Go deep, as in further than most hunters are willing or able to go. Most won't venture more than a 1/4 mile from the parking lot. Go in a half mile or more and you should be good. Just don't expect to be alone, even then. There will always be somebody around on public land.

 

Going deep isn't always necessary, follow sign. I once killed a nice buck that was within shooting distance of a heavily used parking area. Just follow the sign, it tell you where to hunt!

 

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Study the map/sat images look for the places where others will push the deer towards you if you find one get there early.

Often a lot of places are busy the opening day and saturdays but mid week is really quiet but other people keep the deer moving.

Get boots on the ground and scout those places.

Move super slowly and keep the wind in your face.

 

Scout, scout and scout. You can never do enough

 

So your hunting york co. You can't really go deep on any of the sgls because there's roads and trails that crisscross them all. The answer is really to scout and find areas that have sign and hunt it. Be flexible and adaptable.

 

Not stuck to just York , Adams and Lancaster work for me as well researching some places there as well

 

Try over in huntingdon county much more land to roam around..

 

Haha yeah if I’m going that way I’m just gonna go to Miflin county where our cabin is and just hunt private just trying to still hunt without having to take a trip to the cabin everytime

 

Go deep, as in further than most hunters are willing or able to go. Most won't venture more than a 1/4 mile from the parking lot. Go in a half mile or more and you should be good. Just don't expect to be alone, even then. There will always be somebody around on public land.

Some of my most productive public land spots are within sight of paved roads

 

Some of my most productive public land spots are within sight of paved roads

Shhhhh don't give away the secret 🤣

 

I prob take as many deer/turkey on public as private land. First off don’t go where all the cars are. Yheyy don’t know a good spot. They know a popular crowded spot so anywhere w cars avoid.
Next thing is be discreet, don’t park by your areas. If you have any hunt stickers or anything on your truck remove them. Park on a side road, across the street, etc.Never telegraph.
Next think of distancing techniques. Walk further many guys do but take a boat across a river, deep stream, Reservior. Climb up a mountain. You’ll instantly see less guys. One other is often super close and what should be obvious no one hunts.
Use the techniques that follow preferred available food sources, finding what’s less, feed or beds and keying in and understanding pressure. Id everyone comes in the same parking lot and you can bump up over a mountain to be on the backside you’ll prob be left alone.
I’ll give you a couple quick scenarios. One public land spot i used to use was super steep. Deer didn’t even come straight up all the trails were zig zag. I’d go super early. Get on mtn. If you look at the daily posts about guys drinking coffee imo late you’ll see many start later. So I’d set up at daylight guys would start in to the valley. They scoot the deer up mtn. I’d hear the hooves clanging the rocks coming up. Almost never didn’t get shot there if I wanted it. Full of white oaks some black so once they got there they stayed around a bit.
Another spot was another mountain. The road below maybe 1/2 mile in. I’d hunt from the top where you had a hard time parking. Guys would pheasant hunt below. At daylight I’d hear dog bells. Here come the deer to again the oaks but being pushed my direction.
I could go on n on but just analyze what’s in front of you and make it work. Be discreet. Don’t get out with cars passing you so no one gets ideas. And personally I’d never advertise a spot like state game lands such n such lots of guys reading. If someone says yes used to be great well you just got some Internet scouters to join you

 

Some of my most productive public land spots are within sight of paved roads

Same
Who wants to drag a deer a mile anyways

 

Same
Who wants to drag a deer a mile anyways

Not me anymore, that’s what my son and grandsons are for.
if they aren’t available, I plan my hunts so the drag is all downhill back to the truck.

 

Deer pattern us lazy humans. Let that be your guide.

 

Same
Who wants to drag a deer a mile anyways

Back in my prime a mile drag was hardly enough to even break a sweat. It was those three and four mile drags that would wear me down.

I haven't had to drag many over a mile though since I set my bike and cart up to bring them out that way. I can only think of three that were over a mile of dragging in the past half dozen years.

Dick Bodenhorn

 

Back in my prime a mile drag was hardly enough to even break a sweat. It was those three and four mile drags that would wear me down.

I haven't had to drag many over a mile though since I set my bike and cart up to bring them out that way. I can only think of three that were over a mile of dragging in the past half dozen years.

Dick Bodenhorn

I'd never even consider a three or four mile drag. I'd quarter it on the spot and pack it out

 

That's what I do. Boned one out last year , l will never drag one again. 20 minutes a side,through in game bags. Then in pack. Enjoy a nice walk out.

 

Wait till there near a road or quad trail before dropping…N0 DRAGGING!

 

I carry a backpack with rope knives bags and sharpener. I wont drag one anymore.

 

Look the thing about public is pressure, but not like you'd assume I mean. Yes, it's gonna have people all over it, but deer are used to that. What I mean is your own pressure, you need to jump around, sitting the same exact stand could and sometimes does produce, but you will increase your odds by being inconsistent. You also need to think outside of the box, just because you see a stand doesn't mean you need to go find a different game lands. Hunt where you think no one else would dream of sitting. I have quite a few big bucks ive found over the years that most would not believe where I found them.

I killed him last year inside 200 yards of my house less then 80 yards from a public parking lot to public land.

This one..

He was, I kid you not 10 yards off of the highway on gamelands, I got real close to this one but botched the shot..... I felt very stupid sitting there until he walked on by....

All of these were so close to the SGL parking lot, I watched 11 people park and walk the opposite direction to start hunting. I also listened to on fella have a conversation with himself about getting there so late, he was polite at all...... lol

I have quite a fee more.. but the point is, you have to start getting comfortable with not having the picture setup with the picture perfect killshot. Subconsciously, I believe most guys want that hunting show experience, it possible to find but it's not something that'll be consistent, because it's everyone's land. I can tell you that since I've been hunting spots most would call me idiotic for, I have had some encounters with big bucks. Putting them on the ground how ever, I'm still working on consistency there. Lol. I been fortunate to fill tag for 6 years straight hunting this way. I'm no where near what I'd consider a good hunter, I've just gotten good at hunting weird spots on public!