Public land buck

R

Rockhound

New Member
Always put in for the quota hunts at my local WMA, its buck only and doesn't count against your statewide limit, the antler restrictions in place are 4 on 1 side or 15" outside spread. There are some big deer on the place as it only gets pressured hard about 20 days a season. Saturday morning started off slow until this guy followed a doe by me at 60 yards. He was aged at 4.5 yrs old, and dressed out at 171#, which is big around here, and huge for that WMA, as its 14000 acres of old growth hardwoods.
https://imgur.com/g9TEsle
 
Rockhound said:
Always put in for the quota hunts at my local WMA, its buck only and doesn't count against your statewide limit, the antler restrictions in place are 4 on 1 side or 15" outside spread. There are some big deer on the place as it only gets pressured hard about 20 days a season. Saturday morning started off slow until this guy followed a doe by me at 60 yards. He was aged at 4.5 yrs old, and dressed out at 171#, which is big around here, and huge for that WMA, as its 14000 acres of old growth hardwoods.
https://imgur.com/g9TEsle
Click to expand...
Real nice buck Rockhound...deer can get big in mature forest...I have killed deer like that in big woods here in Oklahoma and have a buck I believe will go 200 lbs dressed using our place right now! Again congratulations on a stud of a buck!
 
Good buck ! We have National Forest land close, but I don’t hunt it anymore. When I did, deer of any kind were fairly scarce but that situation has changed. Almost every year there’s a few really good bucks taken on Forest land.
 
That’s really impressive, I broke my public land duck this year (after 4 years of trying) by shooting two does, but haven’t figured out the bucks yet. Not an easy task by any means. Makes hunting my small private piece seem like a cake walk.


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the WMA's near me are so pounded by hunters, hikers, bikers, you name it it is crazy. One is wide open with no quota needed to hunt, so everyone that doesn't draw a hunt goes there. I've counted a dozen stands set up with in 100 yards of each other.

Sad part is it bis a really nice piece of ground that I'd love to have. Large mature Oaks, swamp bottom pine hills and flats. Lots of Scrapes and Rubs. Thye do get deer out of it, but to me it's not worth the fighting for a space.
 
Hunting public land can be hard if there are a by ch of hunters out there spooking deer. I’ve found that most of the time I can hunt buck beds instead of food sources and there is less competition (mainly Bc on public land bucks bed in the thickest and hard to get to areas) I also wrote and article about it if it helps one of you guys out.


https://omegaoutdoors.blog/publicbuckbeds


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Patrick said:
Hunting public land can be hard if there are a by ch of hunters out there spooking deer. I’ve found that most of the time I can hunt buck beds instead of food sources and there is less competition (mainly Bc on public land bucks bed in the thickest and hard to get to areas) I also wrote and article about it if it helps one of you guys out.


https://omegaoutdoors.blog/publicbuckbeds


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Click to expand...
I read your article, and I'd say that it's a pretty good effort for a 20 year old. I encourage you to keep writing and eventually you might get to be editor of the Outdoor Life (although I don't know why anyone would want to be) You mention thick hardwoods, however, hardwoods generally doesn't get thick, its softwoods, briars, scrub brush, rhododendrons, laurel, shrubs and switchgrass that gets thick. You have the red X on the map at the head of a hollow, which is the wrong spot. A buck will bed at the military crest of a point, not at the head of a hollow. Deer are very complex mammals, and it takes a doctorate or many years in the woods to really understand their habits and habitat preferences. Keep learning, and by the time you are middle aged you should have a pretty good understanding of whitetail deer behavior.
 
Mennoniteman said:
I read your article, and I'd say that it's a pretty good effort for a 20 year old. I encourage you to keep writing and eventually you might get to be editor of the Outdoor Life (although I don't know why anyone would want to be) You mention thick hardwoods, however, hardwoods generally doesn't get thick, its softwoods, briars, scrub brush, rhododendrons, laurel, shrubs and switchgrass that gets thick. You have the red X on the map at the head of a hollow, which is the wrong spot. A buck will bed at the military crest of a point, not at the head of a hollow. Deer are very complex mammals, and it takes a doctorate or many years in the woods to really understand their habits and habitat preferences. Keep learning, and by the time you are middle aged you should have a pretty good understanding of whitetail deer behavior.
Click to expand...

Thank you! I appreciate it :) you’re right deer are very complex, and thank you for pointing out where I went wrong, that will help me get better!


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Rockhound said:
Always put in for the quota hunts at my local WMA, its buck only and doesn't count against your statewide limit, the antler restrictions in place are 4 on 1 side or 15" outside spread. There are some big deer on the place as it only gets pressured hard about 20 days a season. Saturday morning started off slow until this guy followed a doe by me at 60 yards. He was aged at 4.5 yrs old, and dressed out at 171#, which is big around here, and huge for that WMA, as its 14000 acres of old growth hardwoods.
https://imgur.com/g9TEsle
Click to expand...
Thought I'd repost your pic of this nice public land buck directly on the page so everyone can see it
566e77543822c14dbf92b98f22a5294e.jpg
 
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