New to public land hunting

[MojoTexas]

My thoughts on one of the topics...walking up on other hunters. You just gotta get out there and get some time and miles under your belt.

I definitely agree with this. Also consider hitting the public land in late winter and spring, after deer season, for feral hogs. You will probably have the place to yourself, and you can scout while you hunt. It's a great way to learn the land and the best places to set up. Personally I never do much scouting in the summer, due to the heat and being busy with other things. I don't mind it in February though!

Also be sure and read the fine print for the property you're hunting. They often have special rules, like shorter seasons, or the hunter orange as previously mentioned.

[homegrown]

I take a 5 gallon bucket to sit on. It allows me to travel faster and have a seat off the ground. I use natural cover.

^^^This. I've had success with hang on stands and climbing sticks too but it takes a lot of work to get all that stuff in and out. My 5 gal bucket is usually at least half full of some type of bait whether it be corn, sweet feed, oats,etc... so that when I find the area I want to concentrate on I can dump out a little something for em for the next time I'm out. Get yourself a good cart. Either buy or make something that you can use to haul your kill out with. Don't fool yourself into thinking that you can just drag or throw it over the shoulder and start walking. I try to go in light and come out heavy. As for walking up on others, it's PUBLIC. The COE that I hunt is crowded but not overly crowded and on most occasions isn't a problem. Like stated above, most everyone is out there for the same reason and we all were new to it at some point. There's some great opportunity's that public land can offer if your willing to earn it. Use Google Earth/Maps for your pre-scouting. It'll show the terrain from above giving you somewhat of a layout of the land and find areas that funnel or attract game before you go out on foot.

HG

[mikeb1206]

Thanks for the great questions and answers, it helped me alot.

[One Hunter]

As mentioned above, a deer cart is very important in my opinion, especially if you are hunting alone.

I did some research on carts and found, what is in my opinion, the best cart available. It is called the NXT Shot Versacart.

I have hauled out a couple of mature deer on mine and it works VERY well.

Here is a link to their site for those interested:

http://bowsite.com/nxt/