Ive never hunted public land. but i both sit on the ground and in a tree during shotgun season. Yeah you have a chance to see a deer anywhere from sun up to sun down. sometimes they come in packs and some time they dont come at all. but yeah, dont worry about wearing orange, wear as much as possible so people can see you, better to be busted by a deer than get shot. good luck and have fun, i know i will.