Learning the most you can about the game you are after is key to being successful. Where are they feeding at night? Where are they going for water? Where are they going to bed for the day? Know the lay of the land they are on. Once you learn these things, you can plan for a better hunt. Knowing the weather, wind direction, etc, and where the deer are likely traveling, will hopefully get you downwind of the deer. If it is not cattle country, it is easy to spot a well traveled deer path in the woods.

You can hunt from the ground, it has been done for years. But you need to be very scent conscious when you are down on the deers level. Check ebay, craigslist, your local swap shop, for potential treestands/climbers that are cheaply priced. Being that you are hunting public ground, I would recommend finding a climber that you can carry in and out with you, without breaking your back. If you go with a climber, it is best for you to know which trees you can use in the given wind directions, so you can have your shooting lanes already trimmed.

As others have said, most public ground hunter want to get in and out quickly. Which means they are going the shortest distance in. They end up pushing deer all over and generally further into the woods if it is a large timbered area. That is why the further you get off the beaten path, the better your chances of bagging a deer.