I've hunted public land here and you could honestly not see a deer for weeks. I mean there are deer there, just not very many and they are few and far between. To be honest, if I hunt public land it's during rifle season, with a rifle. I know it's not most people's cup of tea, but it's tough enough to even see a deer, much less kill one with a bow. Honestly though, if I had some "good" land here to hunt, I wouldn't set foot on public land. My odds go down greatly when I decide to hunt public land. The piece of private land I have to hunt is worthless after the leaves fall off the trees, because of the houses nearby.