More public land rookies this year?

[Blood Trail]

We were all public land rookies once. I have a lease and I still hunt public land. Actually, I've shot more deer off of public land than my lease (four years, not a deer shot).

I comes in waves: the average joe pulling off of leases due to prices. Pretty soon, land owners will have to lower lease rates. Avg Joes get back on leases, price goes up. Simple economics where MC=MB. Supply and demand, my good fellow.

[JSCOTT]

Yea, good luck, and don't get discouraged if you're not seeing them as often as you do on your lease. Remember, it only takes one.

Thats what is funny, I see ALOT more deer out there then I do on my lease. I think all of the scouting I have done will pay off!

[NF HUNTER]

My 2 cents on why there are more new hunters deer hunting on public land are:

1. It's cheap
2. It's normally close to big city's
3. It looks easy on TV
4. The economy
5. Deer lease prices
6. Corn prices

Most of the new hunters i have meet in the NF have not hunted more than a few years before moving on to a lease. The hunting is hard even for us veterns at times and even harder for newbies. Not as easy as it looks.
Just my 2 cents!

[Limbwalker]

3. It looks easy on TV


LOL! Amen to that.

If you'll notice, most of those shows are filmed in Illinois. I bowhunted whitetails in Illinois for six years, and I can tell you those are the dumbest whitetails I've ever hunted, from Texas to New Hampshire.

There's a reason so many hunting shows are filmed there.

Texas public land deer have ph.D's compared to those corn-fed heifers.

The other reason is that it's easy as pie to "pattern" a whitetail when 80% of the landscape is corn and soybeans, and the other 20% are ribbons of woods that connect them all. Pretty much a no-brainer where to put a stand there.

John

[bigz71]

My 2 cents on why there are more new hunters deer hunting on public land are:

1. It's cheap
2. It's normally close to big city's
3. It looks easy on TV
4. The economy
5. Deer lease prices
6. Corn prices

Most of the new hunters i have meet in the NF have not hunted more than a few years before moving on to a lease. The hunting is hard even for us veterns at times and even harder for newbies. Not as easy as it looks.
Just my 2 cents!

Only takes about 5 minutes to bag one and 25 to name all the products they used doing it.

[Green]

For me it's simple economics and attitude. Like most of us, I've had to fight to claw my way back from the financial devastation that started 6 years ago, I've always spent money carefully, but I'm still trying to get myself back to where I was before all this started so leasing at today's rates just doesn't make sense to me.

I can hunt more land for less with my APH and I'm really looking forward to doing it. Is it going to be harder? Yeah, but hey....at least I'm back to huntin'.

[Ghusa]

If any one knows of some public land in south Texas for deer hunting
Please let me no

[Limbwalker]

Check the two National Wildlife Refuges down there that offer hunting - Laguna Atascosa and Lower Rio Grande Valley. You can find their info online, but it may be too late this season.

The other option would be to make the drive up to Amistad. It's open all year without a draw.

John

[Toddcaster]

like most on this thread, I just decided that public was the way to go for me financially. It really turned out to be better that I expected. Sounds dumb but I have hunted the last three years without killing anything, but I really enjoy the time out there. Trying to get close enough for a shot without the luxury of a feeder is a challenge. I have had my oppertunities and will have again and when it finally happens I will have a great sense of accopmlishment. Tomorrow is my opener and I have some deer and LOTS of turkeys on the trailcam. Wont be able to sleep tonight.

[RafaG]

I'm also a new b to TX public land, bow hunting and the site but after being here for 6yrs I finally got the APH because I cannot afford a lease + I was hesitant with the 13" rule. I have to say that it is a MAJOR change hunting CA to east TX and i'm a bit lost but seeing deer just not with in range =/

[Werewolf]

I've seen a lot more cars this year bowhunting public land for sure.

[nagybucks]

MY advatar is one that was still there in the public land. And Ive got 2 others on the wall. After 54 years of deer huntin, decided to go to duck huntin. I am just flat out worn out with the hard work it takes to find and kill these monsters. And national forrest isnt made for the lazy to hunt. If you want the big ones you have to do alot of camara research, there is ways to find them without someone finding your camara. If you need any free advice about Angelina then private message me, And i'll give you all my methods. Just be prepared to get into the woods by August 1st. Good Luck with all of youlls hunts, from one xdeer hunter to the rest of you. I understand your joys and pains you suffer. Any one tell you deer hunting is easy is a lier. Maybe if you bought your deer size. But National Forrest takes effort and lots of it to bring the big one home.

[Lurchy]

Im a rookie to hunting public land and bow hunting this year. Killing deer off a feeder just seems too easy to me, that's why I turned to the bow. I have a buddy that introduced me to SHNF and I couldn't be happier. The challenge is unbelievable but I know when I finally get something its really going to be worth it


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[Limbwalker]

Aside from filling the freezer for the year (which is what, in part, deer season is for my family) I can't see any downside to hunting public land. It's an affordable way to spend quality time in true nature, hunting deer that are behaving naturally and the reward of just a single deer is many times what it would be on a small private tract of land.

Hunting a large tract of public land - to me - is liberating. I feel more free with my bow in hand on public hunting land than anywhere else in my life.

John

[str8in]

I've always hunted public land,even when it was way public.Like a war zone.The TypeII program was a great relief.I only ever rifle hunted until a couple of years ago and when I got a bow and decided to take advantage of an extra month and got in the woods I quickly found out that I'd never really been hunting at all.Bowhunting woke something up in me that I love feeling.It's a whole new ball game and I'm hooked.Used my rifle a couple of times last year but it left me kinda empty feeling in the stand.I'll probably always take my rifle but unless I find something I just can't get close too I'll take my bow everytime and on public hunting land because of the intensity of bowhunting I've found places I only ever shot towards for all those years.Public hunting land is a blast for me and I've found myself trying to go smewhere different every season in the same forest just to see more of it.And getting off the beaten path is the most rewarding in all ways