Since I don' t have my own land to hunt, I have to look for any opportunity I can find. I have been thinking of a trip to southwest Virginia near Wythville. There is a new WMA and lots of National Forest. HAving never hunted national forest land I am wondering if there are any hunters out there who can tell me their experiences with it. Pro' s and Con' s . Not being able to scout it is a big con, but hunting blind is better than working.

David

The WORST DAY of hunting is better than the BEST DAY of working.

We hunt Federal land here in Washington state. Federal land is rarely if ever closed due to fire damage ot timber companies bias against bowhunters.

Federal forests can be great places to hunt. In PA we have an extremely high number of hunters, and public land can get crowded in the rifle seasons. Archery season isn' t nearly as bad. If your deer densities are anywhere near as high as PA' s then you shouldn' t have much trouble finding deer even without scouting in advance.

dpv....hunting national forests in Va can be ok during bow season. There' s not that much pressure. Gun season...that' s a different story usually. You can still do good in nat forests during gun season if you are willing to walk. Most hunters will only hunt about 1/4-1/2 mile from where they access. Get in early and go deep is your best bet. As far as hunting without scouting....yeah it' s still better than work, but if it was me, I' d be out scouting. Nothing is worse than hunting blind...especially public ground.