lucky_shot

i got in the woods late this morning due to the flat tire and hunted from 8:30 to dark. at 4pm "prime hunting time" 3 guys walk into the field i was in. as they come in i see one of the guys point directly at me the one other guy shrug his shoulders and they all started to walk in. 2 of them cut through the woods behind me and the other guy walks through the middle of the field to the other end and climbs up a old stand. not 10 minutes after the guys went behind me i heard 6 shots, and 5 minutes later they walk back out to the field from where they went in and just stood in the corner of the field. this really pissed me off so i walked over to ask them why they would stand out in the open and shoot the chit while i'm tryin' to hunt. when i got to them i asked if they made ita habbit of F****** up someone's hunt, they played dumb and acted like they didn't know what i was talking about. i asked them what they were shooting at and the younger guy told me "it had tines just not 3 on one side" this pissed me off even worse. they screw up my hunt to shoot illegal deer? i told them i had been there all day and was leaving because the deer wouldn't come anywhere near this field because of all the traffic that shows up in the best hunting hours, and again the younger guy sticks his foot in his mouth..."yeah no doubt" i just laughed and said i'm talking about the 3 of you!

i thought about calling my local game and fish officer, but i don't want to be a tattle tail. looking back i wish like hell i would have called him.

nap

The same type of thing happened to me and my dad. some people out on public land can be a$$ holes.

lucky_shot

in the north east part of arkansas they only have a 3 day shotgun season, so the flat-landers of arkansas always come here to the ozarks and those people are the a$$es! they don't live around here so they don't give a crap about the land or anyone hunting it! game and fish break the state up by zones, i think you should only be able to hunt the zone you live in! that would make it easier on me and everyone else.

MO-KS_hunter

IF I were you and had to hunt public land, I would find the biggest piece of land I could find and get away from everyone. Also, look for obvious funnels so when the dumba$$'s start bumble_f$%^ing around they will push the deer right by you.

lucky_shot

good idea. i really wanted to hunt this property as much as possible because i can't hunt on it after the 16th. my next piece of land is more likely to produce.

DannyD

I hunt public land too.
Some advice.
Get a good arial shot of the land. Mark off roads and access points. Then find the area that is farthest away from those areas. Once you find that area, look at a Topo map and decide where the funnels are.
Many times the deer will be run off by the folks hunting closer to the roads and access areas and push them right to you.
Get in there early and stay all day. The movement of the people who leave and come in mid day will also help push the deer your way.

The public land i hunt does not allow ATV's. It may be the dead of winter but i actually boat in to the back side of the property. This way i am farthest away from the roads and other hunters. Not many people will boat in during the winter months.
I hunt on private land too but my biggest buck came off this public land because i got away from everyone else and let them push the deer to me

BigTiny

I hunt a good bit on public land as well. I rarely see another hunter. I pick places where ATV either aren't permitted or where they can't go. Also, if I find a spot where I think getting a deer out would be nearly impossible, that's a good starting point too.

Lanse couche couche

Not to apologize for the behavior of the other hunters, but has it occurred to you that walking into the woods at 8:30 might not have been too popular with any other guys who might havegotten out there before dawn?[&:]

bcvd45

Same here.....I had 3 people walk by my stand on Saturday. I was in and in my stand by 4:30 and by 6 the first one came along. Then another around 7:30 and the last at around 10ish. I had a doe walking straight at me....I was fully planning on taking her, she was good sized and I am not a trophy hunter...yet. Anyway, she got about 40 yards away and her head pops up and she takes off at a trot, looking behind her occasionally. No more than a minute later the hunter walks out.

They also can never just leave quietly. All 3 walked over to me and asked me if I had seen anything.......Just pisses me off.

uncle matt

Well public land is just that - PUBLIC land. When land is private they owner(s) can dictate how & when it is used. But when it is public, well everyone is free to use it as they see fit and when they see fit. Everyone just has to find a way to get along and I think a bit of politeness goes a long way.

"Excuse me but I put a fair amount of scout work into locating and choosing this spot and I got up extra early to get out here before anyone else. I would appreciate if you would move a considerable and safe distance away from here so that I will not have to worry about you being beyond any of my shots."

In addition MO-KS hunter gives some good advice as does Danny D.