on public land with the season well underway (like it is now - and it will get worse after this weekend) you need to hunt the hunters just as much or more than the deer themselves.

The average hunter likes to see pretty far and avoid a lot of work. On public land, the average hunter also has a (relatively) low success rate.

Break that trend by acting different than the average hunter. In an area with large timber tracts, find a thicket and look for trails/sign around it. Be willing to get there earlier, walk a little farther, and hunt in tighter spots. As hunting pressure rises, deer will hunker down and not travel as much in open areas.

Your main motivation should be scouting for areas that other hunters aren't actively hunting (probably because they are thicker than they would like) and that have signs of being used by deer.

Be willing to hunt later than most as well - many deer start moving around as hunters begin to leave at the 9-10 o'clock time frame.

A GPS unit will be very helpful, as finding these places in the dark can get really tricky, and you don't want to use a bunch of trail markers to advertise your spot.