Never hunted public lands

I've been looking into it here lately but, gotta tell ya I'm afraid there will be too many yahoos out there.

Any of yall been in any hairy situations? Got any advice for someone never going into public lands before? If so how long before the hunt? Look into some of the east Texas areas like Davy Crockett, Sabine and Angelina.

I normally just sit in a blind over a feeder and am interested in something that's a little more "hunting" than harvesting. Any pro tips?

If you stay away from opening weekend and thanksgiving weekend it will not be that crowded. The best time to hunt public that I have found is weekdays in December. If you are willing to walk at least 1/4 mile from a road the amount of people will drop dramatically. Good Luck. While it may be more difficult the rewards of a harvest from public land is very satisfying.

Public land is very rewarding because you do have to hunt in a different manner than a blind and feeder. I agree with the gentlemen above. Don't go on opening weekend or holiday weekends and you will be fine. Good luck

That's what I was thinking but thank yall for responding.

If you look back in the past I have done a lot of write ups on how I hunt public land

ta Public Hunting Forum.

While not a pro, yet ta get any indorcements, have made the top 5 on the ignorance list.

Theirs some good hunting on public land, each area has its own set of rules. Theirs people in here who can help ya with that.
Best wishes.

Each public hunt ground has it's unique set of rules, so make sure you abide by them.
And ALWAYS wear your Hunter Orange vest and hat.


The only hairy situation I've been in was this past Black Friday during the General Deer Season at SHNF.
Even though I wouldn't even call it "hairy".

It was me, my brother and nephew. As we were walking and seeing signs of scrapes & tracks, I heard someone whistling softly but closely. I looked up, and there was another hunter on a tree stand waving at us about 30 yards away.

I immediately acknowledged and whispered to my brother and my nephew that there's someone else here. I waved to the other hunter (in friendly gesture) that we'll be going back.

After another 30 mins of walking away and staking out an oak tree, we heard a rifle shot in the direction of the hunter we ran into.

I'm not sure if he got what he was aiming at, but I do hope he did.

Very interesting. Thanks for the response. Honestly that is the exact thing I was interested in hearing about.

On the one hand, Perfect story of everyone doing what they were supposed to. On the other hand, had yall not seen each other, could have been shooting in ya'll general direction.

just be carefull when ya's drop your drawers. Some craises oit thar, see a white tail, hear sound sounds like a squash or wild hog, theys goes ta chooten.
Did ever tell yas bout the time...

Most people just out thar like you, put some on the & in the freezer. As OP posted, treat others way yould like ta be treated. If ya hunt close, people gonna go going too & threw. Farther out ya see less people. Its their for ALL ta use. Been on hunts & never seen orange. has some good WMA management hunts.
What type hunting ya looking for ? Area ?

SHNF is densely packed with oaks and pines, so even if the hunter shot in our direction, we're relatively safe. Again, read the rules for the specific hunting ground youre going to. SHNF allows rifles, but if I were to go to say Somerville WMA, I could only bring my bow since there's a mix of dense forest and open clear fields.