyones trying to argue the point but just have different experiences in their areas.

Limbwalker, other than sitting out a year or so with Lyme, I've hunted public ground every year since the first time I bowhunted 36 years ago. I've done over 90% of all of my hunting, fishing, trapping, hiking, camping, and generally goofing off on public ground. I love public ground.

We were fortunate, our physical home as I grew up was surrounded by it and we were in that woods and water most every day... wild childs we were... and to many extents remain. My camp now is nestled in 365,000 acres of it. I... need... ROOM... and can't afford to buy enough ground to begin to scratch that itch.

'Successful' with the stickbow? Well for stretches yes, but sometimes not so much. I suppose you would have to define success because there were years I took numerous whitetails, small game, fish, and varmints on public land with wooden bows, wooden arrows, hand forged heads and other homemade schtuff, but they were interspersed with lean years when no DEER were killed. Strangely/predictably, folks seem to invariably ask about, and judge us according to the DEER we kill, or don't, like that's ALL that matters. Twice I took two deer and a groundhog the same day, 3rd week of Oct. That said, some of my most memorable/successful seasons put no venison in the freezer or antlers on the wall, but more than made up for it other ways. This was one of those years.

This difficulty thing may be overrated a bit on what you use to hunt with. Me and a buddy were hunting public two years ago and three guys were hunting out of the same parking lot. We all talked where we were hunting and took off. I walked in with a guy carrying a gun, one guy had a crossbow, one had a compound and my partner a self bow. The guy with a gun was going to hunt a food plot(wheat) and I would drop off and be over a half mile from him. My partner and I were fortunate enough to get shot's that evening and the difference was I had been cleaning the ice off my bow as well as the arrow. His arrow landed at the feet on a 17 yard shot and I got lucky. Had a great blood trail I followed around 60 yards and took the arrow and poked it in the ground deciding to go back to truck and come back with help. A freezing fog made it difficult to get back and I made two complete loop's over my track's and finally got out . I new better but got soaked and opted to go in next morning to look for deer. It was a blue bird day and waited a couple hours before going in as we didn't wand to disturb anyone early if possible. As we approached where I left my arrow I said look over there. Two guys were gutting my deer so we walked for a visit. The guy I walked in with had shot a deer that morning and it kept getting up and moving. They lost sign and was walking around and found it and was gutting it. I said that's what were doing also. I asked them to look behind them at the arrow sticking in the ground and notice the blood trail up to the deer they were dressing. My pard pulled the hair back so the slice wound was visible. We told them thanks for gutting my deer but we're going to help you look for yours. We had to go all the way back to where he shot it and get started.sure enough the deer kept getting up and running. Thank goodness my partner is a regular coyote on a trail and the deer was recovered. We was around 80 yards from my deer! This was his first deer ever and you know how fun that is to share. My bud helped gut it and I took the other guy to cut a good pole the carry it out. His was a very nice doe and we told them we were carrying it out for him as this is what hunting is all about. We were around three quarters mile from vehicles and they carried my yearling out for me. It was fun and made memories for sure for all. They were soldiers departing the following week to the middle East all separate. Didn't think they would ever be together again hunting. No matter how people choose to hunt it's all good to share the adventure..

Yup, I suppose so.

Well, I'm still waiting to run into another traditional bowhunter who is killing them on public land in Texas. I know they're out there, but I'm not sure who they are. It's a very rare thing indeed.

No doubt about it.

John, come on back up to CO again next year, and hunt the national forest we all own.

I lived in TX from 59 to 63. I have nothing but fond memories of it. Times have changed, and unfortunately moreso than ever, it is all about money. Again, come on back and hunt CO. We'd be very glad to have you.

There are many times around here that the number of hunters far outnumber the number of deer in our smaller NW public lands. The deer learn those borders very quickly, because the tree stand kids do the very same things over and over regardless of wind and time. We do pretty well and we do it all on the ground. It is a must to always anticipate the deer patterns that push deer away from the hunter's traffic. On some private areas that have too many hunters driving in and out, I have seen deer activity get adjusted to the middle of the day and the deer staying out in open country away from the wooded areas where all of the guys drive to with in 50 yards of where they sit. On private pieces the common argument is that they don't scare off deer by driving in, that is just BS to cover their lazy asses. On the public areas, the common ladder stand placements are always the closest and easiest places to access. We go to the deeper areas where creeks and brush dominate, away from the trees to get into deer.

Sounds like.

I will Bob. Spent two weeks in SW CO this year and still wasn't ready to come home. I was ready to send for the wife and daughter! LOL.

Son is in CO and plans to stay, and his mom and me might just join him.

It all depends on where and when you are hunting. I hunt private land 95 percent of the time, and I believe it is MUCH harder for me to kill a deer on the private property I hunt than on the public land I hunt the other 5 percent of the time. Private land (for me) has great road access, so there is no such thing as "way back in" or "farther than the other guy". Also, where I hunt, there are way more "other guys" on private land than on public land. When you add in weekly corn piles and trail cameras being placed and checked, the deer (the bucks at least) quickly pattern the hunters and go nockturnal. Three years in a row now I have had MUCH better opportunities on the public land I hunt 5% of the time.

Don't get me wrong though. If I was the sole owner of the private land I hunt, I would do things different and I believe I could greatly improve my private land hunting.

My 20+ years hunting 1000 pristine SW Texas game loaded acres will never be taken for granted. Affording a place thereafter was $rough at best...until public land. Never killed a public land deer in SHNF but have more than made up in hogs. Big deer there but totally different hunting. Don't get me wrong. Feel especially fortunate & lucky to have a place to hunt. The disparity however, is night & day.

I worded that last part wrong. I should have said "If I owned the private land I hunt..." as I am solely a guest and own no land myself.

I hunt public land here in Ga. 90% of the time. My worst year with trad gear I killed 10 deer and pigs. RC

Clearly, not all public land is the same! ha, ha.

TX is the 2nd most populated state in the U.S. (I think) and we have 2% public land. On top of that, about half of that 2% is not open to hunting.

It's a wonder there are any deer left on the little public property we do have.

That's a shame.

Move on up here to CO, John. Unbelievably immense and beautiful tracts of the West, free for you to explore and hunt. The population here has grown tremendously, yet we are in fact very sparsely populated, considering the size of the state. Come on up.

Ever feel slightly guilty for killing a deer on public land ONLY because you know exactly how hard they worked to stay alive until that point? The older I get the more I respect just how hard they live in hunted areas.

I gotta agree with Shawn... a lot of deer killed by men and women shooting modern equipment is under 25 yards. I've never been in a stand where you had open shots at deer past 30 yards...unless you're sitting the edge of a field, but even then stands are set up to produce close shots, not long shots.

I think we should hand out metals to all those who hunt public land! But then we would have to differenciate between pressured and non-pressured public land. Quite confusing! I've been to LBL 3 times, killed 3 bucks with a compound...I'm not impressed and neither are you. Speck

Maybe I've just done too little of it, but FOR ME a compound is harder to hunt with. Sure, I can drill itty-bitty groups with it at a known 20 yards, but at unknown ranges I have to think about it far too much. And at 20+ (or anything that looks like it might be!) I'm better off with a stringbow. Up to the point where I won't risk it. A rangefinder might fix that, but I don't wanna mess with it.

Maybe I'd change my mind if I hunted more with a Contraption, but I'm just not interested :p

Funny thing, though... You read Shade Mtn's post on the humbling aspect of just Being Out There.... and you just can't get that on private property, IMO. Maybe hunting public land - or at least having a Quality hunt on public - is more work, but it doesn't feel like it. At least not 'til you start packing off....

I am old enough to remember when hunting public land was great. Plenty of deer and very few people hunting during archery season. Then the insurance companies lobbied and conspired with the state game officials to kill down the deer population. Too many road kills taking profit out of their pockets. Now that the deer are gone why hasn't my insurance premiums gone down? The states did their part by extending the seasons and allowing too many does to be killed, they ruined the black power hunting in Mississippi by allowing the 4570 and 35 Weelan rifle to be used along with deer dogs and horses. With very little law enforcement it is a real wild west show.

James

Yesterday was the first time this year of two solid months of deer hunting that I hunted anywhere but next to home, I went to some State land north of Rome where there was some snow as opposed to no snow anywhere else down low. The spot I went to I know well and have hunted there a lot in the past, but not last year at all. I bow hunted near home instead of going north to gun hunt last year. So, since there was snow there, I decided to go yesterday for the last day of gun up north. I pulled in tot he dead end landing and there was a skidder and a loader there, with a bunch of pine logs piled up. State must have needed some funds. I paid no attention, logging never impacts deer hunting IME. Not more than 5 minutes after I got out of the truck and started up the knoll did I run into fresh tracks from a good sized deer. I figured it to be a buck so I followed. It fed along on ferns and milled around in the underbrush and snow covered dog hair. I stopped following and planted my butt nest to a tree, called for about a half hour, and then had to leave to go do some chores. Half hour drive later I was home. Cleaned up the spoils of the two deer I butchered this past week and ate lunch. Hauled the carcasses over in the back nine and wished I'd had my trail cam working, to photo the many coyotes and other stuff (fisher) that will no doubt clean up the bones and scraps. Then suited up again, only this time I took my white camo, and headed back up to the State land. I parked 1/2 mile from my 'spot' this time, and eased along the road to the corner of the posted alfalfa field where all the deer seem to converge from the State Forest woods. There I arrived with about two hours of light left. Out in the open field fed a tiny spike, 200 yards out. I cautiously positioned next to a fat cherry with a posted sign on it, and called to this little buck, just playing around with my 'live decoy' - didn't want to spook him. He lifted his head at the grunts, but then the farmer/owner drove a tractor out into the field from the other side, and the 3" spike off. I waited dressed in white. Good spot for them to come from the State woods into the posted field. I kept easing around side to side to spot movement. Somehow, another buck slipped out into the field when I was not looking, and there he was, walking away at 150 yards in the open. I pulled out the grunt call as he approached the horizon about to disappear. He stopped at the grunt and looked back. I repeated, and he turned toward me. Kept grunting, and he kept coming. He fed a bit on the way, as it was not an urgent approach. I was not intending to shoot this buck although it was bigger than the other one. I was waiting for a big boy that I know are often in this area (were in the past anyway). finally, he just started walking right at me steadily, and when he came right up to me and stopped at 7 yards, I just stood there in plain sight motionless, video recording on my phone. He could not make me out in that white camo. Finally after 30 seconds he figured something was not right, and (I was downwind) he took off for about 30 yards, stopped in the field before going past the boundary onto the State land. He did that, and there he stood broadside on legal ground. I felt very satisfied with this hunt, so easy it seemed, to have been able to shoot this buck on public land, but even easier to watch him finally bound away, free to eat his alfalfa and ferns unbothered by the many truck hunters who came in to the State parcel this season. Pure satisfaction, thanks Lord for such a blessed season. Pat pat pat...

I never knew that hunting private lands was so easy! Guess that explains why I was not able to fill a tag or even get a shot while hunting on my property this weekend. So I guess now you have to hunt public lands that get hammered each weekend or you are cheating somehow.

I shot sights on my recurve for while GF. That's when I got my TP. It seems much easier to get when you shoot sights and still use fingers. Our clubs in my district had shoots ever weekend. You learn real fast how to judge yardage just by doing it every weekend.

Ollie, where I've hunted this year, mostly private, but also yesterday on public, the experiences were almost identical. Had deer come in on 6 occasions within 10 yards, and hit the one buck pretty solidly I thought until I saw him walking a couple weeks later. Now he is my main goal to finish off, but until this morning there was no snow in his area, so I went to some public land - same experience, more 'pressure' (more hunters driving around I should say). It all depends on where you are. Here, both lands get nearly the same pressure. I try successfully to find areas within both public and private where there is 'no pressure'. We have another three inches and its cold again, so my buck will be may main goal to finish the job on. He's around, have seen his tracks, and some new rubs he made. He lives in my 'front yard'. 300 yds from the front door. I have a great state to hunt in I guess. Usually when most people think of "New York", they don't think of hunting. I can't STOP thinking about it. Would I hunt today in this beautiful snow if I could? In a NY Minute!!!

Found these right next to the logger's landing, where all the hunters turn around, or maybe actually start walking from. Last day, little pressure, everyone gave up and went home to watch football. Not me, man...

They have to be up feeding when its cold out. 25F yesterday up there.

Public or private, you're gonna find the same thing in most cases here in NY. This is the State land.

Standing on the State boundary, looking on to Posted...

The 1/2 mile walk in. The last truck out of there, the State Forest, for the day passed me as I was gearing up at the truck. This is the best way to get to the spot, stealthy and quiet. It worked I guess...

Its not about hard or easy to me. Its about what I can afford. I would rather hunt private land but cannot afford the 1000 bucks it takes to get on it around here. I pay the 19 buck WMA fee and hunt. I go deep in the swamp and scout all year. I pay my dues. Come hunting with me sometime and you will find out. RC

Jeeze, we are lucky here in NY. Aside from all the tax burden, we get to hunt our public land for free, and (some) private landowners let me on, so again, free. I would never pay a grand to hunt private land (but I am not in the position some of you are). I'd sooner move to Montana or someplace where there is abundant free land to hunt. But that's just me. It is still about the same as it ever was here - 50 years ago. Only way safer due to way fewer hunters. Bow hunting here is like hunting on Star Trek - where no man has gone before..(at least where I hunt anyway). I'm sure that's not the case elsewhere in NY State.

Do you know why its illegal to hunt deer in the spring?

Its because they come out of the ground hog holes and you could stand by a hole and shoot one.

The lack of knowledge is so vast on these types of sites its comical.LOL

I'm being kind.LOL

You get to see one thing that's who knows and who don't and who's done it.

Why would you care what any other hunter does in Tx or any other forsaken place?

Worry about what you do and perfect your skills to the point you can connect and you won't unless you get yourself close to an animal if your using sticks especially.

Find the animals and set up on them. If others are in the vicinity as you learn how to use them to push the animals to you. Simple as that. 1,2,3!

If you can't find an animal or see their sign then move on until you do.

You can't fish where there aint no fish!

It's all perspective and differs for every situation.

I own 700 acres of land that is bordered by forest service on 3 sides, The best hunting is west of mine on the forest circus land. I get about 3 trespassers a year on mine, and meet about 3 other hunters per year on the forest service land. I have been selectively logging and trying to make mine more desireable, but so far am better off hunting public. This year there were 4 deer killed while hunting at the cabin, 1 on private, and 3 on public.

Public is easier hunting. hands down.

oz

Not all public land is the same.

Public land in Northern, and south central PA, and WV where there are tens of thousands of acres of solid forest can be sort of tough sometimes as well as maine, Vermont ect....

Probably no tougher place to kill a deer with a bow though than the backcountry of the Adirondack mts...tough, tough ,tough. If you can kill a buck every year there with a stickbow, your doing pretty well.

And where does one find a buck in PA's public land?

I think that mt right there....or maybe over there?...or maybe there? ....or is it over there?

It's the finding them that's the hardest part, and the most fun and the most time consuming.

The killing part? heck that's the easy part, it only takes a second or two.

You know....that's a pretty big picture, maybe if we zoomed way in to a little hollow on the side of one of those mts it would make it easier...

eh? still looks pretty tough.

Ok now that I'm done with my picture show i'll share my thoughts, and my passion.

I am learning, trying, not to be so narrow minded.

The reasons and experience for me hunting Public land here in PA undoubtedly are somewhat different than other parts of the nation.

I have had the opportunity to hunt everything from, private land, farm woodlot type terrain, to rugged mts and vast tracts of mountainous public land.

I much prefer the latter, and yes from a bowhunting standpoint the vast mountainous terrain of some public land I hunt is infinitely harder. Possibly not from a public pressure standpoint, but deer per sq mile numbers are often lower,and locating food sources, and bedding areas.

Not all food sources will produce a deer. After all there might be 300,000 acres of it, and deer are not confined to limited space.

My hunting and the public areas I choose to hunt, often result in a trophy not measured by points or inches, But by the experience of the hunt.

To me, scouting is a year long endeavor I love the mts.

There are moments when you wonder...what the heck.

Like when the alarm goes off at 3:30AM. Or your sitting somewhere way back in on a mt bench somewhere, and you've just spent another whole day from daylight to now without seeing a deer, and you know there are easier ways to hunt....better places to hunt.

But then a breeze blows through the white pine beside you, and you realize that's the only sound you could hear all day long.

And in the fading light you realize that the term "better" is figurative, and may mean different things to different people.

And how does one place himself within 20 yds of a buck in such a vast sea of Forest? Deer generally do not have such well defined trails here. And they may bed on one mt bench one day and be 200 yds above you on another bench the next. And the rut? hey they got room to roam.

early mornings.....long hikes in...sweat of early Oct,... the cold of Nov...and if need be the bitter cold and snow of Jan.

But come every fall you look forward once again to the challenge.

And when it all comes together, and finally your paths meet in this small 20 yd space in this great sea of forest, and you kneel over him. You don't degrade him by measuring him in inches.

You give thanks for the experience.

Shade, that looks like places Ive hunted in WA where elk go to hide, places I call 'Elk Hell'. Some thick inaccessible reprod section down below a godawful scree slope surrounded by creeks and mors steep ravines and mountainsides. Places you don't drag anything out of, you cut it up if you are unfortunate enough to kill it there, and pack it out along with your gear. Gear you better have plenty of in case you get caught there overnight. Whoa, looks wild...Elk Hell.

TrapperKayak.

Its wild...but both pic's are PA mountains, and public land.

Loving this post shade!

Public land, kayak 3 miles to my hunting spot

I've been scouting some public lands near me and pondering the best way to bowhunt. I've concluded I need to get a lightweight climber and set up farther back off the road than the other hunters. I also need a cart to wheel out a deer. My other strategy would be an easily accessible area that other hunters are simply overlooking and hunt on days when there is less hunting pressure.

Shade mt, yeah, that Penn mountainous timber looks very much as rugged as the areas I described in WA where the elk go during pressure. The only differene is more conifer forest in WA, more deciduous in PA. But its every bit as wild and steep looking otherwise. Maybe not quite the altitude extremes in PA, but your pic looks alot like the coastal mts of WA and OR. Kinda like this...all public land that no one could ever create too much hunting pressure in.

Places that you might come across something like this, the result of a 20 yd encounter with a different apex predator that closed the gap with tooth and claw rather than broadhead and cedar. His giving thanks was tearing the flesh from bone on the spot for a few days prior...that being his trophy, not measured in the hundred inches of fresh bone left behind to fade...

Well said, Shade.

Trapperkayak. Looking at pictures, I have had a desire to hunt the Mts of Washington and Oregon often.

One thing I appreciate is the TREES!

Washington and Oregon have generally higher elevations than here in the east, but yes they look similar.

Some folks like the big sky country of the west, and indeed it is nice. But I like mts with trees and lots of them.

Washington and Oregon look like my kind of mts. Lord willing someday i'll hunt them.

Shade, its beautiful hunting country there. Not easy hunting, but once you learn the animals and the area you are in, it becomes productive. You already have a good headstart on that type of hunting since that is what you prefer in PA. The trees....let me just tell you, if you like BIG trees, you will love the west coast. If you ever need any pointers on places to go, shoot me a pm. Ill be glad to help. Alot of this starts at nearly sea level, and goes up to maybe 4k or 5k feet in the highest timbered peaks, so not extreme altitude like the intermountain west. If you summit Mt. Adams or Hood, then thats a different story. You can scramble summit Mt. St. Helens in a day with a permit. Around 8500' now. If you can manage it, make time to go there, you will NOT regret it.

Best thing about public land in my mind is the opportunity to roam about on vast acreages and truly HUNT. Seems to me, from what I've witnessed, is the first thing guys do when they buy hunting land is they quit HUNTING and start farming, aka food plots, shooting houses. I won't disparage them for that, human nature I guess to want to cut right to the chase, but in my mind they're cheating themselves out of the most gratifying sense of accomplishment in pursuing a deer in its natural environment...it's immensely rewarding to hunt deer (or any animal) on public land. We're blessed with having so much public land so readily available to the average guy; most of us can be to some in half a days drive or so and we should do everything in our power to preserve that privilege.

I tore my bicep last season - November 2nd. That surgery and recovery meant no off season working on my 200 acre farm in west TN as I usually would. Since all I could do was walk I decided to walk all the public land in west TN and Middle TN that I could get to. I found deer in good numbers - plenty of sign and very little hunting pressure. I feel bad for folks living on top of each other.

The neat thing to me...... any given land that I could buy might have one or 2 "honey holes" - just the best spots to hunt. Despite my best efforts to make ALL my farm an oasis the deer clearly do not use all my land the same. Some spots are just better.

With public land I can go seek out those hidden gems and have several that have turned out great and some not so great but I am free to go after them which is a huge attraction for me.

The best areas I have found are in the thickest nastiest stuff so although I planned to gun hunt some there hasn't been much reason because the best sign has usually been found where I cant see far enough to need a gun.

In some ways I feel public land is easier to find deer because as long as your willing to walk you can find em. My findings were after 250 yards most all human activity stopped and at 400-500 yards that's where the deer are located.

While my injury was sure not fun and messed up last season I am sure glad I got out and started exploring because its given me a whole new lease on hunting.

I am like you Limbwalker. I love my farm but really enjoy some new scenery as well.

Anyone here hunt the Adirondacks? like I said in an earlier post, probably nothing tougher to get on a meat pole than a big Adirondack whitetail.

tradmt....

I should have been more clear I suppose. I have nothing against scoring a rack, I've done it myself a few times (or at least tried)

But I normally don't determine what a trophy is by inches or score.

shade, I have hunted the Adirondacks but not consistently, and never got a big buck there. It is as you said, tough as heck to get one there. There just aren't many deer in much of that preserve, but there are concentrations of deer in some areas. The most big buck sightings I've had in the Adirondacks are near Old Forge, and up near Jay, NY near Whiteface. You had better just commit yourself to hunting the 'dacks exclusively and often if you ever want to be consistent there as you said. It is vast, dense, and foreboding there. Its wet, cold, and lonely. To steal a phrase by someone who wrote something about Bryce Canyon, UT, its 'One helluva place to lose a cow'.

I hunt about 50% private and 50% public. Private land is much easier! But it's still a challenge and I would never look down on any private land hill. Sure some hunts are more canned than others but I would certainly jump and opportunities on high-quality private land if I had them

This is the site of the most difficult hunting I ever partook of, many years worth of it. This area, within two mile of this spot, rewarded me of 5 elk and several blacktails, one a 5x7 that barely squeaked into B&C qualification status (I never entered it because recognition is not important to me, and I only had is scored out of curiosity). There were only two occasions that I hunted with another person and got something. The rest was solo and if you ever decided you wanted to hunt with me, you'd better be in good shape. That is not a boast, but it's just how hard I hunt, how much ground I covered to find animals. One time, it was literally from first light until two ours after dark until I got home, following a bull. Had to leave the track at dusk, walked home which was at the bottom of this mountain. Next morning I took it up again, and caught him feeding three hours later. The approx. distance from this spot to the yellow cottonwoods in the creek bottom is two miles. I once glassed 8 branch antlered bulls feeding in the brush where I'm standing, from the cottonwood ridge on the little mountain in the center of this pic.

Another thing, while many of these public lands are crowded with hunters, in this place there are a lot of hunters from Vancouver, WA, but nearly all of them are driving the logging roads. They camp out along the creek bottoms below and mill around down there, or drive the roads hoping for a sighting or crossing in front of them. They are opportunists, not hunters. Some, about 5% are successful. I have had them ruin many opportunities for me if I'm anywhere near a road or trailhead. I've had them silence the elk I'm calling with their own sour notes blown from commercial bugles. I chose to give up bow hunting elk for this reason. And so out of necessity and desire to be alone, I hiked to the areas no one was going to go. I can always find un-hunted areas in this vast wilderness. When I do, I also find game. I kept a full freezer but I earned it, that's for sure.

I like those pics... I really like that last one. I'd go plum crazy in a place like that....

Lol... one of my favorite things I like to tell my wife when I'm going on a hunting excursion is.....Feed the dog, Board up them doors at night, and keep a fire going, might see ya in a week, maybe two....month at the most if the injuns or the bears don't get me.

In Mts like that.....I might just mean it.

Hunted public land in Oklahoma, 50 years. More hunters now but total killed so far 8000 less than last year. More deer killed in archery than blackpowder since crossbow. Have seen less deer this year, only killed one. Gun season is over,hoping to see deer soon.

I have a real hard time leaving the mountains but they get an enormous amount of snow, and sometimes it can sneak up on ya. Ive heard of guys who had to leave their rigs up there until spring thaw. Had to hike out in deep snow, rigs stuck. Its an hour just to drive to the trailhead and another hour plus hike to the spot I took these last three pics, from town. Its serious wilderness.

Sorry to bombard you with so many photos, but I love sharing this stuff. This place mystifies me every time I go there, or even look at the pics. Its all public land, and you almost never see anyone else there, esp. during hunting seasons. Its like the lost world up there. And if you GET lost, you are in a world of hurt... If you get hurt, you lose. These trees are probably 60 feet tall. Looking down at the tops...from the cliffs along the ridge trail.

This cliff.

This is the view looking in the opposite direction, to the south. Mt. Hood is trying to break out of obscurity.

If you drop off the trail in the wrong place, you will run into a lot of this. Pick your way through a steep side hill for hours in this, you will know you have had a day afield.

Sometimes it opens up a bit and you can park your rear on a stump and eat lunch. This stump is 5 feet across.

Some of the flora in the area that didn't get chopped.

Mt. Hood on a nicer day. OK, again, sorry to invade your thread Shade, but I sent these for your benefit as well. You'd love it out there.

Trapper....that twisted up stuff kind of reminds me of our Mountain laurel here in PA.

Get in to far in that stuff where its real thick and it will test your sanity after awhile.

There has been a few times when I got into it and thought, "i'll just keep going it will have to open up soon"

only to realize it got thicker, and next thing you know its so thick you can't hardly get your feet through it to place them on solid ground, and your standing on the twisted up stuff a foot off the ground.

Been a few times I just stop look around and think..."oh boy I'm into one now"

OK, one more, closer to home, in the High Peaks region of the Adirondacks, for comparison. Again, public land. We are the most Blessed nation on the planet...

Shade, no doubt, I've seen that stuff hiking along the Appalachian Trail in PA. PA has the most rugged section of the whole Trail. That Mt. laurel looks impenetrable when driving along I-81 down past Scranton. This stuff here is vine maple. It can frustrate you to no end if you happen to get in it on your way down the mountain. And once you commit, you'd have to go back up through it, so you just go down and can wind up in the situations you described - off the ground crawling horizontally through it, on a wet slope. Fun stuff...

You guys speak true. Last fall, due to a slight miscalculation, I got tied up in that laurel after a climb to the top with a 50# pack on. I was soon exhausted, frustrated, tripped and fell countless times, thought I was gonna break a leg. I remember feeling grateful to find a spot in there just big enough I could sit my butt on the ground and let my heart rate come below critical level.

When I looked up I saw this guy on a sapling about an arm's length away. Looks like he got tangled up in the laurel at one time too.

Public, and depends on the area also, ask those who hunt in Michigan, Wisconsin.Who do their hunting on public.

the public lands in my area are almost deserted these days

This is what a lot of NY public land looks like - heavily timbered with few openings, in the foothills of the more mountainous areas. Fewer deer than in ag. land, and gets moderate pressure during bow season. But not so much pressure in the northern tier, where this is (Penn. Mt.). North closes this weekend. There are white bunnies there though.

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