I have hunted almost two full seasons now. From the day I started, I have hunted pretty consistently. Not just once every few weeks, but multiple times a week. I killed my first deer, a doe, just a couple weeks ago. I'm in the same boat as you. Pretty much only have public land to hunt, beside by my house which is heavily hunted by neighbors so in some ways its worse then the public land.

I'm on the hunt for my first buck now. Don't think it will happen this season, life is getting busy. Now that I have finally killed a deer though, my perspective has changed. I'm not so much looking just for a kill, but looking for something that is more mature and ready to be taken. If a big fat doe walks by, I'll still probably take her, but I want my first buck to be something I can at least do a euro!

First time I ever went hunting my dad killed a buck. The second time I went I killed a small buck. Of course we were very fortunate to be able to hunt privately owned land that was very high quality.

Started hunting at 30 and harvested my first deer in AL. Took Seven years of hunting for my first doe and Eight for my first buck. I can actually thank my friend Kanebreak for putting me in a position to get my first doe and first buck back when he managed a commercial hunting lodge. I learned a lot about deer hunting from him. That place was awesome. After hunting the Florida Everglades for six years and never seeing a buck, I went to a lodge in Chambers county AL to try and get my first deer. With my first doe, I was ready to quit hunting after almost getting lost, getting stuck by the biggest briars I've ever seen, and tripping and falling into a creek in the dark morning. I finally found the flagging and the stand which was in the perfect spot. I convinced myself that I made too much noise as light was breaking and wouldn't see any deer. Twenty minutes after getting into the stand, here come three does. One of them was the biggest doe I've ever seen since that day. Popped her in the neck and dropped her in her tracks. I went from ready to quit to being hooked for life. For my first buck I sat all day from 5 am to dark in the most comfortable shooting house I've ever been in. One thing I miss about that place was the shooting houses. Talk about big comfortable shooting houses w comfortable office chairs. Had to watch you didn't fall asleep they were so comfortable. I was camped out with lunch, snacks, and drinks. I was a happy camper when I got my first buck. I was so happy that day. It was like I broke a curse of never seeing bucks. I started killing the heck out of them after that day. My luck improved and I started seeing more deer and more bucks everywhere I hunted.

"If your twenty feet up a tree, a deer can't hardly smell you anyway. Forget the wind just hunt"

^^^ That is absolutely wrong.Deer can smell you very well 20ft up a tree and will bust you every single time if the wind is wrong for the area.The only exception is during the rut when you might just get lucky and have a buck run a doe by you but I don't understand why you'd setup in a spot with the wrong wind and automatically drop your chances to damn near zero.On 20 acres scent is EVERYTHING!!If you're hunting the core area of the 20 acres chances are you're bumping deer going in and out.Best thing is to setup around the edge on trails leading onto the 20 acres and ONLY hunt with the right wind.It don't take many times to bump deer on 20 acres before they go nocturnal and I promise you if you're 20ft up a tree with the wrong wind youre running deer off you don't even know are in the area.That advice from that new Guy is just terrible advice about the wind.As far as how long I hunted it was a long time.I grew up in the woods hunting with my brother and cousin but just never sealed the deal on a deer till I was 14.First buck didn't come till about 7 years later.

I've hunted 6 different public land areas this year so far and haven't had any problems seeing deer. The only one I didn't see multiple deer on was Bankhead National Forest. I actually see just as many if not more deer on public land as I do my own personal one.

To the OP, don't get discouraged about public land. A lot of times it might take some experience and a little extra leg work, but the deer are definitely there. Talk to some folks that hunt the same areas to get ideas. Learn to read maps and find likely funnels and pinch points. Use human pressure to your advantage by setting up where other hunters might push deer to you.

Once you figure out how to hunt public land you'll probably enjoy it more than hunting private land. At least that's my experience.

That Being said what do you think is the best public land to hunt in the Huntsville area? I personally haven't had any luck on public land and skyline seems a little sketchy from every ones posts seems like you would be dodging bullets instead of hunting!!!

Got my license when I was 15, got my first deer in 1963 when I was 16. Shot it in Errol, NH, up on the Canadian border, hunting with my Dad. There was 2 feet of snow on the ground, and we had over a mile drag back to the car. She weighed 152 pounds (gutted) and probably was pushing 200 on the hoof. Fond memories.

About 6 years. Very green at the time and had no idea what I was doing. I later found Aldeer and the rest is history.

Four years. I grew up working on the farm, not hunting. My dad didn't hunt, still doesn't. First time I went hunting for deer was when I was old enough to drive to Skyline Mgt Area. I hunted there for 3 years. I killed my first deer, a spike my first year at Auburn.

Actually my advice to the young lad was to attempt to put the wind in his favor and hunt the rut even if he couldn't do so. But, I stand by my statement. I've hunted public land almost my entire life. Cut my teeth on the Talladega National Forest Northern portion plus Choccolooca and Hollins WMA. The deer herd was abundant and it was a sin to shoot a doe. One day I saw twenty does file by followed by a lone one inch spike. I started bowhunting in 1972. That's like 43 years. Now, you tell me how you determine which direction a deer is going to approach from on public forest land. I can assure you, I have had deer so close it wasn't funny on hundreds maybe thousands of occasions. I have seldom been busted, never had a deer detect me drawing my bow in my life. Now you can believe the so called experts trying to sell you their products or me, speaking from experience. If you wish to debate more, start another thread. I feel like I'm hijacking this one

What kind of woods are you hunting on public land? I hunt public and have only had one or two hunts this year that I didn't see anything. If I may make a suggestion, stay away from the wide open hardwoods. Find you a place where there's some thick, nasty stuff and hunt the edges of it. If you can find a spot where a pine thicket meets up to some hardwoods that should increase your chances.

I started deer hunting when I was 13 and killed my first deer/buck at 15. I think I'll Post a pic when I find it just to give yall a good laugh.



Picture as promised lol..

My 3rd season, a buttonhead just a few steps ahead of a pack of dogs. My daughter about 1 hour and 40 minutes, my son about 2hours, both many years later on the same property.

When i was 8 i killed a doe spike and 8 point the first year I ever hunted. Ive killed 4-5 every season since then and I'm 27 now. The last 11 years has been all public land.

Hunted a handful of times in high school but never really got into it. Freshman year of college when I came home for thanksgivig break I went with one of my best friends and for some reason got hooked hard. First deer I had a chance to shoot, my borrowed Remington 7400 30-06 wouldn't fire. About a week later, on December 16th 2006 at about 0720, this time with a Savage .270, I dropped a 125" 10 pt. Was the biggest deer me or any of my friends had seen it seemed like it. Really pissed off all the ones who had been hunting since they were really young. Still carry a Savage and still kill big deer, I've been blessed!

About a month after I started! Shot a doe on Christmas Eve afternoon!

About 30 minutes. I was very lucky. First ever hunt, cold morning, cowhorn spike with my dad in Fosters Alabama, I was 6 years old. Open site 30-30. I shot him in the back of the green field and he ran out of the back into some waist high stuff, my dad was very excited, said I hit him for sure, we got down and looked for blood, nothing, it was still early so we got back in shooting house,...

10 minutes later a big 10 point walks out to same spot where mine ran to, I say that I want to shoot him, my dad says that it would probably be better if he shoots that one. Dropped him.

They were laying on top of each other

Crazy to this day. Would have never found the first without the second

started and stopped deer hunting when i was 15. had been hunting squirrel since i was 10. resumed deer hunting in either december '05 or january '06. first evening hunt i took a doe. went on the conecuh springs christian school benefit hunt in january '06 and killed my first buck - 8 point. been filling the freezer since.

2 seasons of hunting, I was 12. Dog hunting.

I was 7 or 8 when I started toting a little single shot 410 and missed several and finally killed one when I was 11, and killed 4 that season, 3 does and a good 9 pt.