Hunting Public Land Etiquette?

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wishooter

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I had this as a reply before... now giving it its own thread to open it up.

Is there any etiquette for marking spots that you would like to hunt? I know technically on public land anyone can hunt anywhere, but It would be smoother if we worked together. In my area, I live next to thousands of acres of public land. And I scout and plan, and run trail cams from august to November, and then get my spots picked out... only to find on opening day, there is going to be someone else 15yds from me, who lives 6 hours away and hasn't been up here since last year. I know he has the same rights as me, but it is still frustrating when I put the time in. Just wondering if there any acceptable methods for making your intentions known so I am not stepping on any ones toes out there. Obviously it would be better for everyone.
 
Sadly, thats why its "public" land....there's no distinction that can be made between the weekend warriors and the "real" hunters. Other than being where you want to be before anyone else, there's not a whole lot one can do. it may not seem "fair" but unless you own or control the land yourself, there's nothing keeping anyone else from hunting "your" area. Public land is just that...public. It may not seem "right" but its there for everyone, from the die hards who scout year round to the guy who hasn't thought about chasing a buck since he put his rifle away at the end of last season.
 
Sav .250 said:
First come....First served. Lots of disappointments in this world and that`s one of them.
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Ditto to Sav.250. Try to go farther and deeper. I have some super areas with in 10 minutes from my house, but I hike 1 to 2 hours back in the national forest to get away from all the masses.
 
Try to go farther and deeper. I have some super areas with in 10 minutes from my house, but I hike 1 to 2 hours back in the national forest to get away from all the masses.
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Also, sometimes it pays to study the patterns and habits of the other hunters more than the deer. Where do most of them enter the woods? What direction do they usually travel? When do they usually show up?

You can use them as unknowing beaters in a deer drive if you play your cards right.
 
"Urban Hunters" tend to tire easily. A little sweat or sore feet and they're ready to call it a day. Trek far into the wilderness away from roads and parking areas, and you're less likely to bump into someone. Makes it tough if you're carrying a lot of equipment, but as mentioned above, public land is what it is.
 
...marking spots that you would like to hunt?
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Yes, mark it with you... being there. Start earlier. If you are the first one in the spot, the guy from 6 hours away will find you there when he arrives.
 
The further from roads you are, the better your odds of not having someone too close to you

makes it even tougher if you kill a 180 lb deer down in a gully 3 miles from your vehicle.
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even tougher with a 500# elk down in a valley when you have to make multiple trips up and over several 1000 feet without horses............. ;)

Shooting them is the easy part...............
 
"Start earlier. If you are the first one in the spot, the guy from 6 hours away will find you there when he arrives."

And the idiot will stake out a spot 20 yards from you. In his mind it's all about "ME" and to heck with you.

I've got public land 10 minutes from my house. Yes I do my scouting but on opening day all bets are off. I've found if you wait until 10 or 11 o'clock the city guys will start moving around and may push something to you.
 
I hunt public land in SoCal, so I'm looking at the same issue. The suggestion up thread to study the other hunters and the other suggestion to get there early is what I've done about it. Knowing where the hunters are coming in from and knowing how the game is going to react lets me get in a spot where I can take advantage of both.

And yeah, sometimes I have to bone out a deer and pack the meat and the head out a couple or five miles. I solved that one by going in up the mountain so I can come out downhill.

You may feel like you might ought shouldn't have to, but I'd say adapting and getting ahead of the conditions is your best bet. On public land, one type of hunter doesn't get precedence over another.

(except for the ones being both stupid and illegal. call the warden on them, if warranted.)
 
Folks trying to "stake out" territory on public land is why Wisconsin does not allow tree stands/pop-up ground blinds to be left unattended over night. Marking out a spot will get folks into more arguments then not marking at all. Besides, marking your spot on public land will only make it easy to use by someone who has not scouted. If you spend as much time scouting as you say, there are probably many spots you know that are not obvious or easily accessible. If it's a obvious hot spot, close to a main road and/or easily found because of dominate landmarks(streams, logging roads or power lines) and it's on public land, it will be hit by someone on opening day of gun season in Wisconsin. You do not necessarily have to go deeper, you just need to find a spot that others either miss, or can't find in the dark. Having several options on opening day is a good way to keep from getting frustrated.

BTW.....You ain't onena them guys that puts orange surveyors tape out all over in the woods I hope.......
 
When I go to public lands, I keep my eyes open for tape or "glow dot" tacks that other hunters use to mark a trail to their stand, or the tree where they will place their climbing stand. I then try to stay clear of that area as a courtesy. I guess I am an exception to the rule.

Now in your case you have been given three excellent answers, 1) get there first, 2) go in deep, 3) at around 11 or so the city guys will start to move and may push something toward you...., here's mine, 4) Hunt ALL day while avoiding opening day. (Ok maybe that's two answers)

See those same folks who roll in on opening day for the first time in the woods this year, will also probably fail to identify the animal and what is beyond, and the woods on opening day will be full of them shooting a lot, so that it will sound like Belgium in The Battle of The Bulge. Damn Dangerous! Not to my liking even when dressed head to toe in orange like a road-cone.

Now the first weekday after opening day the deer will be plenty wary..., and they will hear hunters arrive and move into the woods, so the deer will hold up and hide. Around lunch time, just about every hunter will leave, and few if any will return, as they only took a half-day off from work. STAY PUT. The deer will hear them exit, and will wait a couple of hours, but then they will move, for they need to eat. The woods will be quieter, the amount of human smell will have dropped, so they will creep about a bit. That's when you will get a shot.

If you must go out opening day, again, hunt ALL day, for the same reason. They may push deer to your, OR, after a couple of hours after lunch, the deer may start to creep about, and you will get a shot.

Yes, I have been told..., "a few days after opening day, deer go nocturnal due to hunting pressure." I also have been told, "The deer get pushed out of the public lands onto private property after opening day." As well as, "Deer don't move in midday, especially when it's warm. You have to get them in the early morning or at dusk." Maybe that's true in some places, but I have gotten half my deer in the morning, and half between 1:30 pm and 3:30 pm. Several on public lands after the opening weekend, and all of those were afternoon deer.

I am not an expert by any means, but when I stopped listening to folks who thought they were experts, and actually asked questions of hunters that I knew got many deer each year, I started putting venison in my freezer. The above four rules are basically what I changed.

LD
 
4) Hunt ALL day while avoiding opening day. (Ok maybe that's two answers)

See those same folks who roll in on opening day for the first time in the woods this year, will also probably fail to identify the animal and what is beyond, and the woods on opening day will be full of them shooting a lot, so that it will sound like Belgium in The Battle of The Bulge. Damn Dangerous! Not to my liking even when dressed head to toe in orange like a road-cone.
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Amen to that

Had a co-worker's husband have his horse shot out from under him - he was in full blaze orange coveralls, the horse had a blaze orange saddle blanket and some yahoo had too much buck fever (and probably Jack Daniels) and shot his horse out from under him. He was arrested, restitution, jail, lifetime hunting ban, etc - but her husband was lucky HE didn't get shot.

If I was hunting opening day - I was at my base camp 2 days ahead of time and already on the move at O-dark 30 before the other folks were in the same county.

In northern NV, if you wanted the BIG bucks, you had to get WAY off the dirt road - that's why it was called "hunting" and not "killing"
 
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I am happy I dont have to put up with all of that during deer season. I allways wondered, if you are in a stand well before sunrise, does the sun ever come up and you are face to face wtih anbteohr person you didnt know was there? Sounds dangerous. I will hunt public land for coyotes during the winter and geneally have it mostly to myself.
 
All I hunt is public land. Once I get a mile or more off the road I NEVER see another hunter.
 
jmr40 said:
All I hunt is public land. Once I get a mile or more off the road I NEVER see another hunter.
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I will say one thing for the Wildlife Management Areas in Virginia, at least SOME of them don't allow running deer with dogs.
 
All I hunt is public land. Once I get a mile or more off the road I NEVER see another hunter.
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Excellent point. The AZ Game and Fish Dept actually published a short column this year that detailed a study done by some university here on AZ public hunting land. Students planted GPS transmitters on a large number of hunters (several hundred of them iirc), and found that something like 87% of those with transmitters stayed within 200 yards of the roads. Very interesting study, and extremely helpful to those of us who only hunt public land (myself included).

Keep this study in mind and be prepared to hike a mile or three into the woods, and you can rest assured, there won't be nearly as many other hunters out there.
 
Unfortunately, here in NW Fl the dog hunters hunt the public hunting areas mercilessly for deer and hogs. 2 years ago we had some extremely high water levels, which of course led to the shooting of anything vaguely legal that sought high ground. Anyone familiar with NW Fl may know of the Sauls creek area just outside of white city,fl.

Needless to say my son and a I are looking for a new public hunting area without dogs running all over. I can't afford a $600 lease and want him to shoot his first deer/hog.
 
I was in my tree stand on public land once in the evening time about 50 yards off an old fire road. All of a sudden here comes some idiot in a straight piped diesel truck just a flying....i packed up and left cuz i know there weren't any deer near there no more
 
I bring some extra orange vests and set them in the trees on my way out. I also put a couple on the hillside before I go into a draw. Most hunters that see big orange pumpkins head another direction.
 
Thanks, I can't stand being pressured by other hunters. Colorado has a massive amount of public land, and lots of game. Like the fella that started this thread I watch my game closely and get a red hot feeling when I see man tracks in the area I hunt. I guess I should be more willing to share but I have seen enough irresponsible hunters and cherish my honey hole.
 
I like to wake up about 8 and take my time getting out there. Just as I've finished my coffee about 9:45 or 10 I start making my way down through the woods. By that time, most of the sissies are tired of freezing their asses off and head out of the woods. I've never had a problem finding the deer that way, and if I start seeing too many Texans, I mean other hunters, ill just find one of the hundreds of other places I know to go. Being a still hunter has its advantages. I load up a fanny pack with a couple snacks, some tp, my tripod seat, and I'll make my way to a place too far in for most.
 
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