Think of the piece of public hunting ground closest to your house. You know, that property 15 minutes from town that has multiple trucks in the parking lot every weekend throughout deer season. As you drive by, you probably think to yourself, “How could that property possibly be worth hunting? There’s probably a ladder stand chained to every other tree. Surely if I’m willing to drive a little further from town, I’ll find a secluded honey hole, seldom explored by other hunters.”
The truth is, with the ease and convenience of GPS hunting apps, everybody else is e-scouting those honey holes and making their own plans for November. Modern public land hunting has changed, and it pays to go against the grain, which includes hunting overlooked spots.
Overlooked by Serious Hunters
Back to that local and “mediocre” property. These spots can be low-hanging fruit. With any luck, the hunting pressure at your local public stomping ground may be more recreational, which leaves space for dedicated hunters to explore. The deer living on this kind of highly pressured ground know where to go when the season begins, and they’re probably used to having humans around.
Hunting pressure is fairly predictable, and hunters are likely hitting the same spots each year: those with convenient access points, easy walking, or picturesque turkey woods. But if your local public ground doesn’t look like good deer country, you should be excited. Deer need food and security cover to survive, and believe it or not, they can thrive on more than just acorns and ag. If you need more convincing, look at all the giant urban bucks that are killed each year. That spot close to your house doesn’t need to scream “deer habitat” to hold them.
Scout, Scout, and Scout Some More
Since that local public is essentially in your backyard, you should scout it frequently. Take your dog hiking during the offseason and explore every nook and cranny. One quick walk-through of the property won’t cut it. Get familiar with the terrain and plan to make plenty of notes and waypoints. Cover steep terrain, the back side of a swamp or cattail slough, the thicket with poor visibility and no shooting lanes, or that hard-to-reach corner. If the property is 200 acres in size, you’re looking for the 5-acre chunk that’s more productive than the remaining 195 acres combined.
The truth is, you likely won’t have much time to scout that awesome far-away spot. If you’re fortunate to have access to hunting land near your home, you’ll have way more time to scout. The more scouting you do, the more productive you’ll be during hunting season. Focus your scouting efforts near home and expand your radius over time.
Quick Hunts = More Hunts
Even if you don’t find the holy grail of hunting spots, maybe you find a spot that’s a solid 5 out of 10. The reality is, if you’re only able to hunt weekends, you’re probably restricted to 10 days of unimpeded deer hunting. And that’s only if everything goes according to plan. Identify a spot close to home, and you might pull off a few weeknight hunts. Even if your newfound area doesn’t incite dreams of giant whitetails, you have zero chance of shooting a deer from the couch. More intentional time in the field gives you more opportunities.
If you’re a busy guy or gal with tons of after-work responsibility, maybe the proximity of this spot affords you a quick observation hunt. During your scouting missions, find a spot just outside the core deer-holding area that you can access with low impact. You only need an hour or two for a worthwhile hunt. You can be a lot more productive with a workweek hunting spot in your back pocket. It never fails, that awesome cold front always happens mid-week, leaving you daydreaming at your desk. That quick-hunt option can give you a real shot without having to use vacation days.
Keep It Close
You should be realistic about what to expect from these spots and pleasantly surprised when you see more or bigger deer than you anticipated. If you can get used to hunting unorthodox spots that don’t scream deer country, you’ll open up a lot more opportunities for yourself. Who knows, your new best spot might have been under your nose all along.
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