Public land

[Paulmyr]

I have hunted (the same) small private pieces, but I'm considering a public land hunt in a national forest for the first time.  It's intimidating to take the plunge.  I've done for deer hunting and shot a few does, but haven't tried it for turkeys.  I'm not a great turkey hunter and I'd imagine I would look even worse hunting heavily pressured birds.

Nah.  They are still turkeys.  Just find one that has not been called at constantly and is willing to play and you will be golden. A lot of the heroes on here give the public land bird mythical status and intelligence.  It just makes them feel better.

Yup. Nothing mythical about them. I hunt public only. They might be a little quieter and a little more Leary but they still do what turkeys do. Bigger tracts of public are easier than smaller ones. Better chance to get away from the crowds. As pressure increases on smaller tracts you'll find a good number of the birds will beeline to private less Pressured or unpressured land after flydown. Some will hang around but don't give up their locations so readily. It may not sound like it but they are there and can be killed.

[bigriverbum]

i got an email this morning saying wisconsin public land was still open to hunt, but no scouting so i went out tonight and pulled 2 of my public land trail cams(first i've ever put out). i'm getting the 3rd tomorrow night

both were out about 2 weeks and i had 2 or 3 deer and 2 or 3 toms on each. one of the toms was even strutting on april 5th. pretty excited to see the pics. i know in the future i could improve where i put them and where i aim them

i even got a pic of a really cute girl hiking in muck boots and what looked like a white claw lol i'm such a creep. i shot a nubbin buck about 200 yards from this cam this winter

[bigriverbum]

also lots of pics of me putting them up and a coon and a huge coyote. hoping i i eventually get a bobcat or cougar on one. i drove up on a bobcat while going out to run my lab this winter

[DP42912]

I have hunted (the same) small private pieces, but I'm considering a public land hunt in a national forest for the first time.  It's intimidating to take the plunge.  I've done for deer hunting and shot a few does, but haven't tried it for turkeys.  I'm not a great turkey hunter and I'd imagine I would look even worse hunting heavily pressured birds.

Nah.  They are still turkeys.  Just find one that has not been called at constantly and is willing to play and you will be golden. A lot of the heroes on here give the public land bird mythical status and intelligence.  It just makes them feel better.

.

[RiverRoost]

Is there a map online somewhere that shows you where all the national forests are located throughout the country. I solely hunt private but that's because I don't have any public around me that's not draw hunt type. I'd like to hunt more public for the space to roam but as someone mentioned it can seem a little intimidating to take the initial plung.

[Paulmyr]

Many states and counties have a gis system that show public land

[AppalachianHollers]

Many states and counties have a gis system that show public land

Yep, but be sure to change the "base map" to USA topo, because sometimes the property boundaries are different. It can work in your favor, where you actually have a little more land to hunt on than you think of you only look at the shaded satellite photo.


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[g8rvet]

Hero.

No one said a heavily pressured bird is not harder to kill.  In fact, the opposite was said.  I have hunted public land with access to lightly pressured birds and I have hunted private birds that were heavily pressured.  But any of them can still be killed when you find them on the right day.  He insinuated that all public birds are heavily pressured and we were saying that was not always the case.

I'll accept your knowledge of heads up a##es.  Not my area of expertise.

PS:  I just went back and looked at all replies to see what was said to encourage the one poster that was worried he could not kill a public bird:

"Nothing is harder about public birds unless you hunt with everyone else."

"Just find one that has not been called at constantly"

"Better chance to get away from the crowds"

[g8rvet]

You are an idiot.   I specifically said to find one that has not been called at constantly.  I know you think you are Mr Wonderful turkey killer and all.  All hail.   Welcome to the ignore list DA

[paboxcall]

But any of them can still be killed when you find them on the right day.

. They're just turkeys doing what turkeys do.

I hunt 100% public ground, which gets hit hard for weeks on end. Challenge of public is having a strong plan B, plan C, plan D, etc.

[mtns2hunt]

Public land is and always will be more difficult to hunt than private. I love the mountains but they are extemely hard to hunt. Game can be scarce and you may have limited oppertunites so better make them count. Make sure you know how to call when hunting turkeys and have scouted a lot preseason. Hiking away from trail heads or roads is time consuming and will wear one down quickly over time. Weather is often unpredictable and combined with difficult terain can take its toll. Being in good shape will make a hunt easier, climbing, lifting weight and cutting wood are some of the prepartations I use to get conditioned. I also shoot year around both shotguns and rifles. Nothing is more depressing than to miss a shot after days of hunting public land.

I am talking about the East not some DIY hunt out West. I have hunted Wyoming, Montana, New Mexico and Canada and they can be difficult. In the East I hunt the Jefferson and George Washington NF about 1.6 million acres. I don't know about all the "heros" on here but hunting can be down right miserable at times. However, success can be sweet.

I seldom find pressured birds on public land I hunt because I hike in very early and through the use of maps, GPS and scouting key in on areas that seldom if ever see a hunter. I do hunt presured birds on private land because of all the neaibors.

Sorry about the long post but what I frequently read on here so often varies from my experience of public land hunting. Its very hard but completly doable. I just never hear about the sweat, blood, blisters, sore muscles, bottles of tylenol, bad weather, days of seeing no game that I have experienced. Maybe I am doing something wrong like setting my goals or standards too high but when success occurs it is sweet and I can just smile at all the folks riding the roads that never really understand what hunting public is all about. I do understand that obligations such as family or work can limit ones time to prepare or even hunt public land but with the current Corona Virus making its impact now is the perfect time to hit public land. This means even if you just pick a trail and start walking. No telling what is around the next bend. So RiverRoost I highly suggest you give it a try.

[Mossberg90MN]

100% public. I have a buddy who offers to let me hunt his property for deer. But just because it's private doesn't mean it's good property... I respectfully decline and head to public. I prefer the options of different pieces of land. Freedom to roam.  And the challenge public land presents... makes you feel like you really earned it.


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[Tomfoolery]

100% public here in Louisiana.  Only private I do is my lease in west Texas. it is VERY tough here in LA because theres no such thing as a bird that hasn't been fooled with. Most have been called at before the season even opens. The land I hunt on has many a roads through it so the idea of walking deep is not an option... the farther you get from one road, the closer you get to another. As soon as day breaks the sound of gravel popping turns up. People driving roads and calling from their vehicles. It's frustrating and plays on your mind, but 99% of them never get out of their vehicles unless they hear a gobble. Then they drive off. Just last week I was set up on a bird that gobbled 3 times in the tree. After he got quiet I had a hen come in and was pecking around at 15 yards, a truck slowly drove by(I'm about 150 yards off the road) stopped, crow called twice, then after a few seconds, blew an airhorn out his window. The hen just kind of froze for a bit, then he drove off and she went back to pecking around. The gobbler fired back up about an hour later, by that time the traffic had died down. We don't have gated trails, and I've had people drive around my truck, and up to my set up before. If I'm walking down a trail I usually try to block it, but they sometimes still find a way around. It just blows my mind that someone can drive around a vehicle parked on a dead end trail when it's obvious someone is hunting there. Even had a nasty note left on the truck last week.. "next time you block the trail I'll move it myself" lol and the tire tracks were around the truck, he got around anyways so what's the big deal? Lol. I honestly believe that some people would rather screw everyone's hunt up than see someone else kill a bird, and it's a very sad mentality.  Very frustrating but I shake it off and keep at it. And sooner or later I get my reward. I've killed private land turkeys...and it's just as much fun watching it happen. But I feel more rewarded when I get my public land birds.

[AppalachianHollers]

100% public here in Louisiana.  Only private I do is my lease in west Texas. it is VERY tough here in LA because theres no such thing as a bird that hasn't been fooled with. Most have been called at before the season even opens. The land I hunt on has many a roads through it so the idea of walking deep is not an option... the farther you get from one road, the closer you get to another. As soon as day breaks the sound of gravel popping turns up. People driving roads and calling from their vehicles. It's frustrating and plays on your mind, but 99% of them never get out of their vehicles unless they hear a gobble. Then they drive off...

Sounds like you have to stick to your plan from scouting and wait out the guys who waited to do their scouting when season started.


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[Tomfoolery]

100% public here in Louisiana.  Only private I do is my lease in west Texas. it is VERY tough here in LA because theres no such thing as a bird that hasn't been fooled with. Most have been called at before the season even opens. The land I hunt on has many a roads through it so the idea of walking deep is not an option... the farther you get from one road, the closer you get to another. As soon as day breaks the sound of gravel popping turns up. People driving roads and calling from their vehicles. It's frustrating and plays on your mind, but 99% of them never get out of their vehicles unless they hear a gobble. Then they drive off...

Sounds like you have to stick to your plan from scouting and wait out the guys who waited to do their scouting when season started.


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Pretty much!