My public buck hotspot

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Rich3006
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My public buck hotspot

Unread postby Rich3006 » Fri Jul 08, 2022 4:59 am

2 years ago I found a great natural funnel map scouting. I found a great bedding area near by. This place had everything. A creek runs thu it, oak trees, good bedding cover, and multiple draws intersecting. On the third day of gun season that year I sat as close to the bedding as I could. Before the sun came up I heard a deer get out of it's bed and come my direction. Right at legal light I shot a 3.5 year old 9 pointer.

Fast forward to last year. Opening day of gun season found me in that area. Had a fork horn come by at first light. A bit later a doe came by. About 8:30 some rustling came from the bedding. I look up and here comes a nice buck. Shot him and he didn't run 20 yards. Great scarred up mature 8 pt. 10 years ago I would have told you that wasn't possible on public land.

I am the land manager on a small farm. That piece of property has produced allot of nice deer but I now prefer to hunt this piece of public. Can't wait for season to start.


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Jackson Marsh
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Re: My public buck hotspot

Unread postby Jackson Marsh » Fri Jul 08, 2022 7:47 am

8-)

Sounds like a great spot.
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backstraps
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Re: My public buck hotspot

Unread postby backstraps » Fri Jul 08, 2022 8:40 am

Its really neat finding these types of spots
Hopefully it will pay iff for you again this season
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1STRANGEWILDERNESS
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Re: My public buck hotspot

Unread postby 1STRANGEWILDERNESS » Fri Jul 08, 2022 1:20 pm

There not easy to find but I’ve found several public spots I prefer to private. Not because I can brag more if I shoot one there but because they are simply better spots ;)
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Re: My public buck hotspot

Unread postby Lockdown » Fri Jul 08, 2022 3:43 pm

Take that spot to your grave.
Rich3006
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Re: My public buck hotspot

Unread postby Rich3006 » Fri Jul 29, 2022 3:42 pm

1STRANGEWILDERNESS wrote:There not easy to find but I’ve found several public spots I prefer to private. Not because I can brag more if I shoot one there but because they are simply better spots ;)


Exactly. I have a honey hole on 80 acres of private that I kill the two biggest bucks of my life on but this public spot has more deer and more potential. Never thought I would prefer public to private but 2 years in a row I have. I leave the 80 acres spot for youth season for my daughter.

When I started hunting Missouri 27 years ago I was told public land was worthless. No deer and hunters behind every tree. I believed that for years. Hunted this spot off and on for 20 years with little success. Moved near by a few years ago and started hunting it again because it was close. 2nd year killed a doe. 3rd year killed a buck. 4th year killed a mature buck . I now have my bow hunting spots and my gun spots on this property and it's my go too spot. One of the best hunting spot I have ever hunted and I hunted Pike county Illinois in it's hay day.

Doesn't matter if it's public or private it has to hold deer and you have to find them. If you can find em you can kill em.
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Re: My public buck hotspot

Unread postby Diamondback » Fri Aug 05, 2022 2:19 am

I’ve found a few spots like that on public. They seem to last 3-4 years and tend to fade out. I’m not sure if it’s from hunting pressure or just killing a couple. I have 2 leases but I only hunt it a few times a year and let kids and grands have it most of the time. I get tired of hunting same areas all the time. Public land has me spoiled and prefer being able to hunt different areas every hunt if I like.
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Re: My public buck hotspot

Unread postby Diamondback » Fri Aug 05, 2022 2:20 am

I’ve found a few spots like that on public. They seem to last 3-4 years and tend to fade out. I’m not sure if it’s from hunting pressure or just killing a couple. I have 2 leases but I only hunt it a few times a year and let kids and grands have it most of the time. I get tired of hunting same areas all the time. Public land has me spoiled and prefer being able to hunt different areas every hunt if I like.
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Re: My public buck hotspot

Unread postby Rich3006 » Sat Nov 19, 2022 6:18 pm

Lockdown wrote:Take that spot to your grave.


Too late someone found it this year. Plenty of deer still but no buck activity. He set a stand withing 20 yards of the beds. Pretty sure it's a guy that watched me drag my 8 pointer out last year. I'll give it a few years when he gets bored and leaves the bucks will return.
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Re: My public buck hotspot

Unread postby sloughdog » Sun Nov 20, 2022 4:37 am

Rich3006 wrote:
Lockdown wrote:Take that spot to your grave.


Too late someone found it this year. Plenty of deer still but no buck activity. He set a stand withing 20 yards of the beds. Pretty sure it's a guy that watched me drag my 8 pointer out last year. I'll give it a few years when he gets bored and leaves the bucks will return.


Was about to ask if anyone has seen you drag one out of there….you found this spot you’ll find another.
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Re: My public buck hotspot

Unread postby Tennhunter3 » Sun Nov 20, 2022 2:29 pm

Spots on public never stay good at least in my experience.

Where I killed my best buck 140ish 12 a guy hunted it the next year hasn't been good since.

Where I killed my big 8 point 130s they logged the next year and it's gone.

The only good spot I still have is where I killed my buck last year.



Their is great spots on public but they dry up or have issues quickly. Everyone knows how to beast hunt now so I doubt many public spots will stay good longterm.
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Re: My public buck hotspot

Unread postby Rich3006 » Mon Nov 21, 2022 6:01 pm

Tennhunter3 wrote:Spots on public never stay good at least in my experience.

Where I killed my best buck 140ish 12 a guy hunted it the next year hasn't been good since.

Where I killed my big 8 point 130s they logged the next year and it's gone.

The only good spot I still have is where I killed my buck last year.



Their is great spots on public but they dry up or have issues quickly. Everyone knows how to beast hunt now so I doubt many public spots will stay good longterm.



Very few people actually know how to beat hunt. They can find the spots but they over hunt them and burn them out or don't take the time to find the right tree etc. This is the main reason these spots dry up. I run into guys all the time that follow Dan and THP and think they are beast hunters. They find a good buck then hang a stand and hunt it every weekend and never see the buck. They walk thru the beds on the way to the stand, set stands with the beds at the base of them etc.
As long as those guys are the majority and believe me they are, big bucks will live another day and guys following Dan's stuff to the letter will find them and kill them.

I'm nothing compared to Dan or Josh and never will be, not that dedicated. That said the biggest thing I learned from Dan is don't burn out a spot over hunting It. My biggest bucks came from the first sit in a spot or at least the first sit that year. I stopped camping in spots and started killing big deer. I found these tactics work well for does and young bucks too. I'm not a big buck guy but I kill more deer in general using Beast tactics


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