I've hunted both public and private lands, but most of my hunting is on a very large tract of public land (timber), about 200,000 acres, with an additional 80,000 adjacent acres. I see more deer, and usually better bucks, on the private land. Deer are present on the public land, but due to the pressure they are much tougher to hunt. I usually hunt here because I love the variety such a large place holds. Personally, I get bored as heck hunting out of the same tree stand, looking at the same trees day after day, and year after year.
Last year I took my son, 11 at the time, hunting on private land I have access to. We saw over 27 deer that morning, and several more that afternoon/evening. He had MANY oppurtunities to shoot a deer, and got a decent 8 point (his first deer) that evening. It was a great hunt, but the reality is that is was fairly easy. The level of skill required on private land like this is much less than that required on most public land. In fact, the only hunting skill required on a lot of private land is simply the ability to get out of bed and accurately shoot a rifle out to 50 yards. The hunter that frequently shoots deer on public land is typically a much better hunter than one who is sucessful on private ground.
Last edited by okbowman; 08/20/12.
