Public land hunting methods

[rmmonty32]

Do you sit...still hunt or both...i find myself doing a little of both. I usually sit near good sign ie scat and scrapes mornings and evenings usually 2hrs is all i can stand it b4 im up. Opinions...lessons??? Im no expert by any means.

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[Buzzard Breath]

Sit, sit, and when you think you're about to get up and move around, sit even longer. Let all the other guys who can't stand to sit drive all the deer to you.

A good comfortable chair is a must. Hunters won't think twice about spending $300 on a treestand, but can't stand to spend more than $15 on a chair. I use a Helinox Zero chair. It folds down to the size of a water bottle and weighs 1 pound.

Bring lots of snacks. Repackage them in quiet ziploc bags. Most food wrappers can be noisy as he11 in the woods.

Sit all day and pee downwind of where you're sitting. You don't want to have to smell it all day.

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[catman529]

Both... usually setting up in a tree for morning or evening sits, and doing a little mid day scouting. when it's wet or windy I like to stillhunt my way into a spot and sit down occasionally.


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[catman529]

Sit, sit, and when you think you're about to get up and move around, sit even longer. Let all the other guys who can't stand to sit drive all the deer to you.

the way I hunt I try to get away from other people so there's not much chance someone's pushing a deer to me. I sit as long as I feel like whether it's 2 hours or 6 hours. Rarely sit all day, and when I do it's usually in a bedding area during the rut.


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[rmmonty32]

Both... usually setting up in a tree for morning or evening sits, and doing a little mid day scouting. when it's wet or windy I like to stillhunt my way into a spot and sit down occasionally.


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I honestly i got my strategy mostly from watching one of your you tube videos when i started hunting 4yrs ago!!!

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[timberjack86]

I use a fold up camp chair and try to sit as long as I can, I spend more time scouting than hunting. I really focus on old rubs and new rubs. 1 rub is good but when you got rubs from last year and rubs from this year a buck is showing you where he likes to walk.

 

[PickettSFHunter]

I'm basically a terrain based hunter. Don't really pay much attention to buck sign. Lots of map scouting before walking an area. I prefer hilly or mountain country, though I do find farm country to be easier to kill deer. I mostly hunt from stands but I do still hunt some on public when conditions are right(rainy, windy) and when I know I won't mess someone up. This is why I have started preferring public land. A typical 100 or even 1000 acre tract just doesn't have many primo terrain spots typically. If you have thousands of acres, you'll find something.


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[megalomaniac]

I find myself sitting in a chair from the ground a lot more than in years past. There's a lot of areas I hunt here in south MS where visibility is better from the ground than up in a tree.

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[rmmonty32]

I'm basically a terrain based hunter. Don't really pay much attention to buck sign. Lots of map scouting before walking an area. I prefer hilly or mountain country, though I do find farm country to be easier to kill deer. I mostly hunt from stands but I do still hunt some on public when conditions are right(rainy, windy) and when I know I won't mess someone up. This is why I have started preferring public land. A typical 100 or even 1000 acre tract just doesn't have many primo terrain spots typically. If you have thousands of acres, you'll find something.


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What terrain features do u like best i hunt alot of high ridges and mountainous terrain in east tn

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[TNDeerGuy]

Do you sit...still hunt or both...i find myself doing a little of both. I usually sit near good sign ie scat and scrapes mornings and evenings usually 2hrs is all i can stand it b4 im up. Opinions...lessons??? Im no expert by any means.

Sent from my SM-S327VL using Tapatalk

I believe from another thread you are hunting Priest, and I would sit still and let others do the work for you...stay in the stand late and when others go to lunch they will create movement. Getting up and stomping around is how you drive deer to other hunters. Not saying that you can't still hunt some, but conditions (wind, non-crunchy ground) play a big part and for the most part you don't have much room to work with on Priest like you do other areas/wma's where you have 50 acre parcels to work with. For the most part, Priest is narrow border corridors between the lake and civilization—knowing how to work that and knowing that deer want to get off the WMA this time of year and combined with a ton of pressure you have to setup accordingly—walking around isn't the most productive method to hunt most property on Priest.

 

[nate17]

I hunt public almost exclusively and have gotten to where I really enjoy it most of them time. Probably because I have never had access to large private farms. Like some folks mentioned above, I pay little attention to sign, but focus most of my energy hunting terrain features that would funnel deer to me during time periods when bucks would be cruising to cut a hot doe or actual chasing would be taking place. Another other tactic I've used in the past is finding larger private tracts that may be owned by older folks and most likely get limited pressure. A lot of these tracts may have large openings and fences that funnel larger bucks right across public property since they would typically try to avoid openings like this in daylight. I also tend to look for the little nooks and crannies that get overlooked. Deer are masters at avoiding pressure and I've found that people are much easier to pattern than mature deer. I pull many all day sits., especially during the rut. Use the pressure to your advantage. Many big bucks have moved past me during that midday period. I also rely heavily on cameras to reduce the amount of time I have to spend figuring out a spot. If I see something I like, I'll hang a half dozen cameras to try to help me narrow down the way deer are using an area. Hope some of that helps, happy hunting!

 

[Tn_Va_Hunter]

I like to sit on the ground more than I do in tree stand. Having the right seat is important. I've been using this for the last couple years and it's great.

 

[BULL MOOSE]

Sit, sit, and when you think you're about to get up and move around, sit even longer. Let all the other guys who can't stand to sit drive all the deer to you.

A good comfortable chair is a must. Hunters won't think twice about spending $300 on a treestand, but can't stand to spend more than $15 on a chair. I use a Helinox Zero chair. It folds down to the size of a water bottle and weighs 1 pound.

Bring lots of snacks. Repackage them in quiet ziploc bags. Most food wrappers can be noisy as he11 in the woods.

Sit all day and pee downwind of where you're sitting. You don't want to have to smell it all day.

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I have that Millenium seat and it is great when I use it.

I could see where this super light seat would benefit me more. I can't fin where the guy with the man bun explains the warranty. It says it holds 340 lbs. it seems like those skinny legs would sink into the forest floor without some wide pads.

https://helinox.com/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI ... gIf9_D_BwE

 

[Buzzard Breath]

Sit, sit, and when you think you're about to get up and move around, sit even longer. Let all the other guys who can't stand to sit drive all the deer to you.

A good comfortable chair is a must. Hunters won't think twice about spending $300 on a treestand, but can't stand to spend more than $15 on a chair. I use a Helinox Zero chair. It folds down to the size of a water bottle and weighs 1 pound.

Bring lots of snacks. Repackage them in quiet ziploc bags. Most food wrappers can be noisy as he11 in the woods.

Sit all day and pee downwind of where you're sitting. You don't want to have to smell it all day.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

I have that Millenium seat and it is great when I use it.

I could see where this super light seat would benefit me more. I can't fin where the guy with the man bun explains the warranty. It says it holds 340 lbs. it seems like those skinny legs would sink into the forest floor without some wide pads.

https://helinox.com/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI ... gIf9_D_BwE

I've got what they call a ground sheet. It distributes the weight and keeps the individual legs from sinking it.

It's a pretty nice setup and super comfortable

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[rmmonty32]

Do you sit...still hunt or both...i find myself doing a little of both. I usually sit near good sign ie scat and scrapes mornings and evenings usually 2hrs is all i can stand it b4 im up. Opinions...lessons??? Im no expert by any means.

Sent from my SM-S327VL using Tapatalk

I believe from another thread you are hunting Priest, and I would sit still and let others do the work for you...stay in the stand late and when others go to lunch they will create movement. Getting up and stomping around is how you drive deer to other hunters. Not saying that you can't still hunt some, but conditions (wind, non-crunchy ground) play a big part and for the most part you don't have much room to work with on Priest like you do other areas/wma's where you have 50 acre parcels to work with. For the most part, Priest is narrow border corridors between the lake and civilization—knowing how to work that and knowing that deer want to get off the WMA this time of year and combined with a ton of pressure you have to setup accordingly—walking around isn't the most productive method to hunt most property on Priest.

No i hunt tva, tellico lake and the CNF

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[Shanman]

Buzzard.... I use the same chair and it works great. The sheep hunters in Alaska use these style chairs and because of their sandy soil/glacial silt, they use tennis balls to keep the legs from sinking in. Works like a charm!

 

[Bucket]

I really like the Dead Ringer hammock seat for hunting hillsides:
Dead Ringer DR4460 Hammock Chair, One Size, Camo https://www.amazon.com/dp/B008RSVIIK/re ... 3DbY6N167E

 

[BULL MOOSE]

I really like the Dead Ringer hammock seat for hunting hillsides:
Dead Ringer DR4460 Hammock Chair, One Size, Camo https://www.amazon.com/dp/B008RSVIIK/re ... 3DbY6N167E

For that price, I might have to give it a try next year.

 

[TNDeerGuy]

Do you sit...still hunt or both...i find myself doing a little of both. I usually sit near good sign ie scat and scrapes mornings and evenings usually 2hrs is all i can stand it b4 im up. Opinions...lessons??? Im no expert by any means.

Sent from my SM-S327VL using Tapatalk

I believe from another thread you are hunting Priest, and I would sit still and let others do the work for you...stay in the stand late and when others go to lunch they will create movement. Getting up and stomping around is how you drive deer to other hunters. Not saying that you can't still hunt some, but conditions (wind, non-crunchy ground) play a big part and for the most part you don't have much room to work with on Priest like you do other areas/wma's where you have 50 acre parcels to work with. For the most part, Priest is narrow border corridors between the lake and civilization—knowing how to work that and knowing that deer want to get off the WMA this time of year and combined with a ton of pressure you have to setup accordingly—walking around isn't the most productive method to hunt most property on Priest.

No i hunt tva, tellico lake and the CNF

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Tellico Lake is kind of similar is that it is a small lake border WMA... look for funnels and other terrain features that will allow you to use the terrain to your advantage. Hunting trails is hit or miss, as they will shift depending on pressure and other external reasons such as food and weather.

CNF...that is just hard hunting, but terrain features will still be your best bet.

 

[Widowmaker]

I really like the Dead Ringer hammock seat for hunting hillsides:
Dead Ringer DR4460 Hammock Chair, One Size, Camo https://www.amazon.com/dp/B008RSVIIK/re ... 3DbY6N167E

For that price, I might have to give it a try next year.

I've used that seat for a few years and it's a great mobile setup. Takes less than a minute and you're sitting down. The only thing I've found is that the leg that supports it will dig into certain parts that you don't want anything digging in to. Lo and behold, they came out with a new model this year and it's like sitting in a Cadillac.


http://www.fanaticoutdoors.com/product/ ... ting-seat/