Most pressured public land

[ncturkey]

What time of the season where you there? North Carolina game lands get alot of pressure. But I love to hunt them. Congrat's on getting your Osceola.

I think any Public area with easy access and close to a major city gets hammered.  I went to Mississippi State (Go Dawgs!!!)  and I can tell you the college guys hit the National forests pretty hard all week long.
Mississippi gets a nod.
Florida Public gets it pretty good too.  I was in line 2 hours before daylight to get a spot to kill an Osceola in 2001. Over 300 people begging to hunt and only about 150 allowed to enter.  I swear I thought I was in line at a B.A.S.S. Classic!!!
It was worth it though!!  Shot my Osceola on Public Land Baby!!!!    

[Philippe]

I know here in Missouri it gets ugly at some of the local conservation areas. I've been walked up on about a dozen times, as well as my brother and a guy i work with had his decoy shot right in front of him by two idiots listning to him call and walked up on his setup.

[TNTOM]

Another vote for MS.  It may be public but somebody's got a claim on most of it and they'll let you know about it. 

[Spurcollecta]

PA gets my vote, shot a gobbler on the first day several years ago and when it was done flopping there were 5 other guys standing around me.

Sounds like a typical weekend hunt on public land here in MS. I've had people almost beat me to the bird rite after the shot because they thought their partner shot. All they were trying to do was surround the gobbler and if someone bumped him hopefully one of the other four in their group would get a shot...

[Jbird22]

MS gets my vote. Been to Arkansas and Mizzou and there were a few hunters around but NONE like these ruthless warriors here in MS. It just gets worse every year too!

[K9Doc]

What time of the season where you there? North Carolina game lands get alot of pressure. But I love to hunt them. Congrat's on getting your Osceola.

I think any Public area with easy access and close to a major city gets hammered.  I went to Mississippi State (Go Dawgs!!!)  and I can tell you the college guys hit the National forests pretty hard all week long.
Mississippi gets a nod.
Florida Public gets it pretty good too.  I was in line 2 hours before daylight to get a spot to kill an Osceola in 2001. Over 300 people begging to hunt and only about 150 allowed to enter.  I swear I thought I was in line at a B.A.S.S. Classic!!!
It was worth it though!!  Shot my Osceola on Public Land Baby!!!!    

NCTurkey I was hunting the Green Swamp North and slightly east of LakeLand Florida.  It was opening day of the season and only 150 or so were allowed to enter.  They were lined up for a loooong ways to get into that gate.  Warden at the gate counting heads and only allowing certain number of hunters.  I have never seen anything like it!!!

[Hunt4Meat]

WHichever WMA in Arkansas that has ducks at the time.  You just think public land is crowded until you experience this.

TRUE! And to add to that, there were not many ducks this year and BM was still a mad house.

But any public area I go to seems to have "those kinda guys"

[VA_Birdhunter]

After reading what you all have experienced on public land I'll never complain again!  Every once and awhile i might run into somebody spring gobbler hunting on public land where I hunt but nothing like what you all speak of.  Now deer season is a different story it seems to dominate in the part of VA I hunt.   But it also seems after the fist week you don't see anyone out much turkey hunting except on weekends. 

[ncturkey]

That is where I am hunting this year. Around the second week in April is when I will be there.

What time of the season where you there? North Carolina game lands get alot of pressure. But I love to hunt them. Congrat's on getting your Osceola.

I think any Public area with easy access and close to a major city gets hammered.  I went to Mississippi State (Go Dawgs!!!)  and I can tell you the college guys hit the National forests pretty hard all week long.
Mississippi gets a nod.
Florida Public gets it pretty good too.  I was in line 2 hours before daylight to get a spot to kill an Osceola in 2001. Over 300 people begging to hunt and only about 150 allowed to enter.  I swear I thought I was in line at a B.A.S.S. Classic!!!
It was worth it though!!  Shot my Osceola on Public Land Baby!!!!    

NCTurkey I was hunting the Green Swamp North and slightly east of LakeLand Florida.  It was opening day of the season and only 150 or so were allowed to enter.  They were lined up for a loooong ways to get into that gate.  Warden at the gate counting heads and only allowing certain number of hunters.  I have never seen anything like it!!!

[Basin_hunter]

After reading what you all have experienced on public land I'll never complain again!  Every once and awhile i might run into somebody spring gobbler hunting on public land where I hunt but nothing like what you all speak of.  Now deer season is a different story it seems to dominate in the part of VA I hunt.   But it also seems after the fist week you don't see anyone out much turkey hunting except on weekends. 

x2 ! Yall got some horror stories ! 

[I-55Bandit]

Why I prefer private 

[joker]

PA is bad but MD is worce.

[mrclif]

Alabama WMA's are like a opening day dove hunt. You better be good at wing shootn. I live here so I can say it, I've seen  some of the most rude and disrespectfull people I ever seen last couple of years.
I was brought up huntn public land and have enough curtiousy to treat others how I would like to be treated. Most of em these days dont play like that no more.Anyway theres my rant.
                                     ROLL TIDE ROLL....................

[hoyt]

I've only hunted Ga., S.C. and Fl. public land. Out of the 3 states Fl. public land was the worse. Didn't matter how far I went back in I would always find a boot print. Just couldn't get away from the crowd. However, I didn't hunt much public land in Ga. back then there was no leases and private land was very easy to get permission...not to mention there were very few spring gobbler hunters.

PS...forgot to mention Illinois...I've never seen another turkey hunter on the public land I hunt here. Shawnee National Forest...there's plenty that hunt it, but it's a real big place and you can get real far back in if physically able.

[TrkyHntr]

Alabama



Shane