Stand location on small public parcel

[BoxMN]

So I am new at this bow stuff

I am going to hunt a small state forest land, about 40 acres total. It is narrow and long, with lake on one side and swamp on the other. So it limits places to go without walking through the whole thing.

There is one other group (two young guys I think) who hunt it and occassinally a truck I haven't seen before. The young guys leave one stand up all year, and I will most likely hunt in the vicinity. How close is too close? If they are not there (they only hunted after the rifle season last year, but I am duck hunting all October, so not really sure how much it gets used then) it is no prob.

But if I get out earlier than them, and I use my climber about 50 yards away, is that too close? I am just off a logging trail, and so are they. I will try to talk to them ahead of time anyway, I know them a bit. But just wondering cause I go farther down I just think I would be spooking chit away. Anyway, new to hunting deer on public land, and also new to bows. Thanks for thoughts.

ps, I will hunt it about 2 weekends in Sept.(one day each weekend) maybe one in October, and then after rifle season, so not like I will out there a ton.

[goblueM]

i would definitely talk to them. If I were in their position I might be peeved about a stand 50 yards away, despite public land.

you might even share knowledge with each other, learn something good!

edit - I would think on a small parcel, if you have several parties hunting that close, you're bound to push deer out

[leech~~]

BoxMN, 50 yards is to close even if their in your own party. Someone is going to get cut off and not like it! Are you hunting up by your place in Cross Lake? If so there is a ton of public land to hunt just North of there, and some south, not to mention the whole Refuge right out of town. I know scouting takes time but there are a ton of little wood lots up there. Just keep and eye on the Deer we almost hit in the ditches when driving back and forth all summer and find a spot in the woods by the most that you see in one area!

[BoxMN]

Yeah, I gotcha, I know if I saw a truck in the road I would not even go out there. BTW, this is all about 500 feet from my driveway, and in the Refuge So it is pretty easy. I have named about all the deer, and to be honest, they are not too spooked. No feeding going on either, so its not like that, no bad stuff at all.

And I know 50 yards would not fly if they were out there, but I am talking when only one party is there, or if I got there first. Just wondering if deer hunting on public land is like duck hunting, you get there first, you hunt, the other guy looks elsewhere.

This isn'y big buck territory, it is shoot a doe for food and there are tons of them as you say, all over in the ditches. But how do I know there are not hunters there too?.... I watch these deer all year round, walk the trails every weekend. This year I just happened to get a bow and ready to shot one, ha! I've only seen one decent buck there in 11 years, but I do know they are there. Anyway, thanks. Best advice is talk to the guys I know who hunt it and see when they plan to be there, keep it all good.

[deerminator]

I agree with what you're saying Box, I would just remind myself, though that this is public land. These guys don't have any more right to hunt it than you do just because they've been doing it for awhile. I can't stand that mentatily. Point being if you want to set up a stand 50 yards from their's, by all means do it. They don't own the land!!! I would just use commone courtesy as you've suggested. If a truck is there already, set up further away or move on to another spot. The good news is as Leech suggests, there is a lot of public land up there and a bowhunter should have many spots as to not pressure he deer by overhunting one particular place too much. So you might not have to worry about bumping into them all that much. I set up next to our neighbor during gun season sometimes between 200-300 feet away on our narrow plots of land behind our houses. We know where each other is and that none has any special right to the deer over another especially since we're hunting on our own properties. The key is safety and common courtesy.

[BoxMN]

You guys have offered good advice. I was thinking more about it tonight, I think I will probably talk to my neighbor, he stops using his cabin about Labor day, and maybe throw a stand on his property. That way I have a place to hunt if there is a truck there, and I won't mess anybody up. I would probably only use that one in the evening.

And the guys hunting it now, that I know of, are just kids who are still in high school, so they haven't been doing it too long, in the grand scheme Probably just like me, they hunt the area cause it is so close to their place more so than it is a great place to hunt.

I do grouse hunt up there too, so know the old grade to the north, and the WMA's, and some of the other public places real close. It is nice that there are so many places, I just wonder about going there in the morning and finding that there are trucks all over... At least by my place I can just walk back home and go back to sleep, haha! Heck, I suppose I could just hunt from my roof too, the deer aren't even that afraid of my lazy dog anymore I want to get payback for all my pines trees they ate before I got smart enough to put cages around them, heh! I spose they will be scare as hen's teeth once the season opens though...

The whole deer hunting on public land is new to me though, where I rifle hunt is all on friends land and we don't have to worry, we know where everybody is all the time, even the neighbors. I certainly don't want to pizz anybdoy off, but don't want to limit my access when I am following the law. Thanks for thoughts, I will continue to take advice!

[Farley]

I spose they will be scare as hen's teeth once the season opens though...

That seems to be how it usually goes. I would try to catch the guys you think hunt it regular at their trucks some night and just have a conversation with them, see if they've had luck out there in the past, etc.. who knows maybe they'll let you sit in thier stand on days they know they wont be out there.

[Bear55]

I would just remind myself, though that this is public land. These guys don't have any more right to hunt it than you do just because they've been doing it for awhile. I can't stand that mentatily. Point being if you want to set up a stand 50 yards from their's, by all means do it. They don't own the land!!!

This is the way I feel too, it's public land and we all have the right to setup where we want to hunt. If someone else is hunting an area and actually in the stand I will give them plenty of room. However there are some places I have scouted out and have walked back in there only to find a stand setup on public land. If I like that spot and I am there first I have no problem setting up. If they show up I'm sure they will be all [PoorWordUsage] off but I have no problem explaining to them it is public land and that I was just as upset when I found a stand in a location I wanted to hunt.

Now experience has taught me that anyone leaving a stand up on public land probably overhunts that stand and that any nice buck will have been pressured out of the area so hunting there is probably a bad idea. I usually just find a nice spot further back or go into some nasty stuff no other hunters will venture into. That also happens to be where the older bucks like to hang out.

[Bowfin]

I used to hunt the Crosslake Refuge a lot in the 80's. Lots of deer and some large racks in there also. There used to be spots in there you could get away from others if you are willing to walk. If I lived across the road from the refuge, that's where I'd be!

[surewood]

I personally would find a different location. Mostly cause it would get over hunted. I think you'll have much better luck finding more deer in a differnt spot.

[leech~~]

I personally would find a different location. Mostly cause it would get over hunted. I think you'll have much better luck finding more deer in a differnt spot.

surewood, you don't come all the way over from Hill city to hunt that Refuge do you? Hey where else can you Bow hunt in the morning and play 18 holes in the after noon?

[BoxMN]

surewood, you don't come all the way over from Hill city to hunt that Refuge do you? Hey where else can you Bow hunt in the morning and play 18 holes in the after noon?

More like hunt ducks in the AM (come October, not in refuge), fish in the midday (fall smallies), and then go watch for deer in the afternoon. That is my plan so far, maybe if/when I get more into this bow hunting thing I will put forth more effort

[deerminator]

I've always wondered what Upgaard would be like come October when they open it to bowhunting. That might be an option too. I may have to try that some year and stay at Black Pine Beach for a few days. That actually might make a good multi-hunter trip to defray the costs for some buddies of mine and we might push deer around to one another if we set up in different corners.

[leech~~]

I've always wondered what Upgaard would be like come October when they open it to bowhunting. That might be an option too. I may have to try that some year and stay at Black Pine Beach for a few days. That actually might make a good multi-hunter trip to defray the costs for some buddies of mine and we might push deer around to one another if we set up in different corners.

Huum, your giving me ideas. Play an evening game, rent a cart, throw the bow in with the clubs and cruz the wood line on each hole! If they ask where the 10 pointer in the cart came from when you pull back into the club house, say you hit it with the ball when Teeing off on the 18th!

[deerminator]

Seriously, put a decoy out by whatever hole and casually let everyone else play through. This past year while at BPBR I fount myself analyzing all the deer tracks through the playground sand and garden areas thinking about bow season already. And then I got to talking deer hunting with one of the owners and my wife was like, where were you for the past hour? I thought you had went up to the store to get some milk. lol.

[Cheetah]

BoxMN, go in and hunt it, worst case you decide for yourself if there are too many other people in there or not enough deer. Not gonna shoot one from the couch, or the internet.

I'd bet that your best times to hunt it would be weekday mornings/evenings if you have time before and after work.

[BoxMN]

Good point Cheetah Yeah, I will go hunt and see, main thing about this is it is close and easy, and I can tell if someone else is there by the time I get to the end of my driveway.