Don't worry the hunters are flocking to public land now. Tell you a little story. I walked in deep on some Public land years ago in search of a gobbler. Back during deer hunting season I had found me a spot. Ended up shooting a small buck and a doe too. One morning trying to find my stand in pitch dark I about pissed in my pants when a flock of turkeys flew out of a tree about 30 feet over my head. Well it came turkey season and I decided to sneak back to that exact spot. Needless to say after a long walk in and a wasted morning I didn't see a turkey, none, zero.
I climbed in my truck and looked back up the road and low and behold a big gobbler was strutting in the middle of the road and as silent as a deer while doing it. I thought it was like a mirage I was seeing something, but I wasn't. I attempted a sneak on the ol'boy, but not a sound of that old tom. I still swear to this day someone must have cut the vocal cords out of that one cause I never heard any sounds. That is an example of how hunting on public land can be sometimes you can put in a lot of work and come up empty a lot more than private land. Find the game and more times than not someone will run it off or kill it before you get a shot at it. That's why they call it hunting I keep telling myself anyhow!