geterdun2

hey all. well, unfortunately, i havent came across any private land to hunt this year, despite many attempts and knocks on doors, sending letters, etc,so i thought to myself i should start gettin ready for public land hunting once again this year. last year i had some friends land to hunt, but he lost it this year. i was wandering how you guys "personalize" your public land for deer hunting. i mean on private land, you can cut shooting lanes, put down some corn (before the actual season starts of course), put out game cameras. i mean if your hunting public land, scout and all, and come opening morning, walk to the area you know deer frequent, and then have to worry about which tree to hang your stand in for the day. sticks coming all out so its hard to hang the stand, it jus seems like it would be frustrating. what do you do to make public land feel more comfortable and personal to you so you know that on opening morning, you have a pretty good chance of atleast seeing deer. i hope this question makes sense lol, thanks alot fellas

huntedblue

First of all, start scouting now and find you a good spot and try to go deeper than most hunters would. Check your conservation office and see if you can put your stand in early, I know here in Missouri they let you put them out early. I've hunted public land off and on for years and have shot and seen some nice deer. Hunting public land "get in early and leave late".

geterdun2

alright, good info. here in MD, it is illegal to out out stands that are permanent, everyday they must be removed. do you think if i asked them specifically and showed them where and what type stand they might make an exception, is it legal to put permanent stands on public ground in Missouri, or do you jus ask them to make an exception (which i kind of doubt). but yea i will try to do alot of scouting. i hopefully will be able to cut down some limbs on some trees so i know what to expect when i come in the morning, so branches arent poking at me and making me take an hour to hang my stand. thanks alot bud

Branson

I've hunted public land in MD as well, without success though. When I hunt it, I go further than I think others will go and look for places I think deer would go when pressured by humans. I've found some good trails during turkey season so hopefully they'll be active in October. Anyways, I don't hesitate to cut limbs off of a tree to get my climber up, or clear out a shooting lane. Just don't go crazy with it and you should be fine. GOod luck.
-- B