Advice/tips on how to deer hunt the game lands?

pirate11

Button Buck
Im located in jacksonville NC and have hunted private land the last 2 years but want to try the game lands this coming fall. Any tips on how to get the most out of game lands or where you even start to have a successful hunt? i have hunted out of a box stand the last 2 years that was already on the land so I'm completely new as far as on how to get started on game lands. thanks
 
FishHunt

FishHunt

Old Mossy Horns
Try to find a funnel area between a known or suspected bedding site and a food source. Preferably one located away from where you can drive an atv or truck to. Buy a couple of cheap (Less than $30) Tasco 6mp cams and put them on the travel routes you have found/find to see what is really there. Hunt at least through lunch as others going to lunch or catch a nap can and will push game by you.

Edit: Have at least two areas picked out so you have a backup plan. You never know what could happen on public land.

<>< Fish
 
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Combat Diver

Combat Diver

Eight Pointer
When I do get the chance to deer hunt its all on Game Lands within the last 10 yrs. Pick several gamelands near you, read the regulations on do's and don'ts and then start scouting now. Research the prevailing winds for the area too so you can figure routes in and out. Look for game trails, sign, bedding areas and food sources. Study the terrain and determine how you want to hunt ie: Stalking, tree stand or ground blind. As stated have several courses of action ahead of time as someone might beat you to it on that day. Generally I carry a pop up ground blind in the swamps of Brunswick county's gamelands. Good luck and good hunting.

CD
 
Weekender

Weekender

Twelve Pointer
Study an aerial photograph such as google maps. I look for the tightest edges of where more than one habitat type comes to gether into a narrow alley/chokepoint/funnel. Different aged pine plantations, regenerating clear cuts [cutover], drainages are a few examples.

When you find those on the aerial, go walk that ground.
 
JJWise

JJWise

Twelve Pointer
Get a good climbing stand, spend the money for a light weight one because you want to go in far. I found that along the coast the brush it too dense to effectively use a ground blind or still-hunt like I usually do. I generally do something similar to Weekender. Get as far from the roads as you can and scout as much as possible, almost every morning that I’m not at work I’m out scouting, all year long.
 

cheapdate

Eight Pointer
Find any creek, stream or ditch running through the property. Walk them until you find where the deer are crossing. Press mark on your GPS. Find a couple more for backups. Your scouting is done. Proceed to fish the remaining months of summer.
 
appmtnhntr

appmtnhntr

Twelve Pointer
JJWise said:
Get a good climbing stand, spend the money for a light weight one because you want to go in far. I found that along the coast the brush it too dense to effectively use a ground blind or still-hunt like I usually do. I generally do something similar to Weekender. Get as far from the roads as you can and scout as much as possible, almost every morning that I’m not at work I’m out scouting, all year long.
Click to expand...

You forgot one. Hanging a stand so close to the main parking area you can hear guys closing their truck doors.
Killed my biggest bow buck doing that. Deer are smart, and hunters are predictable.
95% of dudes go between 200 and 400 yards from the truck.... I only hunt less than 200 or more than 400 and can limit out on public land every year if I want. That includes some bucks that are bigger than all my other buddies with high $$ leases...
 

ncstatehunter

Twelve Pointer
appmtnhntr said:
You forgot one. Hanging a stand so close to the main parking area you can hear guys closing their truck doors.
Killed my biggest bow buck doing that. Deer are smart, and hunters are predictable.
95% of dudes go between 200 and 400 yards from the truck.... I only hunt less than 200 or more than 400 and can limit out on public land every year if I want. That includes some bucks that are bigger than all my other buddies with high $$ leases...
Click to expand...

Don't give away all the secrets now!
 
JJWise

JJWise

Twelve Pointer
appmtnhntr said:
You forgot one. Hanging a stand so close to the main parking area you can hear guys closing their truck doors.
Killed my biggest bow buck doing that. Deer are smart, and hunters are predictable.
95% of dudes go between 200 and 400 yards from the truck.... I only hunt less than 200 or more than 400 and can limit out on public land every year if I want. That includes some bucks that are bigger than all my other buddies with high $$ leases...
Click to expand...


During bow season I saw a lot of deer very very close to the road and shot one opening day less than 100 yards inside the woods. During rifle season I had one spot that consistently had deer passing through that was probably about 50 yards from the road, but other than that 1 spot if I was within half a mile of a road I couldn’t find anything. That’s a tactic I wish I could nail down lol, those 30minute walks in get old quick
 
appmtnhntr

appmtnhntr

Twelve Pointer
JJWise said:
During bow season I saw a lot of deer very very close to the road and shot one opening day less than 100 yards inside the woods. During rifle season I had one spot that consistently had deer passing through that was probably about 50 yards from the road, but other than that 1 spot if I was within half a mile of a road I couldn’t find anything. That’s a tactic I wish I could nail down lol, those 30minute walks in get old quick
Click to expand...

Haha, yeah...

It's hard for me to get people to go with me in gun season cause my "close" spots are still about 45 minutes walking up the mountain.
Some are 90 minutes as hard as you can climb. But, I've always got the woods, and deer, to myself.
 
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