Gunplummer, it sounds like you got it a lot rougher there then we do here. I married into a family with lots of farm land. They did not hunt so I have the run of the place. I am very lucky. If I had to hunt public land I would not get my rifle out, to dangerous. As a kid we always had a place to hunt. In 1997 our spot was sold and we had no where to go until 2000.
Hunting public land is tough. My hats off to the hunter that gets any decent buck on public land. And decent buck means nice 6 point or basket 8. You're talking about land where few deer make it past 1.5-2 years old and they are skittish as all get out.
I watch the hunting shows where guys are standing 50 yards away from a mature buck, talking, pointing, putting binos up and down. The deer looks for a second, then resumes feeding. On public land, that deer took off 10 minutes before you were within 100 yards.
Even private land with moderate hunting pressure is a world apart. Big bucks are nocturnal and small bucks and does are walking on egg shells all the time.