Public land unspoken rules

[MS Turkey Chaser]

I'll be doing most of my hunting on public land in TN and was curious as to what to expect since this will be my first season doing so.  Fortunately I still have access to a couple pieces of property in MS so I will be able to hopefully fool with a few birds before TN season opens.  My question is what are some of the unspoken rules for hunting turkeys on public land other than avoiding areas where other people are parked, etc. 

[tha bugman]

Really depends on who you are dealing with.  Some folks honor someone already on a bird...others just barge in...the true answer is...you just really never know.  The only hunting etiquette that you can truly depend on is your own.

[Happy]

I hunt a good bit of public land. My advise is have multiple spots selected to hunt. You will have people to deal with,especially early on the season. Be willing to get up extra early, walk further and hunt harder than anyone else. Hunt to as long as legally allowed and don't expect it to be easy. Be respectful of others and treat them how you would like to be treated. That's all you can control. It takes a different breed in my opinion to be able to take public land turkeys consistently. Most of it is mental toughness and a willingness to work. Birds are often not as plentiful and you can have hunts screwed up by others. In my opinion there is a sense of satisfaction in killing a tom on public land that can't be matched on a private plot that you have sole access to. Good luck

[MS Turkey Chaser]

I've already scouted several spots and plan on doing a lot of listening in the next month.  Just looking forward to spending some time in new woods and the challenges of public land hunting while trying to be courteous to fellow hunters. 

[Happy]

Do your best to give others space if they are working a bird and do your best to avoid areas you know people are hunting. That's all you can do. Above all be safe. It's public land and open to anyone so sometimes you will run into people and vice versa. Nothing to get to worked up over.

[falltoms]

I hunt public land exclusively in 3 to 4 states every year. Find a big chunk of public land, that will get you away from most of the crowd,especially if there is no road access to a big part of it..Also, hunt till legel quitting time. Most people quit after the first couple hours. This has served me well over the years. Personally,  I would rather hunt public land over private. To me it's more satisfying

[Mossyguy]

If you've scouted spots continuously only to find someone has beaten you to your spot on opening morning move on. Don't get upset...that's why it pays to have multiple areas in mind. I've arrived two hours early sometimes just to make sure I was the first one. You may lose sleep but the really early bird gets the worm!

[makestomstremble]

One of the best birds I've taken on public came on a morning the spot I had planned to hunt had a pickup already parked there. I went another direction, parked at another location, walked in half mile, had stopped to look things over, and without any warning, had a group of about 15 birds literally walk right up to me. Point being, you never know where they are going to turn up. If I see a pickup, or other evidence of someone already in a spot, I just move on, and wish everyone else would do the same. Oh, and don't get too ticked off when they see you, and come set up 60 yards from you. To hunt public land you will have to have thick skin, otherwise, I'd just hunt private. If you get where you can kill longbeards on public land with any consistancy, hunting on private land with little to no hunting pressure may feel unfair to you.

[Panhandle_strutter]

Some really good advice already here but I would say like most versatility always pays off on public for me personally. Twice on the same piece of public I have tried to either hunt somewhere else or got in for a mid morning hunt and killed a bird in that exact area. The catch being if you go there first thing in the morning you wont hear any roost gobbles because they are roosted deep on private. The area I killed them in is simply where they want to be. Try to find overlooked areas that may not be appealing to the eye but as long as the turkeys show up that's all that matters. It gets you away from people and avoids most conflict. I found that spot because someone else was hunting where I originally wanted to go. Also sticking put in a spot has paid off big time for me. Even if I heard someone else calling as long as they leave I'll stick it out if I know a bird is nearby. I'm only 27 but have learned the hard way to stay put an extra 30 mins or hr on public and I've been really successful. I would slap my younger self if I could for screwing up a bunch of opportunities due to impatience!! Honestly all you can do is treat others like you would want to be and hope they do the same for you.

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[tha bugman]

Also, realize that just because you get to the gate first doesnt mean someone else won't park right beside you...had that happen more times than I can count.

[LaLongbeard]

I hunt only public land in Louisiana and 3-4 other states a year. I've seen just about anything you could imagine on public land. The main two things don't park next to anyone and if you walk a long ways into an area you may not know someone else is working the bird you heard gobble. If after closing the distance you hear someone calling to the gobbler walk away and find another.
Not everyone follows these guidelines and is the reason public land gets a bad rap.
If you have the time and want to see what not to do in action come to Louisiana, we have the absolute  worst Turkey hunters in North America. I doubt 1 in 50 ever kill a turkey and they have 0 ethics's or care about any rules unspoken or otherwise.
 

[Old Gobbler]

Stay away from other people. The birds are no problem ...its the people

Find remote spots and you will lead a happier hunting life

[ddturkeyhunter]

Don't know if you use decoys or not. But first time I hunted public land in Florida second day out a guy shot my Jake decoy. I will never use a Jake decoy on Public land again. So if use decoys be careful on your set up. And if that tom is gobbleing because you keep calling to him, remember someone else might here him and come running also.

[MS Turkey Chaser]

Thanks for the replies gentlemen.  No decoys on public land for me.  Only time I use decoys is when dealing with hard headed field birds on private.  Pretty sure I would've been in need for drawer changing after that experience dd

[CALLM2U]

Also, realize that just because you get to the gate first doesnt mean someone else won't park right beside you...had that happen more times than I can count.

For me, this is the hardest one to stomach but it's spot on.   I will park at the same pace as someone else IF, and only if, I have an opportunity to talk to them before we leave the vehicles and can determine which way they are going so we don't hunt over each other.    Other people rarely take that approach.