ADVICE - hunting public land

[fitter]

all is good advice if your in your own state or another one make friends with locals find were they hunt and stay out of those ares don't say it is public I'm going to hunt it anyway some local hunters can make a trip miserable 

[Rockhound]

Hunt where other hunters don't go. This does not always mean a remote spot, sometimes it means right off of the main road within sight of everyone else's trucks flying past to get to those distant remote spots. Sometimes it means setting up within sight of where you parked your vehicle and having to be careful to not hit it when you shoot.



FullChoke

ha i can tell storys about this

[Neill_Prater]

Hunt where other hunters don't go. This does not always mean a remote spot, sometimes it means right off of the main road within sight of everyone else's trucks flying past to get to those distant remote spots. Sometimes it means setting up within sight of where you parked your vehicle and having to be careful to not hit it when you shoot.



FullChoke

Some good advice here. I, over a period of a few years, killed three gobblers in a field in Kansas right along a well travelled road on public land. Don't ignore the obvious, I suppose, is the best way to put it.

[TennLongspur]

remember this - less is more. Don't over-call. On public land the pressure is usually so bad that turkeys get hammered at every year. call softly. And call seldomly. When he gobbles, get close, call softly, and seldomly. If you call and he responds - shut up and get ready. Also, a bird on public land is more wary that a private land bird. He is not going to let you get away with mistakes that a bird on private land might. believe me, he will have been educated.

Also, most hunters are not going to walk very far from the truck. Don't be afraid to wear out some shoe leather.

Good luck.

[TalksToTurkeys]

If you think you hear another hunter calling, go the other way.

Hunt Safely. I carry an orange hat with me, keep it handy but out of sight. Always setup against a large tree. Last year I was setup and calling when I heard something behind me, there was a nice deer trail there so I thought I would take a look. I slowly turned to look over my right shoulder and was shocked to see a guy standing about 20 yds. away with his shotgun up. I reached down with my left hand and grabbed my orange hat, pulled it out from between my legs quickly and yelled HEY. He lowered his gun and walked off. I'll never understand why people stalk the sound of a hen calling. That large tree and orange hat probably saved me from getting a face full of pellets.
But then again in the fall I heard a guy answer my hen yelps, the idiot started comming up the ridge toward me, I could hear him walking in the dry leaves, stopping and calling once in awhile. The autum olive was thick and I couldn't see him, so when he got pretty close I pulled out my orange hat and put it on, only to be greeted by Putt, Putt, Putt. No turkey is worth the risk of being shot. Hunt Safely.

[CallMaker]

Hunt the same way you would on private land.  Just try to stay as far as possible from other hunters. Last year I had a couple of bird watchers try to sneak in on my decoys.   They had binoculars and were all but crawling.  I heard them say look! I leaned out from behind the tree I was sitting by and hollered at them.  The lady was wearing a white baseball cap and a red shirt!  I went over and told them that it was turkey season and that white hat probably wasn't a good idea.   

[turkey slayer]

put on the walking boots and take off, get back in there as far away from roads as you can and if you do get on one dont make him gobble too much to draw attention from other hunters. But like others said get there early and stay as late as you can.

I agree the more you walk the better off you are!

[ssettle]

Hunt where other hunters don't go. This does not always mean a remote spot, sometimes it means right off of the main road within sight of everyone else's trucks flying past to get to those distant remote spots. Sometimes it means setting up within sight of where you parked your vehicle and having to be careful to not hit it when you shoot.

   that is what I do... I hunt a state forest. There two camps close by and I always see vehicals drive by even during week days. I perfer hunting weekdays Alot less traffic. I've killed several birds hunting in a 100 yard area but I also have a gasline that is about 300 yards away. I unable to hunt the gasline due to it being posted. I find birds like roosting near the place so that also is a big help. You will so alittle better killing birds if you are able to find an area they like to travel..ie roosting area to a field or strutting area....good luck and keep at it.

                                                       

FullChoke

[Nick_The_Tinkerer]

 

Great advice guys, keep it coming please.....the one about letting the roosted Tom know where you are so it won gobble on roost is an interesting thought I have never heard off before.

[Old Gobbler]

Look at the map of the public area ...... go to the spot that is farthest from any road or people --  this could be 5-6 miles of walking .......  works every time

[TrophyTracker]

Always come up with a back up plan. Plan A is good, but when something goes down, having a Plan B,C,D,E,and F in your back pocket, will keep you from bugging out, and giving up. Be flexible, and remember, "There are NO absolutes in turkey hunting"

[Curtdawg88]

Get there early, hunt till midday, just because you haven't seen a lot of trucks in a particular area doesn't mean there aren't turkeys there.  Hunt there.  Don't let your pride get the best of you, if someone wants to walk up on you and start something, be the bigger man and walk away, remember he has a gun too.  BE SAFE!

[mnturkey]

Pack a lunch and stay all day if you can.
I shot my first gobbler on Public land 100 yards from the parking lot.
Bring a lot of different calls, a wing bone yelper might just make the difference.
A custom call might make the difference something the birds have not heard yet.

They are still Turkeys and their going to do Turkey things.

[Shotgun]

It's all the same private or public.  The only difference is you dont have a clue who the other guy is around the corner. 

[hobbes]

There aren't any secrets to killing public land birds