RE: Camp Ripley
I too havent hunted it but firends of mine who have almost treat it like a western hunt. Get as far off a road as you can and away from the easy spots, because there are alot of people....and big deer.
If you decide to do it, you should probably plan on treating your first year as a scouting year as they allow absolutely no pre hunt scouting. Guys who hunt it every year have their spots they return to year after year and it will take you a bit to find yours. I'm not sure if you are required to stand hunt or not, but if it was my first yearAND it was allowed,I would do alot of still hunting, cover ground, and use a GPS to its full advantage so that the following year you know where you are headed and plan on bringing one of those big boys home.