RE: How safe is public land to hunt on?
Hunting the Nat. Forest here in VA for the first time since moving here I can honestly tell you that most hunters will not go more than 1/2 from their vehicle. The reason for this in my opinion is because the terrain is rather hilly and it just takes a lot of effort to get around. A lot of hunters like to drive the roads in their trucks when it's cold and call that hunting too. The thing to remember is that most people are inherently lazy and will not put much effort into anything that doesn't guarantee a return. Real hunting requires effort and you cannot ever be guaranteed anything.
But what do I know, I've only been hunting for this season so far in VA and have no deer kills to show for it[:@].