It seems the popularity of public-land hunting has exploded in recent years. In part, that’s because outdoor media has popularized it as a cool and challenging way to deer hunt. But for many — myself included — the decision to hunt public land stemmed from necessity.
I first started hunting public land in college, after moving four hours from home to an area where I didn’t know anyone. If I wanted to continue hunting, I either had to knock on doors or look for public opportunities. And while knocking on doors was still a pretty viable option at the time, I was fortunate to be going to school just a stone’s throw from Land Between the Lakes National Recreational Area, which offered over 150,000 acres of fields and forests to roam. Additionally, there were a few state Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs) around, and several thousand acres of timber company land that could be hunted with the purchase of a $15 permit.
Over the years, I continued to hunt public land off and on, and I even managed a few WMAs for two different state wildlife agencies along the way. I learned the ins and outs of public land hunting, as well as some of the misconceptions and common mistakes made by hunters new to the challenge.
If you’re considering giving public-land hunting a try this fall, my hope is this article will help you avoid some of the same mistakes I made, clear up some commonly repeated misconceptions, and improve your odds of success this fall.
Finding Public Hunting Opportunities
The first step as a new public land hunter is to find some productive land in the area you want to hunt, whether that’s right down the road or halfway across the country. Fortunately for today’s hunter, there is tons of great information available right at your fingertips.
Most state wildlife agencies have online guides and maps of their public hunting opportunities, and there are great apps available from private companies, like onX Hunt, that will also help you quickly find government land anywhere in the country.
Types of Public Hunting Land
When you begin your search, you’ll quickly find there are several types of public land, and they can vary from one state to the next. Most states have some form of state-managed lands that may be called Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs), State Game Lands (SGL), State Wildlife Areas (SWA), or some other designated acronym. In addition to those areas managed by the state wildlife agency, you may also find state and national forests, state parks, national wildlife refuges, and even some military bases allow hunting.
More and more states also offer access to tracts of private land through lease programs where the state pays private landowners to open their properties to public hunting access. You’ll sometimes see these referred to as Walk-In Hunting Areas (WHAs), although here in Georgia, we call them Voluntary Public Access areas (VPAs). Regardless of the name or acronym, it’s a great program that opens the door for more hunters to enjoy access to private lands.
Know the Rules
Each of these public land types comes with its own set of regulations, access rules, and hunting opportunities, so it’s important to understand what’s allowed on each specific property. Just because an area is open to public hunting doesn’t mean you can show up and hunt it however you please. Before you step foot on any piece of public ground, take the time to learn the rules that apply—because they’re not always the same from one property to the next.
The best way to start learning those rules is by reading through the annual hunting regulations for the state you plan to hunt well in advance of deer season. Then, once you have a general overview of the rules for hunting public land in that state, dig into the regulations for the specific tracts you’d like to hunt.
If there’s any confusion about when you can or can’t hunt or other specifics, reach out directly to the agency responsible for managing the property. I see far too many hunters asking about season dates or regulations for public lands on Facebook, where they often get confusing advice – much of it just flat out wrong. Don’t be the guy who gets a ticket because you got your information from a Facebook group.
Scouting Public Land
Once you’ve picked out some potential tracts and done your due diligence learning the rules, it’s time to start locating potential hunting locations. And I always start that process with some digital scouting. Tools like onX make it easy to look at aerial photos and topographic maps and start narrowing down areas that either attract deer or repel hunters – ideally, both.
I begin by eliminating areas close to easy access points like parking lots, open hardwoods near roads, and spots with obvious food plots that tend to draw crowds. Then I start looking for places that are harder to reach—sections with limited access, thick cover, steep terrain, or water barriers like creeks or swamps.
“If I’m not seeing the kind of sign I want, I move on. It doesn’t matter how good it looked on the map—if the deer aren’t using it now, I’m not wasting my time hoping they’ll show up.”
Deer, especially mature bucks, naturally gravitate to these low-pressure pockets where they feel safe. And more often than not, they’re using habitat edges—where different types of vegetation meet—to travel and feed. That might be where a pine stand meets a hardwood bottom, or where a recent clearcut borders mature timber.
Once I’ve marked a few of these promising areas on my map, it’s time to get boots on the ground. I’ll head into each area looking for fresh sign—tracks, trails, rubs, scrapes, and droppings. I’m also keeping an eye out for potential stand trees, noting how various wind directions may impact hunting the area, and figuring out entry and exit routes.
If I’m not seeing the kind of sign I want, I move on. It doesn’t matter how good it looked on the map—if the deer aren’t using it now, I’m not wasting my time hoping they’ll show up. The goal is to stack the odds in your favor, and that means hunting where the deer are, not where you think they should be.
One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned is that scouting public land isn’t something you do once and check off the list. It’s an ongoing process. Each deer season builds on the last, and the more time you spend learning a property, the more it starts to make sense.
You’ll start recognizing patterns—where the deer like to bed, how they travel certain terrain features, which spots get hammered by other hunters. Over time, you develop a much better feel for where and when to hunt.
Hunting and Expectations
After you’ve thoroughly scouted the property and have numerous high-odds spots picked out, all that’s left to do is hunt! And while the actual hunting aspect isn’t a whole lot different on public land than private, I do think it’s important to go into your first season of public-land hunting with the appropriate expectations.
The fact is, hunting pressure can be high on public lands. Just know going in that you may run into other hunters, or there may be a truck parked in the spot you scouted and couldn’t wait to hunt. If you’re prepared for those situations, then it won’t be a big issue. If not, you’re going to be frustrated.
Have I been walked in on during a hunt? Absolutely. Have I walked in on someone else hunting? Yep. But that’s just part of the experience when hunting public land. If you’re prepared for it, there’s no need for frustration or animosity.
Hunting public land can be tough, but it also can be very productive and extremely rewarding when the chips fall your way. Despite what you’ll likely hear in hunting forums or Facebook groups, it’s not inherently dangerous. And you can get away from the crowds if you’re willing to put in the legwork. I’ve been at it for over 25 years now, and I’ve had very few issues with other hunters.
Public Land Etiquette
There are some things we can all do to minimize any chance of an unpleasant confrontation while hunting public land. It’s often referred to as hunter etiquette. It’s subjective, but most can agree on some basic, common sense “unspoken rules” when sharing a property with other hunters.
Here are a few of mine:
- Treat others the way you’d want to be treated. This one sums up all the others. Don’t do something to another hunter you wouldn’t want done to you.
- Hunting on public land is always first-come, first-served. No matter how much you’ve scouted an area or how many times you’ve hunted it, if you aren’t the first one there, move on. There’s no saving spots with flagging ribbon or by hanging a stand. Be the first one there or go somewhere else.
- Don’t walk around the woods stalking or scouting during a busy hunt, particularly during primetime morning and evening hours. Chances are you’re going to ruin someone else’s hunt. There are exceptions to this, if you know for certain there is no one else in the area. I’ve done it on the last evening of a three-day hunt after the majority of hunters have packed up and left. Just use common sense when deciding when and where to do so.
- Leave the flagging ribbon at home. This one is a personal pet peeve of mine from my time managing public land. First off, there is no saving spots, which is what most hunters hanging survey tape are trying to do. Second, very few hunters bother taking the ribbon down after the hunt. As I mentioned above, if you really want to hunt a spot, make sure you’re the first one there!
- Be kind to one another. If you do walk in on another hunter, simply wave and move on. If you happen to run into other hunters at the parking area before going in, go over and talk to them. Get a feel for where everyone is hunting so you can avoid issues during the hunt. And if you see a hunter in need, help them out.
Final Thoughts
Public land deer hunting isn’t always easy, but it’s absolutely worth it. It forces you to become a better woodsman, sharpens your scouting skills, and makes every successful hunt feel earned. Whether you’re getting into it out of necessity or just chasing a new challenge, don’t let the learning curve or occasional frustrations scare you off.
Start small, scout smart, respect other hunters, and keep stacking knowledge season after season. Before long, you’ll look back and realize just how far you’ve come. And when you drag that first public-land buck out of the woods, I promise — it’ll be one of the most rewarding hunts of your life.