Going deeper in the woods doesn't work on the public land I hunt. I took a week off work during the 2004 rut and saw other hunters every time I was in my stand ,and I was an hour walk from the nearest parking area. I have hunted the same public land for 13 years and this is the game plan I have come up with. There are lots of does on the property (approx. 3000 acres) so I try to hunt close to doe bedding areas and make sure I'm seeing does on a regular basis. When the rut comes the does will attract the bucks (big and small) and hopefully right past my stand. I rarely see a mature buck on public land during normal shooting hours unless it is ruttin time. Lots of 1 1/2 year olds and an occasional 2 1/2 year old but no monsters until they get silly in November. Something else I have found is being on stand the opening day of bird season is a must. All those bird hunters walking around and shotgun blasts get the deer moving. As stated earlier, try to be the first one in and the last one out and maybe the other hunters will move the deer past you. Hunting public land is completely different than private land, but once you figure out the little tricks, and maybe a little help from the Man upstairs, you can be succesful.