^ Never killed a mature buck on public land, but I've seen some close to the road. They bed downwind or in sight of common access points. I snuck in the back way last year and had a biggun get within 10 yards, but he busted me before I ever had a clean shot. It endend up being a 2.5 mile walk to not get busted on the way in, but I would have only had to drag it a few hundred yards if I had got him.

Some bucks go deep to avoid getting patterned, others come in to pattern us.