Success on public-land bucks in the East starts with doing your homework. There’s more accessible acreage than you might realize. (Bear Archery)
December 02, 2024
By Josh Honeycutt
A heavy-bodied, chocolate-racked buck materializes in the oaks. Nervous as a feral tabby in a kennel of Rottweilers, it slowly picks its way down the trail. Eventually, it’s inside of bow range and broadside. Following a quiet draw and a smooth release, the buck is down within sight.
That scenario is the stuff of dreams for countless Eastern public-land hunters and an occasional reality for those obsessed with killing bucks on hunting grounds that are open to all. We asked some of the East’s top public-land veterans to share their best advice for hunting pressured whitetails, from gaining access to scouting to proven tactics to adopting and mainting the right mentality.
HUNT PRIVATE THAT’S PUBLIC While most of the best hunting land in the East is privately held, public-land hunting opportunities are often nearby, and Maine might take the cake for the most unique example.
“Maine is an interesting state,” says John Altman, who hunts in Maine and is the co-founder of the “Hunting ME” YouTube channel. “We don’t have a lot of public land, but we have a unique policy that says you can hunt anywhere as long as it isn’t posted. You want to do your due diligence, though, and, ideally, get the landowner’s permission.”
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As Altman says, even though you don’t always need permission to hunt a piece of private ground in Maine, it’s a good idea to secure it anyway. You’ll feel much better about the situation and you’ll be more effective since you won’t be worrying about a potential encounter with a crazy landowner or other hunter. Plus, it’s the respectful thing to do. Another option is to find properties that are managed by a land trust.
“We hunt on some big pieces of land that have conservation easements,” says Altman. “Usually, these conservation easements are a form of public land. If you’re looking to increase access, research local land trusts, but know that some land trusts allow hunting and some don’t. We have good relationships with most of the land trust companies in our area. It only takes a phone call. If they don’t want you to hunt there, they’ll tell you. Usually, though, it’s a green light.”
WATERFRONT PROPERTY Most public-land hunters focus on federally- or state-operated properties. Often, though, these aren’t the best places to chase deer. According to Matt Ross, director of conservation for the National Deer Association, the resources for public land in the Northeast might seem limited, but they aren’t. Ross hunts in New York and acknowledges that there are unique opportunities that many hunters overlook.
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In many cases, land surrounding water-supply reservoirs for major cities is open to hunting. (Shutterstock) For example, much of the land that surrounds the upstate reservoirs that supply New York City with drinking water is open to public recreation, including hunting. To find deer on these properties, you’ll want to get as far off the beaten path as possible.
Another resource is The Nature Conservancy (TNC), which owns a lot of land that is open to public hunting.
FOCUS ON DIFFICULT ACCESS Something Altman and others stress is being familiar with all the access points to a piece of land and how each might impact your overall game plan for hunting the property.
“We hunt a lot of ground that requires very difficult access,” says Altman. “We don’t mind going hard to get into a piece. In Maine, we like to hunt a lot of big swale swamps. Oftentimes, these are difficult to navigate. It doesn’t always lead to a harvest, but it gives us the ability to observe and see what’s going on.”
Getting into these tight, difficult-to-access spots that offer great visibility increases the likelihood of seeing deer moving during daylight. Once you’ve determined how they use the land, you can fine-tune a game plan.
Tim Kent sells real estate with Whitetail Properties in New York but hunts whitetails on public land in New Jersey. Like Altman, he readily seeks out challenging access points. However, he only tackles those that offer traditional whitetail hotspots on the other side.
“A lot of people decide they’re just going to outwalk everyone else. That might work, but sometimes you must cross a wetland or a river, or go up a steep hill, or navigate something that’s tricky. For me, I’ve found success combining those two things. Find something that’s an impediment for 80 to 90 percent of people, then look for that traditional topographical feature that is to your benefit as a hunter.”
Maine’s John Altman hunts many types of ground open to the public, including properties managed by land trusts. (Photo courtesy of John Altman) Of course, there’s another side to the “go-deep” scenario. If everyone hikes as far as they can, that means a lot of deer are being hiked past.
“We can get so wound up in finding a place that’s difficult to get to that we overlook what’s right under our noses,” says Altman.
TRAIL CAM SMARTS James Esch with Raw Frozen Scents hails from Pennsylvania and knows the meaning of hunting pressure. One of his keys to finding where big bucks hole up is proper trail camera deployment.
“For me, on public land, the most important thing is getting a lot of trail camera data,” says Esch. “There’s never too much of that. I feel like a lot can be done with placing lures in front of trail cameras year-round [where legal]. Figure out their habits and what they’re doing. That tells me so much about how to hunt and where to hunt.”
Of course, most states don’t allow bait, especially on public lands. Esch recommends deploying trail cameras over scrapes. If these aren’t present, or if they aren’t in good locations for trail cameras, consider creating mock scrapes. Where legal, use buck urine, doe urine or a curiosity-based scent.
Multiple trail cameras will give you a sense of where deer are feeding, traveling and bedding. Hang cameras high on public land to avoid theft. (Josh Honeycutt) Anthony Virga, a Realtree pro staffer and big-buck killer who hunts in New York and New Jersey, agrees with Esch on the importance of smart trail camera placement.
“On public ground, I bring one or two Lone Wolf sticks and hang cameras up high,” he says. “Though, I think deer might be catching onto that. A friend of mine had a big deer [that would score] over 160 look up at his camera. That was the last photo he got of that buck.”
HANG-AND-HUNT “I prefer to do a lot of hang-and-hunts,” Virga says. “With public land, I sort of attack it and hunt it the same way I do private land. A lot of people fixate on buck beds, but during the rut, I’ll find doe pockets. I’ll hunt scrapes around doe bedding areas from November 1 to Thanksgiving.”
During certain times of deer season, especially opening day and weekends, I see much higher hunter numbers than at other times, but especially during firearms season. Kent says he keeps his butt on the bench during opening weekend. When hunters start falling out, he’s fresh and ready.
“I really like the polar ends of the season—the first 10 days and the last 10 days,” he says. “At those times, the deer are usually on a pattern and slaves to their stomachs.”
During November, Anthony Virga focuses mainly on scrapes near doe bedding areas on the public land he hunts in New York and New Jersey. (Photo courtesy of Anthony Virga) A lot of hunters will stay home when the weather is too hot, too cold, rainy or snowy, which is exactly why you need to be in the woods on these days.
“I’m taking advantage of the lack of pressure when the weather isn’t ideal,” says Kent. “At the end of the season, especially, a bunch of people are tagged out, weather is working against them, they’re burned out or they have other commitments.”
STAY POSITIVE Nick Pinizzotto, president and CEO of the National Deer Association, lives and hunts in Pennsylvania. Even though he owns hunting land, he spends a lot of his time on public properties.
“I’ve found that some public land is not hunted as much as people assume it is,” says Pinizzotto. “There are a lot of great bucks on public land that people pass over. I get pictures of them, and sometimes I’m torn as to whether I want to hunt my own land or the public land where I might see a better deer.”
No matter your access choices, it’s crucial to approach a hunt with a good, positive mindset.
“You must go into it with the belief you can be successful,” says Pinizzotto. “A lot of people set their expectations low. Because of that, they don’t hunt as hard as they might otherwise. They make excuses for why they aren’t going to be successful.”
Virga concurs. He hunts a couple of public spots that offer the potential to tag a great buck. They aren’t pressured, yet he battles pressure around his private hunting spots.
Nick Pinizzotto says some public land is not hunted as much as people assume. It can harbor bigger bucks than private properties. (Photo courtesy of Nick Pinizzotto) The overall key is learning how to use that hunting pressure to your advantage. One of the best ways to do that is to study aerial maps. They can provide a clear guide as to where the hunting pressure is coming from and how you can best avoid it. Don’t forget, however, that pressure can work to your advantage if you use maps carefully.
Regardless of the advice you retain or kick to the curb, work hard. Be dedicated. Stick with it. Do that, and you might haul out a pressured-land buck this season.
This article was featured in the Month Year issue of Game & Fish magazine. Click to subscribe .
