Pressured Public Land Whitetail: Tips - My Way

Do you hunt Public Land? Do you hunt PRESSURED Public Land Whitetail like I do? (don't forget to view the pictures below)

Let me disclose this: I hunted a lease last year, arrowed a booner, and afterwards, I couldn't believe the movement that buck let me get away with. I know luck was on my side (ok, lots of luck), but I still credit my perseverance, caution with wind, stand placement, map reading, etc., and (tooting my own horn) shooting skills. Had that buck lived where I typically hunt, he would have picked me off the tree before I would have even known he was there. I would have come home with a KS Tag Sandwich -"Believe Dat"!

So today, I am going to share a few strategies I use to hunt a piece of dirt, an island in IL. 

#1. "Scout & Hunt the Hunters": This strategy is a constant for me, and it's a good opportunity to meet people . On pre-season (planning your spots of choice), check out where hunters are heading to and/or coming from scouting. During the season, adjusting to newbies, weekend warriors (like me mostly), or just wannabies is a must because not all of the hunters have scouted or spent time on the field enough for you to have noticed/pattern them. Know the vehicles and what hunter drives what. Talking to hunters about their plans really helps. They may share their "favorite" area. If all possible, hunt during the week as much as possible and  avoid weekend warrior traffic.

#2. Know the property like the back of your hand: This is the "off season grind". The grind could be fun. Turkey hunt, shed hunt, shroom hunt, stump shoot (where allowed), and/or even coyote hunt! You will learn so much. Take notes of the landmarks you see, like old foundations, old wooden stands, fences, etc. In conversing with other hunters, those landmarks will come up, and you will know NOT to waste your time hunting those areas. I don't recommend still hunting on pressured public lands. Where I hunt, the deer are scared of their own shadow. They have ZERO tolerance for movement, scent, intrusion. 

  

#3. Know the food sources: The dirt I hunt doesn't have acorn producing trees.  It has (and I can count them with my fingers) very few persimmon trees. Depending on floods, conservation and Corp of Engineers may plant (and rotate) corn and bean crops. If lucky, the farmers cut the corn before deer season starts.  Evenings hunts, early season, are more productive and field  edges are my favorite. Late season, know what standing food source is left. If you are curious what deer are feeding on, do what I did. I cut open the stomach of a doe my buddy killed, and saw she was slamming a common mast that produces beggar lice (dang things stick on your clothes so bad, many hunters avoid them). We were hunting primarily standing corn, but once we new their diet, we switched our set-ups and killed two more does in less than a week, had multiple encounters with small bucks and quality sighting with wall hangers. (Knowing the property really helped because we new where a strong concentration of these beggar lice-producing plants were). Note: If you don't kill a deer yourself, put out the question amongst hunters in your area.

#4. Look for the nastiest, swampiest, most difficult access points: Like deer, most hunters seek the path with least resistance and don't want to put effort to get to or through those areas. Well, I don't hunt just any deer. PRESSURED whitetail, the most mature, smartest, most difficult to kill deer live or travel those areas - they don't mind feeling safe. Make it count because they will pattern you.

#5. Go Far!:  Very few hunters go where I go. Those that try, do so just a few times, once they realize the physical and time demands to just get to "a spot". Adding to this, these hunters typically do not do their scouting and realize they are wasting their time. Last, but not least, (and they have voiced it out loud) they talk about how difficult it would be to "drag a deer out".  Therefore, I choose to take a two mile bike ride, then walk some more. (Note: Some deer are so smart, I have come back from a hunt, and they are yards away from the parking lot. Scout.)

Quick recap of what I go through: I drive to the parking lot. Change into my bike-riding wear. Unload my bike.  Load up my bike with my "stuff". Take the ride. Park. Change into my hunting clothes. Walk with my gear & stand. Set up my stand, climb up, and knock an arrow. Kill nothing, break down,.... head home. There is NO DOUBT it takes a special hunter to go above and beyond, on a consistent basis, to "ride south". (Where I hunt, it's called the south end). The ride alone from the parking lot to where I park the bike takes approximately 25-30 minutes on a perfect day - more depending on wind direction and speed, snow on the ground, temperature, etc. Overall, from the time I leave the parking lot to the time I have knocked an arrow is approximately 1.25 to 1.50 hours. If I kill a deer, add an extra 1.5 to 2 hours, because I have to pedal  it out (I attach the deer cart to my bike. It's a sight.)

Word of caution: Know federal, state, and local rules & regulations. Where I hunt, I'm able to use a bike. We cannot use anything motorized. Some areas don't even allow bikes. Also, because a bike is considered a type of conveyance, I (we) have to use a carrabeaner with screwable latch, a lock, or a zip-tie to render our weapon (bow) non-operable during transportation. 

#6.  Get in early or real late in the morning:  part of hunting these types of dirt, we have to beat the "other" hunter(s). I like to be set 45-60 minutes before daylight. By the time other unrealistic hunters show up, they have no clue what direction you headed AND may even bump deer your way.  If you hit the snooze button once too many times, wait until 9:30-10 a.m. to be in your hunting spot. These are the times when most hunters are done AND will once again bump deer. Pre-rut and rut time, take ur lunch and MAKE IT HAPPEN! 

#7.  Use as much natural cover as possible & practice being stealth:  these deer come out of the womb looking up at at trees. It's an exaggeration to make a point. I can't tell you how many times I've been picked off by deer (especially does) when they come out of cover, even after I have exercised the utmost careful maneuvers. It's almost as if they are processing the thought "jokes on you!"  Where allowed, set up your ground blind with little alteration as possible.  If tree stand hunting, choose your lanes wisely without cutting too many branches/leaves! Both ground and tree set-ups are to be done over a month in advance and with scent precautions. Take a friend to help.  When I kill a mature doe, I celebrate it as killing a P&Y caliber whitetail - a trophy.

#8.  Safety, Safety, Safety: Make sure to always let your significant other, friend, and/or a hunting buddy know where you are hunting. Charge your phone. Wear your harness (if applicable). Carry an extra light. Etc. 

#9.  NOW, all the other tips & strategies apply: Scent control, hunt the wind, do not over hunt one spot, entrance & exit routes, etc. etc. etc. These hightly pressured deer DO NOT HAVE THE SAME TOLERANCE that deer in low-to-no pressured areas have, down to the #1 business. Even that's a big no-no.

#10.  OTHER: keep your kill a secret as much as possible; meaning, don't parade it amongst the hunters in the parking lot! If caught carting or dragging your deer out, "alter" your story (kill location) a little bit - aka, "Bust out a white lie!" did I really say that? Yes, I went there.  

Most hunters, like me, have a real job, are tired, are getting up in age, have family duties, and/or are weekend warriors. They neither have the energy left, time, or are not willing to put in the time to "do what it takes". That's a tough remark, but it's true.  I'm aiming this write-up toward hunters like me that don't own or have access to private land, but are willing to go above and beyond, or are just outright hunting freakz and can't stay away from the challenge. I can't afford to waste my time afield, so I make the best of it. I hunt for meat, yes, but in IL, I can't afford to kill just "anything" (that Non-Resident tag is expensive - so I up'ed my standards due financial, NOT elitist reasons).  

p.s. #11. Don't forget late season: Late season is awesome. I killed the bucks on the same year pictured on this post. Bucks? Yes, the rack came from a 2.5 year old I killed early season. Dragging him out was so long and brutal, we ruined its cape. The cart was rendered obsolete where I killed him. The cape came off a 5.5 old buck - a tired, mature, beat-up, warrior.  I knew he was a trophy the second I saw him. He was THE TROPHY! Killing a nice buck is one thing. Killing a wise old buck on pressured public land - THAT is surreal. I and my hunting partner were THE ONLY ONES literally hunting hard the last weekend. We were practically the only ones hunting the last few weeks - period.

Try all or at least some that may apply to your situation. Good luck and God bless.  May your freezers be filled with backstraps and your homes with joy. 

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