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Public or Private?

80% private, 20% public. Been trying to incorporate more public to keep the private fresh but this year took a step backwards. I decided that I did not scout enough to wander the woods with my limited time trying to scout and set up ... Once this snow is gone, I am going to start to scout for next year on the public I want to hunt.
 
I'm splitting time 50/50 between private and public the last few years. Public gives me more options in terms of land mass and topography, and I can experiment more with techniques and whatnot.

The private I hunt tends to be fairly predictable on a yearly basis - easy enough to take deer off but offers little challenge otherwise.
 
I used to be 99% private. Then I bought a saddle so I could have more stand sites on my private without buying additional hang ons. The first year in a saddle I found myself hunting more public then before, probably 75% private, 25% public. The second year in a saddle I was probably 40% private and 60% public and I see that number going to 75% or more public next year. A saddle just makes it so much easier to bounce around the large tracks of public near me.
 
dalton916 said:
When you’re a surveyor, like me, and handsome, like me, and just an all around great guy, like me, you hunt about 98% private. Being humble, like me, also helps.
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That's funny that you say that ...... my surveyor is the only person I have given permission to hunt my land and I have hunted public with him a few times as well not sure yet if he is as humble as you LOL.
 
The saddle hunting trend for us new comers seems to be all about getting more mobile. I have a ton of respect for you guys that have been doing this for years. I have always still hunted 100% public land with a rifle. I'm getting near retirement age and purchased a piece of land to build a home and enjoy what I enjoy....growing and chasing wild game. It's only 60 acres( I can't imagine managing any more than that) but it has 40,500 acres of public along the back property line and it's that public that is steadily becoming my go to for hiking, biking, hunting. I guess when you get to be my age and have killed enough deer in a lifetime( well maybe just one more big one), I really wanted to go backwards from rifle hunting and get closer to big game, watch them more, learn more about them.....thus back toward my native american roots using a bow and hunting from above. Naturally after a few years of lugging a tree stand....ugh.... I too found a saddle the only way to get back in deep. Blessed to have found this site.... to be able to hear and see other passionate hunters all over the US and Canada and learn from the experienced people here all of the viable options. So in summation of a long story growing longer.....I'm building a small bow hunters paradise for my children and their children... planting trees and food and habitat that will outlive us all....lets just pray that all states will forever have land put aside for public use and allow us to decide what and how to hunt that land!
 
Bourdeau said:
That's funny that you say that ...... my surveyor is the only person I have given permission to hunt my land and I have hunted public with him a few times as well not sure yet if he is as humble as you LOL.
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See?
 
100% public made up of state, federal, and cooperative hunting areas.

I love public but would have no problem hunting private if someone offered me some. Won't pay for it though.


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Private only. Between me and my two brothers we own about 220 acres. Only one of my brothers hunts the rifle season. I hunted public once in my life and honestly have to give it to you guys that do. I ran into so many guys that time I did I said if I had to do it this way I probably wouldn't hunt. I don't manage any of it for whitetail. Our property holds allot of deer and once the rut kicks in I get allot of buck showing up on my cameras. I'm pretty fortunate.
 
I have free access to 100 aces, shared with a friend. I try not to pressure it to death, and also move around spots on it. Hunt it based on weather system and wind, no more than once every couple weeks. Also hunt a good bit on public land, including some draw hunts. All in the piedmont of NC.
 
I hunt a 46 acre private parcel just north of Lansing MI with one other guy and sometimes some of his family, and then public land north of Harrison MI. I've hunted the private land 2 years and took an 8 point last year and a doe this year. I've never shot a deer on public land so it's been a goal of mine to take one in the real woods, hence me getting into saddle hunting. Really excited to get back at it this year and test the things I've learned since the season ended.
 
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