Public hunting photos

This is an ongoing thread for public hunting photos. Big game, small game, in or out of State. Lets see em.

Great threads from the first two years of the Public Hunting Forum.
2014-15 Public Hunting Photos
2015-16 Public Hunting Photos

Public draw hunt near Logan, New Mexico. The hunt was in August 2016

Nice!

JD Murphree 8'3 - two for three hunters. second was 7'4. great times/great place

Heck ya!

Awesome speed goat and gator

Nice gator!!!!!!

Record-setting day (for me, anyway) dove hunting on public land this morning. Ten doves, including a double. Finding them in the tall weeds was often a challenge.

That's my trusty 16-gauge in the pic. I was shooting mostly 6s but switched to 7.5 toward the end.

Public land on the coast. Got five on one of our trips. This was our first time shooting early teal. Video on facebook/youtube page.

Wyoming DIY public lands draw hunt

That will make a nice mount

I caped him out and he is at Alpine Taxidermy for a shoulder mount.

Gus Engeling draw hunt yesterday.

Very nice Palehorse!

That's a good public land buck.....for sure!

Public land somewhere in Texas....

Palehorse, I appreciate and congratulate you for showing the traditional respect that you did for a damn fine public land buck!

Thanks Red Cloud. I'm happy you noticed the "letzebissen". My family has done that for generations.

The "Nutter Butter" buck. Killed on a youth hunt at the Balcones Canyonlands National Wildlife Refuge, unit 7. First buck for my daughter.

That is a heck of a deer for that young lady, does BG stand for Blooming Grove?

SHNF Thanksgiving day.

Holy cow that's a mess of tree rats!!!! They are my favorite small game mammal to eat.

Got caught up on this topic, great stories and pictures!

To "the coach"
yes, sir. BG is Blooming Grove

Cell phone quality isn't too good. thought this was interesting behavior though. Kerr WMA management hunt. That is a decent buck and in front of him is a "harvested" doe. In the trees behind the buck is a "harvested" spike. They just would not leave the corn. Had to chase the buck away to go pick up the two deer.

Some scenery shots from my draw hunt for quail at Big Bend Ranch State Park:

Boar I killed on Ft Hood this morning. Yes it's public land. Haha

Lets see those Texas draw hunt photo's be sure to share location and type of hunt

Chaparral WMA bow hunt Dec 2016

Possum Kingdom Lake
Youth antlerless /Spike only
2014
My son's first deer

Matagorda Island
Youth only
Gun deer either sex
Dec 2014
Boat Access only

Gus Engeling WMA
Youth only gun deer either sex
2015

Here's my son's Doe/Spike hunt at Muse WMA this year. He got a mature doe and a bonus Hog!

Here's the buck I shot at Kerr WMA in November on the either sex hunt.

Muse 2016

Congrats on. Great buck.

Good looking buck. A true public lands trophy.

Nice head shot on the gator!

Beautiful scenery.

public ducks

Rabbits this morning at James Daughtrey:

Public land Bass

Public lands Bison in South Dakota.

Nice! How in the world did you get that bison out of there after you shot it?

The load it on a pick up and deliver it to the cleaning station. It was not that bad at all. Now the one I got in Wyoming, was a differ matter. That one took 5 men a whole day to get it out with horses and pack mules.

Javalina Longoria Unit Las Palomas WMA

My son's first hunt. Nannie Stringfellow WMA

Palo Dura canyon aoudad.

Very nice Aoudad. Congrats.

Valentine's day public land porker.

Mason Mt. WMA guided hunt

Thanks, he sure didn't come easy.

I spent today hunting pigs in SNHF, but this find was my best success:

Opening morning Eastern!!!

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Nice!

I need to see if I can load pics of my Private lands draw on Mule Deer. You folks need to check out these draws.

Saw this Plainbelly Water Snake at the OSBWMA, Memorial Day weekend. It was so hot out there I figured he was just cooling off, but then I realized he was in the snake version of a hunting stand. The whole creek narrowed down right there at his head, and any minnows swimming downstream would be going right over his nose. I cussed him out a bit for hunting on public land without any orange, but then I moved on to stop messing up his spot.

rumor has it: on them cold calm clear full moon nights, ya can still hear my sreecks of the many times i came apone one of the many snakes down their on hog hunts... Some say its a squash, others say a panther... But i kknow different...
tis the second best kept secrets...
keep your head held high & your powder dry...

I forgot to post my public land game from last December.

New year now and I am feeling like a hunter now and ready to crank it up and get some more experience. Now I am looking for a buck!!!




This was my second deer ever and first year hunting for deer in the SHNF. I was just excited to score on my first year trying even though it is just a small doe. I worked hard for this doe. took 7 trips to the SHNF to get it done. Not bad for my first year out.

Public land dove hunt:

Mason Mt. Scimitar Oryx...What a fun hunt!

Public land hunts are always some of the best.

Last Saturday Caddo National Grasslands

Nice buck indeed for the Grasslands, congrats.
Ron

Thanks, got lucky. Right place, right time.

last Tuesday on the coast

Jeez, I wish I could get something like that cbutl1.

At Bois' or Ladonia?

My best Davy Crockett NF buck

Got Lucky mp88. But I'm not talking specifics.

Love it

2 less piggies in the SHNF

Nice pictures everyone.

Wyoming public land antelope buck. Not a big boy but mature.

Great job wytex! Antelope is still top on my list. Hitting Colorado otc again this season, next season I will burn my points for deer/late antelope adventure in Wyoming.

Me and my friend got a 7foot and 8 foot gator

Nice

I was drawn for an either sex gun hunt at Alazan Bayou near Nacogdoches and took this little spike last Thursday evening. It's only my second deer to ever take and the staff was very helpful and accommodating.

Very nice Tom! Looks like a Rem 788, what cartridge is it chambered in?

Thank you! You are correct, great little gun, chambered in .243 Win. I sent the serial number in to Remington and found that it was produced in April of 1978. My grandpa gave it to me years ago and it's an absolute tack-driver.

I shot this "stag" at Mason Mountain. The biologist aged him as 4 years old and said he hadn't shed his antlers in 2-3 years. The biologist also said it's a common condition in the granite part of the hill country as there's something in the environment that disrupts their endocrine systems. He had tiny testicles and lots of body fat.

My dog got her first ducks the other day! Very proud I trained her myself

Sam Houston National Forest on Friday morning, January 4th, at 10am. Came New Year's day from San Antonio for my first trip with hope of getting a doe since I was drawn for an antlerless permit. Surprised and blessed with a 15-20 yard shot at this guy...

Nice buck!

Pig from Hill Country SNA

Dang nice buck, Hank.
Congrats

Good pig, Erny.
I use that same Buck knife. Just wish it stayed sharp a little longer

James Daughtrey

Great deer. I'm sure y'all had a great time. Your daughters smile says it all. Congratulations to you both.

Cant wait to see this thread get busy this fall!

]SLlano[/url]

Actually 2018 at S Llano State Park.

I ended up with the axis buck and three slickhead WT and my BIL ended up with two axis does and two WT does. We shot these before 8AM on the first morning.

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Public Land Pronghorn New Mexico August 2019

Nice pronghorn.

James Daughtrey Dec 2019

Lake Whitney Muzzle Loader hunt

Public Land Javalina

James Daughtrey piglet

Daughtrey Sow

some & ta all those who posted.
& a ta Sniper John for the Thread.
Erney see ya from Smith County.. You ever do any of the hog hunts Jan-end March ?

Awesome hunting, deer archery...

Tis one of D best keep secret s

edit : dang differant time zone posted this 2-8-2020 @ 6:30something pm

Public land turkey.

Public land squirrell!

Hi everyone

Why is it that relatively few photos of hunts on public land have been posted here? I ask out of interest and ignorance.

Could it be that relatively few animals are shot on public land and therefore few photos posted?
Could it be that people are cautious about posting hunting photos for fear that the animal rightists may get hold of them and cause problems for them?

Oops. Sorry. I just noticed that the title says 2016-2017 hunting photos.

Hi Dimitri,

It's because no one wants to give away the spots they hunt. And if they're stupid enough to do such a thing, they'll be ostracized for making it known to those not in the know.

Think of it this way. If you were a young man and you discovered that the extremely shy but stunningly beautiful girl that lives on your street was a nympho and you and her were hooking up, would you tell your high school buddies?

People that hunt public typically put in a lot of work to have successful hunts. Anyone that is considering hunting public should expect to do the same. I hope that answers your question.

Hi aerangis

Thanks for the explanation. I understand it now.

Public Land Mulie - New Mexico

Gus Engeling youth hunt

Public land youth hunt.

Way to go young man!

Public Land doe

PUBLIC LAND PIGGIE!!

Public land pig. My Niece’s first big game animal. Gus Engling youth doe hunt.

Very nice sir

Youth Hunt Gus Engling. Nieces first deer.....now where to go but up from here.

Elk I shot this year with my 6.5 grendel. Hit her right behind the shoulder, bullet exited, she made it 15 yards before collapsing. Huge blood trail. She was a big old girl, took my 2 teenaged sons and I 6 hours to process her and hump the meat out. An average cow elk is maybe 400-450# this one was much bigger.

What bullet were you shooting?

Hornady 120gr gmx at 2450fps. 50-75 yard shot. It expanded nicely judging by the wound channel. You could almost see an exaggerated out line of the folded back petals in places. Hit a rib and clipped the shoulder blade on one side. Double lunged and right through the top of the heart.

All taken on public land #1

Lake Meredith, TX 2020


North Carolina Tundra Swan


Colordo. Pronghorn


Wyoming. Pronghorn


Eastern Turkey, Virginia


Colorado. Pronghorn


Texas. Aoudad


Colorado. Black Bear


Colorado. Mule Deer


Colorado. Elk (pre point restrictions)

All taken on public land #2

Eastern Turkey.Virginia


Colorado. Pronghorn


Pennsylvania. Whitetail


Colorado. Pronghorn


Colorado. Mountain Goat


Colorado. Bull elk


Colorado. Bull Elk


Colorado. Bull Elk


Colorado. Pronghorns


Florida. Alligator

All taken on public land #3

Virginia. Whitetail


Virginia. Whitetail


Florida. Whitetail


Florida. Whitetail

Saw this big boy at Matador WMA while quail hunting. We were in the truck and the picture didn't turn out great, but he was a big boy.

Wow.. that’s a stud and the reason I keep putting in

This flew by on a day I happened to be having a good shooting day on public.

Helluva deer.

This thread is a hidden gem.

Awesome picture.

Yes. This is a great “hidden” topic. We all love looking at pics

Really nice pics

You sir are doing amazing

Chaparral WMA 2021 Javalina

Nice pics. Make me drool ....

Sam Houston NF, 2019

2021 Youth Alligator Draw Hunt

2021 Youth Alligator draw hunt.

nice i have thought bout doing archery hunt on ft. hood. Knew guys that hunted it a lot. There are nice bucks there.WOOOPS i slipped up.lol Can you stil get a pass and hunt whever you can/want to ???

Erny was browsing the PUb. land photos Wow what a bison that would be incredible!! i may have to look into it

Public land doe. Taken December 2021.

This big old nasty boar charged me and I killed it as it fell just a yard away from me. Exciting!!

TPWD Public Lands Quail hunt.

WOW! Glad your aim was true then.

Nice bag of blues there sir. It'll be a fine dinner.

Chaparral 2022

Missouri public land

Last weekend of duck season public hunt limit

Nice

Public Draw pig March 6, 2022.

Your 870 did a number on that one...good job!

Is that photoshopped? I have no idea what kind of duck that is?

Enjoyed all the pictures good job gals and guys

It's a Cinnamon Teal. Heck of a rare trophy.

Not sure if I've posted this photo before but it's a buck I took many years ago in the Davy Crockett NF.

Public Land Archery Doe/ October 2022

My brother with a public monster….

CO Black Bear taken Oct 16 2021


CO Pronghorn taken Oct 09 2022

Texas Whitetails, taken on a river bed:


No stand, no feeder, no vehicle......old school way. I've always had a lease and enjoy that experience as well, but something about stepping into this realm and getting it done like this is a thrill that is hard to explain.

Beautiful bucks (especially the middle one)

Thanks, photo 1 & 2 are the same deer. I've got more pics of coyotes and hogs shot here also. I really like to target decent bucks on these hunts to make it a challenge.

Explain what you mean by hunting in a river bed? Is it just the river bed that runs through your lease?

Some rivers are public hunting. This does not run through my lease. Prolly 120 miles away and is a totally different hunt I go on alone most every year for the challenge and experience.

Public Land Doe - November 2022

Public land Javalina 2023

April 2023 public land turkey

I just got back from Fort Sill, and the country looked a lot like that. There were turkeys everywhere, too. We'd be out on the firing point, listening to bobwhite quail call, watching dove fly by, and even seeing elk up on the ridge. I just couldn't get over how much wildlife was out there. They allow hunting on base, and I think I might need to figure out how to work it!

Hunting the TPWD Muzzleloader hunt down on the Trinity river bottoms for hogs. Found this boar laid up in his bed. Got within 25 yards of him before he stood up. Good day of stalking.



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Nice pig!

Public land Doe. December 2023

Public Land Pig Dec 2023

Public Land Pig December 2023

Public land piglet. There was a sounder of about 30 pigs. He made the mistake of looking different than all the others. His fur was actually soft to the touch.