# Hunting on public land.. strategies?



## cbfishes (Jul 6, 2012)

cwielock said:


> If your hunting for meat and you just want to take a doe i wouldn't go deep in the woods IMO i would stick close to the road. From experience dragging a 140 pound deer 2 miles to the truck up hills across a creek through the weeds is not fun! and really makes you second guess deer hunting ever again, and all that for a doe.


Yes, besides wounding a deer and not recovering it, I'm most worried about trying to drag a heavy deer out of the deep woods. I'm not weak, but I'm a small guy that is not necessarily in the very best shape.

I like the sound of hunting closer to my truck... I've been scouting areas and have found a few places I know deer cross the road. I'm guessing when I go out squirrel hunting I'll find even more of these places.

Love all the tips and varying opinions about hunting public land; Obviously there are many approaches that can be successful. Thanks for sharing!


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## cbfishes (Jul 6, 2012)

I've been out scouting some more... Found a few places where multiple trails converge (they appear to be deer trails although I didn't find any sign today). I'm thinking I'll put some branches and brush together into a few ground blinds&#8211; not too far from the road, and not too far from the trails&#8211; and give it a go. I'll be using my 20ga smoothbore with rifled slugs and won't attempt anything farther than 30 yards.

Watch the wind, stay still, and maybe I'll get a chance at a doe.


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## TVCJohn (Nov 30, 2005)

cbfishes said:


> I've been out scouting some more... Found a few places where multiple trails converge (they appear to be deer trails although I didn't find any sign today). I'm thinking I'll put some branches and brush together into a few ground blinds not too far from the road, and not too far from the trails and give it a go. I'll be using my 20ga smoothbore with rifled slugs and won't attempt anything farther than 30 yards.
> 
> Watch the wind, stay still, and maybe I'll get a chance at a doe.


If you think these are deer trails and want to see if they are being used (and what direction they're moving), scrape up the ground on the trail just enough so that you can see the deer tracks when they pass down the trail. The other trick is take some thread and string it across the trail as it passes between some trees. That will tell you what way they traveled when the broke the thread. You can always set up a trail cam too.


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## cbfishes (Jul 6, 2012)

TVCJohn said:


> If you think these are deer trails and want to see if they are being used (and what direction they're moving), scrape up the ground on the trail just enough so that you can see the deer tracks when they pass down the trail. The other trick is take some thread and string it across the trail as it passes between some trees. That will tell you what way they traveled when the broke the thread. You can always set up a trail cam too.


Whoa! What a great trick!!! Definitely going to try that.


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## Chuck (Sep 24, 2000)

I havent had a chance to read threw all these yet so if this is a repeat sorry. 

My advice is get out and scout now as much as you possibly can until season starts and keep looking even in season. Deer hunting is all about scouting. You should spend 90% of your time looking for deer and 10% hunting. Its an all year process. Look at google and bing, cal topo and any other mapping site you can. Mi hunt is a good one too. Never stop looking. After years of scouting you will build a inventory of places to hunt. Your looking for rubs and scrapes and trying to figure out where the bucks are moving. Then look around for escape corridors. Opener is a saturday this year and if its cold people will be moving deer around. You want to be in between where the deer are going too. This could be close to the road or any where really.

If the area is heavily hunted forget about open areas where you think you will get a long shot. There will usually be 2 or 3 other guys there too. Look for thick wet swamps or 5-8 year old clear cuts that are grown up thick. They are safer too.  Smaller parcels or areas that are hard to access.

One other thing about buck sign and trying to find it early, your trying to find as much as you can before the leaf drop. Once that happens scrapes may or may not reopen. But I have seen bucks still use the licking branches. Plus think how much better you will feel about that spot if you new there was 10 scrapes in an area and now there is only one. Look for does too. They will draw in the bucks as long as you hunt them and dont spook them.

A few days after the opener they seem to almost disappear. Then its time to push deep into the swamps and larger areas with thickets far from the road.

If your hunting 3 acres of private you should use a neck shot or aim right above the shoulders so they drop quick. Dont do a head shot. To make a neck or high shoulder spine shot you will need to practice with your gun a lot. You should do this anyways actually.

You wont be able to shoot a doe during firearm season unless you have a doe tag for public land your hunting on.


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## brushbuster (Nov 9, 2009)

learn to identify terrain features that restrict deer movment to a confined location such as bottlenecks, funnells, pinchpoints, edges etc.. Finding these are critical and much better for an ambush than sitting in a large expanse of swamp or forest.


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## Chuck (Sep 24, 2000)

Look for terrain changes , a drain running threw a swamp that was dug, could have a berm running along it, look for a finger ridge running into a swamp, these are deer magnets. Islands in swamps or even little high spots. Outside bend in Rivers are good spots. Look for places where 3 or 4 different types of foliage or cover come together and if there is a hill or ridge line there it can even be better. Saddles in ridges are good even if its miner. A finger ridge running into a forest can be good too. If its a real hilly area look for benches. Deer will often bed on a bench especially on points. These points can be real good spots. Low spots in creeks can be good too.

One area I hunt has all these weird grassy open bowls in a thick scrub oak area and they all have rubs and scrapes in them. Its very feature less with nothing but scrub oaks and guys seem to get lost in here all the time. So any thing that is different in an area can be a magnet. I also look for areas with lots of blow downs from a storm passing, these can be hot too. A island of pine trees in a oak forest, and the list goes on and on.

Most of these can all be seen from google earth and topos. Lately I have been using caltopo. Any obvious funnel will pry have stands in it depending on how many hunters you have no matter where it is.


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## k9wernet (Oct 15, 2007)

Focus on the experience, not the results. 

Don't let other hunters get under your skin. Check back here in a few weeks and you'll see all kinds of sob stories about slob hunters who entered the woods too late or left too early or set up too close to someone. It's easier said than done, but try not to worry about what other guys are up to in the woods and how their actions might affect you, or the anxiety will ruin your hunt. 

Just be courteous and friendly and when other guys aren't (hate to break it, but you're going to run into a lot of pricks posing as hunters), try to find the silver lining and learn from every experience.


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## cbfishes (Jul 6, 2012)

Excellent info from everybody, this is just the stuff I need to be learning.

Assuming I'm able to get a doe tag for the public land I'll be hunting, that's what I'll be hunting. I have no interest in bucks or racks (I hear does taste much better).. I'm interested in tenderloin and shanks and round and ribs and heart and liver and... and of course sitting in the woods for long periods of time.

My google earth is exploding with information... I grabbed screenshots of topographic maps, MI Hunt cover type maps, and state game area maps and superimposed them all in google earth. I take my GPS when I go scouting, and when I find interesting things I mark them. When I get home, I put that stuff into google earth as well. I've marked tracks, sign, unmarked parking spots, areas with lots of trash, shooting ranges, areas where multiple trails converge, old blinds I found... 

It's like the best video game ever!!

Yesterday I walked 1-2 miles on a single deer trail, and although it seemed random when I was there, looking at it and a topo map at the same time it makes a lot more sense.

Seems like this is sort of like what I recently learned about fishing: Learn about the animal and where they like to go. Once you get a handle on that, you'll know the types of places to find them. Like the 90% of the fish in 10% of the water thing. Seems even the same way with plants: Now that I know what type of cover/area blackcaps like, I can find them anywhere.

So exciting. Can't wait to get back out there.


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## thundrst (Oct 7, 2007)

I am making a prediction right now that you will not sleep a wink the night of Nov. 14! Welcome to the club. To me you already can say you are successful - the scouting, planning, and especially the ANTICIPATION is the best part. Good luck & stay safe out there.


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## cbfishes (Jul 6, 2012)

thundrst said:


> I am making a prediction right now that you will not sleep a wink the night of Nov. 14! Welcome to the club. To me you already can say you are successful - the scouting, planning, and especially the ANTICIPATION is the best part. Good luck & stay safe out there.


Actually I'm having trouble sleeping NOW... As silly as it may seem, I took September 15 off of work so I can be in the woods all day looking for squirrels and rabbits.

I figure since I'm new to hunting, I should do the traditional progression of young hunters: BB gun (got last year), .22 (a couple weeks ago), shotgun (a couple weeks ago), squirrels and rabbits (Sep 15), and then DEER in November. 

Basically, I'm a 10 year old new hunter who can't sleep at night because he's so excited about hunting squirrels for the first time.


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## Chuck (Sep 24, 2000)

September 11th at 10 am left over antlerless go on sale if you do search you can find left over amounts for your dmu. I think there is a thread in here some where too.

I have never tasted a difference between does or bucks, they are all delicious. 

Sound s like your off to a good start.

Have fun out there!


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## lodge lounger (Sep 16, 2005)

Chris, have read a few of your blog posts and really enjoyed them. Nice work! This is a little off thread, but as a new deer hunter, there are a couple excellent sticky's on the whitetail forum dealing with tracking and processing deer:

http://www.michigan-sportsman.com/forum/showthread.php?t=154603

http://www.michigan-sportsman.com/forum/showthread.php?t=245289

The first one, especially, is critical, terrific information on what to do after the shot. Great information for gun or bow in this thread.

Sounds like you're off to a great start. I'll be doing some hunting in Barry State Game Area, shoot me a PM if you want to hook up some time.


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## TVCJohn (Nov 30, 2005)

lodge lounger said:


> Chris, have read a few of your blog posts and really enjoyed them. Nice work! This is a little off thread, but as a new deer hunter, there are a couple excellent sticky's on the whitetail forum dealing with tracking and processing deer:
> 
> http://www.michigan-sportsman.com/forum/showthread.php?t=154603
> 
> ...


Good subject there for a new hunter.....what to do after you shoot a deer.


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## fishagain (Jan 2, 2014)

cbfishes said:


> Actually I'm having trouble sleeping NOW... As silly as it may seem, I took September 15 off of work so I can be in the woods all day looking for squirrels and rabbits.
> 
> I figure since I'm new to hunting, I should do the traditional progression of young hunters: BB gun (got last year), .22 (a couple weeks ago), shotgun (a couple weeks ago), squirrels and rabbits (Sep 15), and then DEER in November.
> 
> Basically, I'm a 10 year old new hunter who can't sleep at night because he's so excited about hunting squirrels for the first time.


Do yourself a favor and wait until a few hard frosts or freezes before killing the rabbits. They can possibly carry Tularemia or at the very least lots of fleas until the colder weather. Squirrels make a better target early on and hardly anyone hunts them.


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## Chuck (Sep 24, 2000)

Squirrels taste better than rabbits too


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## On Target (Jun 10, 2007)

I've hunted that land for over 20 years with some decent success. There are decent deer numbers and habitat. After opener of Gun, your sightings will be almost non existent. Opening morning you could have a crowd around you, or may get lucky and have your spot to yourself, I've seen it both ways. If you judge that land by your gun hunting experience there's a good chance you'll be dissappointed. You need to get a bow by next season and I can guarantee you success. You'll definitely want to get a cart for some of the hills and ravines in that area.


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## solo hunter (Sep 1, 2014)

So much good info here and my first hunt,thanks to everyone that posted.


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## 2508speed (Jan 6, 2011)

solo hunter said:


> So much good info here and my first hunt,thanks to everyone that posted.


Are you confused yet? Information overload! Go out there and shoot a squirrel and when you do, you'll wonder why you did. If you can clean it and eat it, and still feel good about it, you will be over the hump. Your family will dictate if you continue hunting.


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## TravisJohnson (Jul 23, 2014)

cbfishes said:


> This fall will be my first as a hunter: Passed hunter's safety in the spring, bought a gun a week ago. I'm beyond excited. I've been spending all my free time reading books, doing research, target practice and more target practice, and getting my truck tires and boots on the ground scouting out areas. So far I've found some nice oak/acorn groves, hickory trees, deer trails, lots of deer sign, and maybe some bedding areas.
> 
> I live in Alto and have been concentrating on the Middleville State Game Area because it's so close.
> 
> ...


That is a very useful strategies you have shared about hunting on public land. Thanks for sharing.


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