Conducting a reconnaissance in each of our three identified areas on public land, I made my choice, basing it on several attributes. Think Big!. Overall, to kill big bucks on public land you have to not only understand deer patterns to outsmart the old, wise buck, but you also have to consider … If you pack it in, pack it out! When looking for food, look for growth, or is it a hot patch of dropping oaks. Anthony Amalfitano has shot more mature whitetail bucks on public land than anyone I know. If you can follow it correctly, those big tracks, scrapes and rubs will show you the path. But after reading this article, it kind of made me curious a little bit how it feels to go on one. Also, using a hunt mapping app like OnXMaps can help you find unposted, landlocked, or lightly pressured public hunting lands. Eye opening information! Well, consider Darwin’s theory of natural selection again as it pertains to bucks making rubs. But if you can find an area with some row crops and then find a secluded corner of it to hunt, you have a good chance of killing a buck. The older ones will look like an elongated wound in the tree and will move up the tree as it grows. It would seem like there is one big secret, because while so many hunters think that you need 200, 500 or even a thousand acres or more to consistently harvest the oldest bucks in the area; a small % of hunters often harvest the majority of mature bucks from the smallest parcels in the area. Interiors are accessible only by boat, canoe or waders, Few trees and and even fewer tall or straight trees, Takes considerable effort to scout, hunt and drag deer through. http://www.deeranddeerhunting.com Public land can be difficult to hunt, no doubt. April 28, 2017
It is crucial to know where land boundaries fall for public and private property. That’s an ideal situation, because in most cases the private land gets hunted far harder than the interior of the adjacent public marsh or swamp, and that’s where the mature deer go to avoid the pressure, moving back onto the private for groceries after dark. Prep gear ahead of time and use trail cameras to see what deer are in the area and what times they are moving. #arizonaelk #bowhuntingelk… instagram.com/p/B9X4-t7p_ab/…, Personal best steelhead yesterday! If you're a public-land hunter looking at a 5,000-acre tract to hunt this fall, it's easy to envy those who have access to farmland or ranches overrun with deer. Yes, hunting on public land can be tough, frustrating or downright humiliating. In short, whitetail bucks find a bedding site they like, and will spend the bulk of their time there during the first weeks of hunting season. If nothing else, pick up the phone and reach out to … Another strategy is identifying land that borders private property. Deer can find browse and drink damn near anywhere, and often visit those places after dark. So, I asked Anthony what is his secret is to harvest big bucks year after year. 33”, 12.64 lbs. Look for one of three different features: First, the thickest, nastiest stuff in the area is always a good bet. From huge river system marshes to small 2 acre marshes in the middle of a section of woods, what they have in common is pressure completely around them, but generally not IN THEM. The downside to bow hunting marshes is that if the water level goes up, most if not all buck bedding areas can be under water. Try to blend into the canopy or surrounding cover. Remember how hard the walk in was? Darn! Once you start reconciling what you see on Google Earth with what you find when you walk the ground, you’ll be able to identify trails, subtle elevation changes, potential bedding areas, tall grass vs cattails, small stands of oak trees on islands, and high spots right from your kitchen table. Hunt where the deer are. The overwhelming majority of folks that are bow hunting public land don’t want to, or flat out can’t get out to hunt in this type of environment. Required fields are marked *. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. However, you will find many places that look good on maps, look good to other hunters, too. Bucks were shown to have great fidelity to their home range, and moved very little in the late summer and early fall period leading up to the pre-rut. Latest. Find areas other hunters leave alone and you'll find most of the deer: particularly mature bucks. But make no mistake about it, there are bucks on public land, even big bucks. The odds of a whitetail buck making it to a 4th breeding season on public land here in Michigan are low, so there aren’t many around. Mature bucks made it their old age by avoiding hunters. The deer that regularly move during shooting light past the range of what they could hear, see and smell from their bed get shot. I’m still surprised how few deer hunters regularly use it for scouting. I prefer to access by water so I’m looking for ditches, creeks, and rivers that I can use to get to the interior of the property without leaving ground scent. Rarely will I find a mature buck on public ground that is leaving a lot of sign in the form of rubs. Just remember to leave public land cleaner than you found it. Before I dive into a new marsh I pick it apart on Google Earth and identify everything that isn’t cattails. Don't choose a spot to hunt just because there’s an easy tree to hang a tree stand. In this Google Earth image, the trail runs N/NW from the buck bedding area toward the high ground. So, if you don’t find a lot of big rubs and scrapes, keep looking. A good rule of thumb is to place your stand higher in open hardwoods and lower in swampy wetlands. You also have to share the woods with other hunters and at times it seems that there are more hunters in the woods than deer especially on opening day. Click here for instructions on how to enable JavaScript in your browser. Most of his bucks have come from heavily hunted areas, with several of his largest coming from state land. For all these reasons, thick nasty cover is often the retreat of choice for over-stressed deer—and the perfect place to find a post-rut buck. Big swamps are more likely to hold multiple bucks than small ones. Motion cameras and signposts often prove mature bucks exist on public lands even though they’re rarely seen during daylight. To consistently find them, you first need to understand them. Keep in mind the direction you place the stand from the deer path. Once you are out there, be aware of the direction the wind is taking your scent and try to keep the wind blowing in your face. Study maps, learn the rules and laws, learn how deer use various terrain. We know how they adapt, now how do you find them? We always love to hear how other public land hunters are getting it done on big deer, so shoot us your comments and tips! If that spot was attractive to one mature buck, it will be attractive to others. According to research from Duane Diefenbach of the Pennsylvania Cooperative Fish & Wildlife Research Unit and others, it is estimated that 87% of hunters in Pennsylvania hunt within approximately 500 yards of a road (http://www.tandfonline.co… Find the best hunting times for game in North America, Tips and Strategies, General Hunting Topics, Whitetail Hunting, rut, post rut, hunting the rut, whitetail, whitetail tips, when to hunt whitetail, whitetail hunting, tips for hunting whitetail, hunting for whitetail, hunting, hunting, CWD, Chronic wasting disease, whitetail, deer, deer disease, big game. Our Hunting Marsh Bucks DVD breaks down how to effectively scout marshes, find big buck beds and develop a game plan so you have the confidence to go in and make it happen. After all of your preparation, hunt strategically. Deer bed on dry ground, so I’m looking for vegetation changes, islands, high spots, and trees…anything that looks like dry ground. If you’re like the majority of whitetail hunters out there then you don’t have access to hundreds of acres of prime hunting land or a deer herd with the ideal age-structure to foster trophy whitetails. We do this by finding a high spot then scanning, especially early and … But on public land, it is much easier to celebrate every success, regardless of the size of the animal. So get out there and walk around a little or a lot. When you find an area that has a lot of deer traffic, make the spot work for you. Just before daylight, the bucks leave and head back to their sanctuary beds. Marshes that are connected to river systems will drain a lot quicker than marshes without an outlet. For as much as we tend to complain about how our neighbors hunt their ground, with them being sloppy hunters, killing everything that moves, sanctuaries can … I’m primarily interested in hunting public land parcels that are landlocked by private, have very difficult access and are really wet. Well, hope this was helpful and got your wheels turning thinking about hunting public land for mature whitetails. Google Earth is the great equalizer when it comes to bow hunting public land. Also, places where I see tall grass instead of cattails are noted. I use it to identify deer trails, potential bedding areas, islands and high spots in marshes and swamps and hunter access points in particular. Another thing to consider is that public land oftentimes has little food on it — but across the street is lush fields on the private land. There may be a 100 trees, humps and high spots to investigate in a 50 acre marsh. The ground typically is soft and you’ll get good, detailed impressions. Anthony Amalfitano, with his 2017 Public Land Michigan Whitetail. This is very helpful because I hunt only on public land. Where are they? I believe that killing a mature buck takes a lot of work. When you combine HCHP with the survival instincts of whitetails, a natural by-product occurs. Look for any areas that have a concentration of new and old rubs on big trees. Think about all of the big bucks living in pockets of glorious public land miles from the nearest road or trail. However, if you prepare to take a nice deer, and you're confident you can get that deer out of the woods without much stress and strain, then going deep into the woods is much easier mentally. To reiterate about finding and taking mature bucks on public lands: Start scouting long before other hunters do; Be willing to walk further than most public-land hunters; Put your trail camera and tree stand where most hunters aren’t likely to look for them; and; Don’t get upset when someone takes one of your trail cameras. But, there are many strategies and tricks to get you on the trail of public land giants. In large, unbroken tracts of private or public land, often 90% or more of the land can be ignored for your buck bedding scouting efforts. Now here’s the beauty of bowhunting on public land. It is no secret that the best hunting on public land is far from the roads. If there are no fresh rubs, but a lot of old rubs going back several years make a note to check it the following year. Your email address will not be published. Certain factors force deer movement like blowdowns, ditches, creeks, fences, and more. Currently you have JavaScript disabled. The thick public generally has better bedding than the private, but the private has the food. Heck, a lot of public land locations do good to produce 4 yr. old bucks. You can look at landowner boundaries, including state, federal, and all other public lands. Your email address will not be published. Don't Miss: 3 Deadly Public Land Rut Stands. Narrow your search down to your area of interest. If tree stands aren't for you, or you are hunting with a firearm, you can also try a pop-up ground blind. *Make sure to check out my mature buck hunting and habitat books for both public and private lands.. Desktop and mobile apps like HuntWise give hunters the ability to view land boundaries, topography, and satellite imagery. I spend a lot of time bow hunting marshes and in most cases, there just aren’t a lot of trees so rubs are few and far between, anyway. Check out https://nextbukoutdoors.com/public-land-deer-hunters-onxmaps/ to learn more about how OnXMaps can help you close the distance on big public land whitetails. Enter your email and we'll add you to our mailing list to receive occasional email updates about new videos or leases. Security cover, on the other hand, comes at a premium and is the only guaranteed area to find public land bucks in daylight. Here’s how to make the most of your deer season on public land. Let’s face it, understanding bedding areas and habits is tough. I personally have never gone on a hunting trip. … https://nextbukoutdoors.com/public-land-deer-hunters-onxmaps/. Put game cameras out to see what deer are in the areas. to find Big Woods Bucks . Here’s the link to download Google Earth. Besides rubs, I’m looking for 3-4 finger wide walking tracks and big, isolated beds. Yes, but I don’t count on it. If you follow the steps above and luck out while hunting big bucks, take a moment and congratulate yourself! But the reality is that the real work now begins. If you ever wanted to see the insights to the madness of public land deer scouting…this video will cover some of the things we look for. I love bow hunting marshes! Looks like I’ll have to continue reliving my past memories of Arizona success because there isn’t an Arizona hunt in my 2020 future. Make sure you are scent conscious and wind conscious. Bottom line, mature whitetails on pressured public and private land react to danger by developing habits and seeking locations that minimize or eliminate their exposure to it… that simple. Concentrations of mature buck historical sign is gold. Just downwind of where the trail hits the finger of high ground is where you need to be. That’s how they survive. Hunting. Consequently, it’s difficult, but not impossible to consistently get on mature deer while hunting public land. Tracks are hugely important because no matter how reclusive a deer is and how little rubbing or scraping he does, he can’t defeat gravity. Every year we see pictures of giant whitetail bucks taken on public land. Thick tangles of autumn olive, willows, cedars, old clear-cuts, cattail swamps, or something similar can all provide the security cover bucks and does crave to avoid their pursuers. They were about as hard to find and as a good looking woman in these parts…pretty rare find…unless you know where to look. By Tony Hansen. In general, deer have three basic necessities for survival: food, water, and security cover. I thoroughly scout every marsh I find on public land. This public hunting land stomper was headed into a marsh bedding area 2 hours before shooting light. thanks again for the invite shooterbilly #steelhead #wintersteelhead #bigsteelhead #lonewolfcustomgear #nextbuk instagram.com/p/B6ef9frFUy6/…, My little man’s getting pretty darn good at tyin’! I’m also looking for food plots or ag fields on adjacent private land. Hill Country Bucks: Best Deer Hunting DVDs, XOP Treestand Vanish Evolution Hang-on Treestand. Understanding Big Public Land Whitetails. Only hunt that spot when you are downwind from the direction deer are most likely to be. Bucks can get old and big in places like this for three reasons: 1) limited access due to checkerboard private/public; 2) highly nutritious feed in the fields; 3) the simple fact that many hunters ignore these places because they think all the big bucks live in the mountains. John has seen tremendous changes in bowhunting activity over the years. Thanks. The bucks that regularly chase does far and wide in daylight get shot. Find the hidden spots you can't see on the maps. I look at all of them. Anthony Amalfitano with his Public Land Michigan Whitetail buck 11/10/2019. Many hunters don't think to hunt the pockets of public land in their suburbs. Sometimes hunters won’t go deep into the woods on public lands, because they're afraid they’ll take big bucks and have to drag them out by themselves. Over the years, my public-land hunting buddies and I have used binoculars and spotting scopes to find both mule deer and whitetails with sizable antlers from as many as 4 miles out. Hunting areas that pressured bucks tend to gravitate to, and that potentially hold multiple bucks has increased my success. Trees need dry ground to grow on and their raised root clusters provide bedding spots, so any trees are of particular interest. To hang a tree stand for myself find areas other hunters will go give! 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