RE: Public land, help?
On the one hand it IS public land. One area I hunt allows horse riders there.. so they have the same right to be there as hunters do. You just have to use this to your advantage or dont hunt near the horse trail if it bothers you.
On the other hand I dont stalk when there are a lot of people there.. like on opening day. That is whenI am trying to get my first meat anyway. Later in the season I will stalk when I know how many people are there if any. Many hunters park their vehicle near their stand.. or use orange tape to indicate where they are.. so you can move to another spot. Sometimes I will talk to other hunters to find out where they are hunting.. and just pick a different spot. Last year it was opening day, and a lot of hunters everywhere. I just parked along the road, went in about 100 yds, got up into a tree and within 30 minutes I got my biggest buck ever. It can help get them moving when a lot of people are in the woods.
Sometimes I will stalk in the middle of the day.. and just hunt my stand morning and evening. This is when everyone comes down for lunch anyway. You can use this to your advantage and let them drive the deer to you.
Basically, you have to learn to adapt to the situation more on public land. It is first come first serve.. so if you dont want someone taking your spot, just get there earlier than everyone else.