More public land rookies this year?

[Limbwalker]

I also really like the people I have met through this website that hunt SHNF. They seem to be a more humble crowd than usual.

Roger that. And we have to be humble. That's what hunting public land in Texas makes a person! LOL!

I'd rather hunt with a group of guys who consider a mature doe a trophy than listen to a bunch of adolescents blabber on about "G2's" and the like. Most of them couldn't pattern their dog, much less a mature public land whitetail.

John

[Texar]

Here are some public land Trophies from the past several years.....

[DorothyNotKeegan]

Nice deer from public land...

[roguecraft101]

i LOVE that first buck.. looks like a mini moose rack all webbed like that haha.

My uncle shot a huge 14 point with a 20" inside about 15 years ago from the davy. I know there are good bucks on public land.. trick is figuring them out. =P

[lgc999]

A buddy of mine is on a lease with 10 hunters total. I forget how many acres. A good percentage of the hunters are professional types (doctors, attorney's, etc.) and they come down there to get away from the wife and to drink. My buddy tells me that these guys rarely even go to their stands. I guess that is what draws them to leasing (deer camp).

I hunt public land because it is close, it is free and I just love the challenge of it. I thoroughly enjoy sitting in a tree and taking in all that is mother nature. That is free! Sticking a deer is just icing on the cake...

[Limbwalker]

Love the pigs with the Ruger! Nice...

[explorer1]

I have hunted all my life on public lands in the piney east texas woods and i have never been on a lease or private property areas,never could understand raising your deer to shoot lol,to each there own i guess but cows and buffallo are bigger and have more meat and are cheaper.Its a verey humbling experince even to the hardest of men for sure to get any size deer off of public lands.Just being out in them woods takes years off your shoulders and makes you not want to leave.

[flashof1979]

I have hunted all my life on public lands in the piney east texas woods and i have never been on a lease or private property areas,never could understand raising your deer to shoot lol,to each there own i guess but cows and buffallo are bigger and have more meat and are cheaper.Its a verey humbling experince even to the hardest of men for sure to get any size deer off of public lands.Just being out in them woods takes years off your shoulders and makes you not want to leave.

Agreed, well said!

[hully1029]

might be a dumb question..

if you find a very secluded place on public lands, can you set a feeder up??

[roguecraft101]

might be a dumb question..

if you find a very secluded place on public lands, can you set a feeder up??

Some allow baiting most do not. It will be spelled out clearly in the handbook you get each year with your permit. It doesn't matter if it's a secluded spot or not.

[hully1029]

Some allow baiting most do not. It will be spelled out clearly in the handbook you get each year with your permit. It doesn't matter if it's a secluded spot or not.

thanks... really was just wondering if i could legally. i know some spots on some public land, that it takes a warrior of a person to get there... didnt know of a hanging feeder would be legal. thanks again!!

[Limbwalker]

Usually not, however some areas like Somerville are trying to thin the pigs, so they do allow feeders once deer season is over.

I don't care for the idea of leaving stands or hanging feeders on public lands, and usually avoid those areas where those things are allowed. They create more problems than they solve.

When I leave my vehicle on a public land hunt, I want to know that the whole area is available to me to hunt, since part of my tax dollars went to buy and manage the place.

John

[hully1029]

Usually not, however some areas like Somerville are trying to thin the pigs, so they do allow feeders once deer season is over.

I don't care for the idea of leaving stands or hanging feeders on public lands, and usually avoid those areas where those things are allowed. They create more problems than they solve.

When I leave my vehicle on a public land hunt, I want to know that the whole area is available to me to hunt, since part of my tax dollars went to buy and manage the place.

John

completly understandable.

[oneoffcustom]

I think the idea of a lease has become absurd to me. The prices of gas, plus lease, plus food, and travel time add of fast. For all this money and time you get a few deer. I like to not buy a lease and save my money to obtain a trophy or exotic trophy for about the same cost on a game ranch.

The aph for 48$ is a steal and allows me to get in the woods on a more local level and also adds in a challenging aspect.

[Limbwalker]

Sometimes I think leases are best for the folks who feel that if they don't pay for something, it has no value. And there are plenty of those people out there. Not sure what mindset you'd call it, but I'm glad I don't suffer from it!

John