There is plenty of land where I go to school, but how do I tell the difference between public land I can hunt and private land? And if it is private land, how do I go about trying to get access to it, if I don't know who the landowner is? Also, is it normal for someone to go to national forest land and hunt/camp out for a weekend or so alone? I go to school in Idaho, if that gives you an idea of just how much land I have around me, I just don't know how to make it accessible for me to hunt. So if you could answer a question or two, that would really help me out.
First of all, public land is normally marked. A DeLorme's atlas can be very useful for showing those boundaries.
Also use google maps, yahoo maps, etc. and maybe get some topo maps from the university library. They'll have 'em.
You might try get there in the normal daytime hours when the professional librarians are there if you have trouble finding them.That will probably show you the basic boundaries of public land.
Federal bureaus and state lands will have websites. BLM, national forest, DNR, etc.
Also, the court house might help. See if they offer plat maps for sale. They'll list landowners and their properties.
if you use aerial photos in conjunction with a plat map, you might be able to pinpoint a nice piece of ground and then see who owns it.
Try getting out of town or into the places where the locals hang out. The diner, the churches, etc. You need to be where country people are. maybe start going out to breakfast on Saturday morning at the place where the cowboys gather. Introduce yourself. Get to know them. Another good thing: volunteer to help some farmer with the work in exchange for hunting privileges.
Another tip: hunt small game. A lot of people will gladly give permission to hunt squirrels or rabbits, but not so much deer-at least not right away. Get on a piece of property, give the landowner an occasional hand, and see if you later secure permission for deer.
Also, do some driving. if you see some land, stop and knock on a door if nothing else and see if they know who owns it. Be prudent, though, about when you do it and how. Sometimes, all you've got to do is ask.
As far as camping out, I'd talk to more experienced people and some park rangers about it first. I wouldn't hesitate where I hunt, but I'm not going to get lost there as its a farmstead. Hunting a national forest might be another matter. I'd recommend a buddy or at least keep from going out too far at first. Tell somebody where you're going and when you'l return. You'd definitely want maps, a survival kit/first aid, fire materials, etc. if you're going remote.