Yes you can go scout public land anytime of year. Some areas like SHNF you can hunt hogs all year but you need to have your APH (Annual Public Hunting) permit $48.

If you want to scout without buying the permit just dont carry a gun. just hike.

I would at least have a pistol on me. You are in the jungle so you never know what 4 legged or 2 legged creature might be around.

After some camera trouble I finally got 2 weeks worth of pics. Camera had been up for a month and a half. Only 1 buck, the camera has since moved.

Put some miles on yesterday. Found a new area I really liked. Saw several fresh scrapes and a fresh rub. Getting closer

You can put cameras up on public land??

Anything left on public property becomes public property. If you put in obvious place and it's found. It is likely going to be stolen. I saw one on heavy trail last year locked to a tree. Someone decided to just beat the crap out of it since they could not take it.

Youngun but has potential

Well yesterday I got camp set up and ran out for a quick hunt. Did not want to go into anything big had scouted so I went to a place I'd wanted to scout. Got close to a point where I felt like bedding was below it. Wind was right. Just in my Ghillie on the ground. Sitting nfoe about 20 minutes and a buck and a doe walked right up on me. Old fat mature buck. They stood in same place for about a minute before the doe spotted me. So I waved the buck said oh sorry man your in a good spot we will keep going. So he did, up wind towards bedding. So I split and went to a place I'd checked for ducks a few years back. No sooner than I got sat down I hear one stomping at me. Of course 3 does came in wrong. She stomped and stomped then went to blowing. Had acorns hitting me in the head no wonder they were there. Too bad I boogered them up. This morning I'm in an area I know a bit more. Hopefully no more company.

Saturday morning was pretty slow. Saw 2 doe, one was at 20 yards but was behind me and never presented a shot.

Saturday afternoon the rain came in right about the time it should nhave been getting good. Did not see a deer.

Sunday morning was slow did not see anything till 9. I had texted my buddy to see what time he was heading back to break down camp looked up and there she was big ole mature doe at 11 yards. Of course my bow is hanging. In this particular spot I'm only about 9 foot of the ground. She grazed towards me to about 7 yards and got my ground scent. Got real nervous stared at me for a while then split.

Dang cell phones.

He’ll be real good in a few years, just need that inside spread to get a little wider

As for me, got a 3 month old at home, so no bow season and will have a limited fun season. I’ve been doing some e-scouting though. I’ve got an anterless permit for SHNF and Bannister, unfortunately both are 3+ hours.

That's nothing,there's some guy on the bowhunting forum who drives all the way from Houston to hunt public spots in north Texas.Really? Hundreds of thousands of acres of public land in southeast Texas...National Forest,WMAs,and tons of other public hunting opportunities but the deer on those areas are not worth hunting? Don't know what he's thinking on that deal.

Hunted several WMA's one Robertson Co. roughly 3or more hours. & would been fun ta hook-up with Bigfoot.
People hunt out of state, high-price leasing. Twas a WMA just down d road, OSBWMA. Deer twas archery only, have fun draw hunts though.
Pheasant season started here, sitten in parking lot at work.
Rather be hunten. Any reporrs bout OSBWMA? Miss me hunts.

OSB is probably underwater right now,been raining hard in DFW. Haha,I remember being on a rifle draw hunt at OSB about 20 years ago when it rained the whole hunt. Early one morning I passed a dilapidated old elevated deer blind and laughed and thought to myself what a death trap that would be hunting out of. It was probably left over from when the area was private land.I continued on,still-hunting through the woods. Well about 3 pm I passed that old deer blind again and being miserable from being rained on all day,and it was a cold rain,that old deer blind started looking reeeel good! I cautiously climbed up in it,chased off the black widow spiders and spent the rest of the day hunting out of it. At least I was out of the rain.Actually seen a couple of does just before dark as I recall.

cool story. Have used few of dem ol stands & sat several times. Remember one steps were bad, climbed up anyways, twas a buzzard swarmen around above. Heard commotion in stand, opened up door. baby buzzard greeted me. Almost became buzzard lunch when feel out.
Just got back from hunt. Got skunked,had at least been seeing deer, turkey, nothen in range though. Pheasant & duck season opened taday. Bro had 4 point 15 yards from stand, climbed down 3 others, to dark ta tell.
tis good ta be in d woods.

Put 13 hours in the stand today. Saw a doe on the trail via headlamp walking in and a year and a half old spike buck at 10 yards. Really thought they would have been moving better today.

Do U take naps ? Thats usualy when the big ones show...

You kidding? Some of the best naps I've ever had was in a deer stand!

I did not nap. Little on hanging set ain't much for sleeping. I did get down walk to truck grab a snack stretch the legs and use the john. I'm sure a biggin slipped through then.

never been much on safety harness, vut have been known ta tie meself ta d tree.
BIL eased by me stand once, no sign of me, got closer, twas at base of tree, he asked what twas doing, told him got sleepy, climbed down ta take nap, safety. Tis spent several sun up-sun down, getting inta stand before sunup & leaving after sundown hunting trips, usualy archery hunts.
Fixen head out soon, windy today, so got a chill, already seen d white stuff.

Went in this morning to a quick little hunt 200 yards from the truck 50 yards from the Rd. Had a great sit with deer all morning. Spike buck at 17 yards doe all around all morning. 2 doe bedded down for about 2 hours 35 yards away through the thick stuff. Never had a chance on the doe. They seemed to avoid my lanes. Clean miss on the spike.

This afternoon I'm in an area that I've not hunted this year. 1st time into what I consider a big buck area. Two draws come together the wind is doing what wind does in these locations gonna have to be lucky, already had one big ole doe bust me 75 yards away in a direction she shouldn't have had me in. Heavy feeding sign with acorns dropping constantly. Hope he comes in right. Not sure which is way that is though.

Just had 2 young bucks in. Came from different directions in a dang good spot. Come on big boy

The evening finished up quietly. Last deer I saw from the stand was at 2:30. I did get out well before dark though.

times spent in d woods, always enjoyed watchen wildlife. Carried me cannon camera in me fanny-pack, yes, fanny-pack, along with pen small not book for writen down info. Snow gonna be flying here soon, got cams out, ice-fishen.
Been seeing deer, does & fawns, nothen in range. Ya, peace & quiet, wondering about the woods.