I hunt public land alot, and I do take note of where others are, but one thing I've found is there is almost always someone that hunts close by.Almost everytime I find a real good setup I only hunt it a few times before someone walks up on me or I find evidence that others have been there. I have a lot of spots set up so I always have somewhere to fall back on. Between the excessive amount of duck hunters and other bowhunters and squirrel hunters there is never a time when I can go and no that I won't run into someone. Therefore, I never leave anything that can be stolen in the woods unless absolutely necessary. These people like to steal others stuff.

I usually run into someone every 4-8 times I go, 12,000 acres and you can walk right to the centerand still run into people. Its just part of public land hunting I guess.