I've deer hunted for around 30 years now. It's all been private land hunting in Missouri and a few years of lease hunting here in Texas. This year I'm looking to take my bow out to public land and get deep back in the woods to see what I can see.

I've used portable ground blinds and tree stands on private land where they stayed set up the entire deer season, but not sure about packing in a blind/stand every weekend along with bow and other gear. What are the suggestions for a light setup hide to carry into the woods? Roll up turkey blind?

Thanks in advance

I’ve bow hunted on public land for over 20 years and have settled on using a climbing tree stand and in some cases a gobbler lounger since I went to using a crossbow. The climber is a pain but it gives you some options of moving locations easily. I tried the ground blind one time. I went in early evening and set it up and brushed it in and sat in it for 10 minutes and some dove hunters moved in on me and had to leave.

I nearly exclusively hunt public land.


I almost never leave a stand in the woods unless I KNOW I'm going back the next morning which is rare.


I use a lone wolf alpha hang on with sticks.


Once in a while a summit viper climber.


Adding a saddle to the mix this season I think.


Lots of ways to improve a good hang on. Mine is modified a good bit and although heavy , it carries pretty well.

I've hunted a bunch of public lands in Texas. All of the WMAs I've been on have blinds available for you to use but you can bring your own pop-up too.

Getting a permit is the toughest problem.

Hide from what--- animals, or other hunters??

I buy treestands on sale and leave them up when permitted by law. None stolen since 2012, but if it happens, it's just part of the cost of doing business. I do use locking cables. My stands are about 3/4 mile in. Doubt many are willing to tote boltcutters in and then haul the stands back out.

Over the last ten years or so, about half my deer have been taken from the ground, generally sitting on a stool or strap-on tree seat. Terrain can provide the elevation needed to see better in many cases; seats help me sit longer. Never felt I needed a blind for deer with camo clothing, or blaze orange for that matter.

We aren’t allowed to leave treestands in the woods for over 24 hours, without permission of the area manager. So l won’t leave one except if it’s an evening hunt and I’m 100% positive I’m coming right back the next morning, and I’ve just about quit doing that. When I gun hunt, I usually hunt from the ground. Archery, a climbing tree stand.

My advice would be to figure out when the area is hunted the least, and hunt then. Look for places that others avoid or are too lazy to hike to, and give them a try. And those places aren’t necessarily the longest walk from the truck either.

Do whatever it takes to keep those places secret. Be careful posting pictures from the area, and be careful of taking “friends” into any honeyholes you find unless you have a good agreement beforehand to keep it to yourselves. It took a few hard lessons for me to figure that out.

If you are blessed to have a long season, I’d avoid hunting busy opening weekends. Also, most people give up on late season hunting. Usually, the surviving deer move about more freely with the lighter pressure of late season.

Did I mention to keep it quiet when you find a good place????

Good luck to you.

And another thing, public hunting gets a bad rap sometimes, but in our area, it’s usually pretty good. Most hunters that I run across don’t want to mess up my hunt any more than I want to mess up theirs. I try to stay well away from where others park to keep that from happening. If I walk up on somebody who’s already there, I turn around and immediately leave.

In a lot of ways, I’ve had far fewer head aches hunting public than private.

A few of my favorite spots are tiny bits of public that nobody wants to mess with. A really good I stumbled up on is 28 acres that’s between some prime private. Two small creeks run across it.
Another one is a much bigger piece of low lying ground that is avoided. Have to wear hip boots and it’s a grind to get to the good stuff. Put the climber and hip boots in a jet sled and go.

Archery hunting I take my climber if at all possible. One morning I tagged a dandy 8pt at 10a from my climber. Got him taken care of and at 2:30p went to check another area where I’d seen scrapes before. I slowly crested a hill and saw another good 8pt working his way to me. He also saw me but he wasn’t sure what I was. I found a little shooting lane and hunkered down. I put an arrow thru him 10 minutes later, needling beside a cedar tree.

Gun hunts I usually hunt from the ground or use a lock-on and a couple climbing sticks.
When the leaves are wet I’ll still hunt and take it slow.



It’s always fun to hike way back in.
It’s always fun to bag some meat in that sweet spot right off the highway also.

Tree sadle

Appreciate all the feedback. Looks like the general consensus is I need to get up in the air. So I’m going to shop around and try to find a couple of used options for a tree stand and a climber. Don’t want to drop a bunch of money into stands that may be taken. Will invest in cable locks and the plan is to go back where few venture. Thanks again.

I hardly ever take one down. I can't remember when I've had one damaged. The only time I take one down is when the area I'm hunting requires it. In MN we used to be able to actually BUILD stands on public land. But...they were fair game to the public if you didn't get there first.

I use treestands to see better, and have no illusions about deer not being able to see or smell me at the chicken-hearted heights I put them. They also, I think, put me a bit above the line of fire from other hunters, many of whom seem to fail to notice you even with 400 square inches of orange hanging all over. The added height also directs your fire into the dirt, on closer shots anyway. Hang-ons are more flexible than ladders. Don't skimp on either the stand or the climber steps. Good ones last and used or cheap ones may not be comfortable or safe.

If you don't already have them, invest in a good vest-type harness, lineman's belt, and safety rope with a sliding tether. I've never fallen, but a good setup will save you from serious harm. The lineman's belt makes hanging a stand much easier and safer.

Doesn't really answer your question, but I hunt public land exclusively. I do not use a blind or stand, I still-hunt big timber with maybe a bit of spot and stalk thrown in. Make good use of available cover and concealment, manage motion so you're not so visible (deer seem to see motion much more than shape), and hunt into the wind.

Pop up blind, tree stand, a folding chair. These in no particular order.

From the ground, don't move tucking yourself under a ceder tree or against cover in a comfortable chair. I've had deer walk real close using a roll up turkey blind, but they busted me when I moved. Spruce or pine trees sitting on a cushion on a limb works well here in the Midwest and you can get by with more movement. I've never hunted in Texas and I'd bet that is a whole other ballgame. Wear as much camo that is legal to help break up your silhouette. I've been know to carry 50' of camo rope and weave it around a couple of smaller parallel tree limbs to form a seat.

If you're hunting public land in Texas, I'm guessing you're talking the National Forests in East Texas. Go in at least a mile and you'll be fine. Don't hang a stand in a highly traveled place. I accidentally left a climber out for a year (end of the season and I had a family emergency and had to leave the woods in a hurry) and it was still there a year later. That was two miles in, though.

The fact is, you don't need to be in a tree. Hanging one in the right position on public land (even just on the right side of the right tree) requires a huge amount of scouting and missed opportunities along the way. If you're hunting from on the ground and in the wrong spot, you move. You are not doing that with a tree stand without blowing out your hunt area for the day. Also it's a noisy heavy piece of gear to tote around.

When I first started archery hunting whitetails and pigs on public land, I found I lost about half my hunting time repositioning and moving my stand, especially when I was learning a new area of land. So I stopped using a stand.

Those $20 Tent peg type turkey blinds work great. I usually have one with me but at this point I kill most stuff still hunting because I've switched over to a crossbow for archery season (I still shoot mostly trad when I'm just shooting). In fact, if you want to spend money on gear that will really help you kill deer during archery season, forget the tree stand and buy a crossbow. Otherwise you'll do fine with the $20 turkey blind.

If you mean hiding from game animals, I sit at the base of trees, when I sit and glass, below any skyline. Might be different in Texas. I have found some tree stands on public land, above elk wallows and such. I actually don't know if it is legal to leave it there where I hunt.

Public land?

Gun season?

Treestand and plenty of orange.

+1

Why carry all that stuff and waste time finding the perfect tree?

+1

For public land, the setup that did me the best, is what is called "The Portable Stump." The idea was first popularized by Dr. Ken Norberg back in the 90's.

http://drnordbergondeerhunting.com/hypertext/Articles/Portable_Stump_Hunting.html


I developed my idea back in the 80's, hunting in Hocking Hills SE of Columbus, Ohio. It combined a 5-gallon bucket on a shoulder strap or backpack straps, a length of camper's cord (what we use paracord for now) and camo blind material.

When my #3 son started deer hunting on his own, he was not enthralled with sitting in a treestand. He wanted to wander more. I brought up the idea of the portable stump, and he took to it.

See

Portable Stump Hunting





I've taken deer at less than 5 yards with a bow with that kind of rig. The best thing about it is that if you practice the two knots I mention, you can have the blind set up in under 5 minutes with minimal fuss and noise. What that means is that a hunter can troll through the woods and when he finds a good spot, he's blinded in, lickety-split.

Thoughts:

1) I'm a walking landform. So are my sons. Normal camp chairs crumble under us. That's why I went with the bucket design. Norberg's idea is fine if you are of normal weight and bulk. If you're light enough, a daypack and a folding camp chair will work .
2) The shoulder strap is great for a short trek. It was also easy to do. If I was going to be roaming over longer distances, I would substitute backpack straps. Even better, I'd substitute Alice Pack Straps:



Alice straps also have a quick release that lets you drop your load quickly and silently. They're $13 a pair on Ebay.

3) The bucket has another advantage over a stool or camp chair. A bucket does not sink into soft earth, and it is more stable on uneven ground.





Versus a pop-up: I've got a pop-up. I've hunted out of it somewhat. What has me leaning towards this portable stump idea is that there is a lot less muss and fuss. With a pop-up, I'm always hesitant to get up and move, because of all the hoo-haw associated with striking and setting. You're also still left with what to bring for a seat.

My grandpa shot public land deer off an orange five gallon bucket for a long time.

I primarily still hunt now. Or will still hunt until I find a spot I like and then sit for a while. I also have a climber and a hang on if I want the stand.

-Jake

The tree saddle is your lightest/most versatile option. You can use it in any tree, with the individual steps, from ground level as a sling chair, to however high. It’s generally (depending on make) your safety harness and climbing rig, and most can be worn on the walk in. A good, versatile pack will also let you carry steps, Turkey lounger, lock on, etc. I grew up with climbers, but saddles (and evening lock ons) with the right steps, are a tossup for speed and ease, with a little practice. They’re also generally far less weight and bulk, and far less picky about trees. That’s pretty important in the dark, if you don’t have a tree already picked out for your climber.....but a good pack that will be comfortable with all that, your general hunting stuff, water, food, and safety/oh [bleep] gear is a must on public land, for me. Rigged there, and you can get >1mi from the roads that chain 99% of the other hunters down. I’ve got buddies that hunt a lot of public land with game carts with fat tires, and just pull their gear in and can easily haul a deer back out without quartering in the woods. I know others into the E-bikes for all those reasons, too.

Depends on where you hunt. As a public land hunter out west I had never seen a treestand in person before moving to the south. Now hunting public I'm in a stand 95% of the time. It's just a matter of adapting to what the land offers you. Different areas = different methods

Great points made by all. Gives me lots to think about. Thanks

I hunted public land in Missouri for about 20 yrs when I first started deer hunting and I always hunted from the ground. My tool of choice was a folding hand saw made by Gerber. I learned how to pick my spots and in short time would have a nice spot concealed by brush.

I just always liked to prepare to ground or tree hunt, as situation dictated, on public land. Clippers and hand saws are always in my kit. A good pack would even let you haul a small ground blind and chair, easily.

I grew up hunting public land (national forest, national grassland and BLM land) in CO and WY. Never bothered trying to hide. Hunted mostly spot and stalk.

I used a tree saddle about 25 years with screw ins steps. (legal), although light ,quiet not very comfortable

I lived across the street from public land in Michigan for a few years. I usually hid in my basement on opening day of gun season.

There’s so many versions and improvements on those things these days, I’m not sure how it’s possible to not find one that’s comfortable. ...and they’re all lighter and less bulky than a stand.

Doesn't Texas sound like fun.

Depends on where in TX you are. I live in Amarillo and I have a big public hunting area just north of me that doesn't require any special permits and has a good mule deer population and lots of whitetails. I hunt it a few times a season and see almost nobody else there. No blinds and no feeders like most TX hunters want. You have to hike into the canyons and glass up your game and pack it out on your back. In other words it is just like the hunting I did when I grew up in CO.

There's been too many people wounded and killed on the ground deer hunting public lands in the southeast, and based upon what I've seen, (and it's been a while since I've hunted public land) there are to many bubbas who shoot at anything that moves in the brush. The only instance of someone shot in a deer stand (that I recall) was long ago, on the Ft. Benning Reservation. Squirrel hunter shot a deer hunter in a tree, yep, as the newspaper quoted him, "I thought he was a squirrel." If I were you I'd take the lightest climbing stand you can haul, and haul it to the most remote spot (pick it out on the topo).

But the brushy areas are where you get the best sound shots