Virginia public land.

[Shupe88]

I hunt state land and NF in south west Va. That’s how I was raised to hunt. Only had one good piece of private land growing up to hunt. And we always saved it as a last resort to fill tags and the freezer. Anyone seem to notice that hunting public land is a dying tradition? I can go almost anywhere in the areas that I hunt and never see a soul! I’m not complaining because I love having it all to myself! Not much of a people person when it comes to hunting. And there is some damn good deer in these areas. You just have to earn them. Has everyone went soft and afraid to “get after it” or does everyone assume you have to have private land to kill a deer?


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[willfrye027]

I’m pretty new to Virginia and would say that it’s much less crowded here than out west. I rarely run into guys in the field during any of the seasons. I’ve killed some decent bucks too and I’m new to whitetails. Crowded public land is a myth out here.

 

[Shupe88]

I’m pretty new to Virginia and would say that it’s much less crowded here than out west. I rarely run into guys in the field during any of the seasons. I’ve killed some decent bucks too and I’m new to whitetails. Crowded public land is a myth out here.

Yeah I always hear people saying public land is over run with people. But honestly I never have a problem. Hope it stays that way.

 

[willfrye027]

I was worried about this based on “old timer” stories and intentionally avoided gun season openers for the first few years out here. Last year on rifle opener we didn’t see a single person in our area and there were multiple parking areas with zero vehicles in them. I bet it gets busy on the doe days, but I’ve yet to experience a “cabbage patch” in any of the public places we hunt...

 

[OXN939]

Completely in agreement with this for the southwest part of the state- there are a lot of really fantastic opportunities out there in some beautiful country. Go east of the Blue Ridge, however, where running dogs is allowed, and it is a different story. It becomes very difficult to do well as a fair chase hunter once that action kicks off. I personally know quite a few people who have stopped public land hunting and actually decided against buying land in Virginia because of this.

 

[Shupe88]

Completely in agreement with this for the southwest part of the state- there are a lot of really fantastic opportunities out there in some beautiful country. Go east of the Blue Ridge, however, where running dogs is allowed, and it is a different story. It becomes very difficult to do well as a fair chase hunter once that action kicks off. I personally know quite a few people who have stopped public land hunting and actually decided against buying land in Virginia because of this.

I have never hunted east of the blue ridge but I have heard the same thing from other people.


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[Shupe88]

I was worried about this based on “old timer” stories and intentionally avoided gun season openers for the first few years out here. Last year on rifle opener we didn’t see a single person in our area and there were multiple parking areas with zero vehicles in them. I bet it gets busy on the doe days, but I’ve yet to experience a “cabbage patch” in any of the public places we hunt...

There is a place on state land that I hunt that’s bowhunting only. So after muzzleloader opens there is no one to be found! I’ve had some good luck hunting it during the rut. Bucks get some age on them in there and no pressure. It’s like a sanctuary come the rut.


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[willfrye027]

There is a place on state land that I hunt that’s bowhunting only. So after muzzleloader opens there is no one to be found! I’ve had some good luck hunting it during the rut. Bucks get some age on them in there and no pressure. It’s like a sanctuary come the rut.


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I bowhunt a similar area but it’s also closed during muzzleloader and rifle and I think it’s also in a no shoot zone except archery. On my game cams I get pics of everything from spikes to gnarly old regressed bucks dying of old age. Haven’t connected on any big ones there, but it sure it fun to hunt them in a sanctuary like that.

Also hunted some places where dogs get run pretty bad and still had good luck. Although I hunted on a doe day last year and it was not a great experience, very loud with constant barking and gun shots. Still could have killed a doe though. It’s just not the same kind of experience, but it’s also tradition around there and otherwise difficult to control population in the thick swamps and timber stands. If possible I’ve enjoyed heading west of the blue ridge during gun season and had plenty of solitude and opportunity. VA is a great state to be a deer hunter IMO

 

[Shupe88]

I bowhunt a similar area but it’s also closed during muzzleloader and rifle and I think it’s also in a no shoot zone except archery. On my game cams I get pics of everything from spikes to gnarly old regressed bucks dying of old age. Haven’t connected on any big ones there, but it sure it fun to hunt them in a sanctuary like that.

Also hunted some places where dogs get run pretty bad and still had good luck. Although I hunted on a doe day last year and it was not a great experience, very loud with constant barking and gun shots. Still could have killed a doe though. It’s just not the same kind of experience, but it’s also tradition around there and otherwise difficult to control population in the thick swamps and timber stands. If possible I’ve enjoyed heading west of the blue ridge during gun season and had plenty of solitude and opportunity. VA is a great state to be a deer hunter IMO

It’s a very good state. Just have to work a little harder at it. Guess that’s why I love it!


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[OXN939]

There is a place on state land that I hunt that’s bowhunting only. So after muzzleloader opens there is no one to be found! I’ve had some good luck hunting it during the rut. Bucks get some age on them in there and no pressure. It’s like a sanctuary come the rut.


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I've never seen this phenomenon as accentuated in another state as it gets in VA. There are a lot of places in between heavily pressured areas that become reservoirs for large, mature animals. Finding them is the hard part.

 

[Shupe88]

I've never seen this phenomenon as accentuated in another state as it gets in VA. There are a lot of places in between heavily pressured areas that become reservoirs for large, mature animals. Finding them is the hard part.

Yeah I agree. Catching one that moves in the daylight is very rare. Gotta stay tight to where they bed.


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[Billy Goat]

Public land in Virginia has changed a lot in the last 20 years. National Forest used to be covered with camps during hunting season. Lots of things have changed. The Forests are ageing and don't have the year round habitat and food like they used to.

Some decent hunting on public land here. I don't hunt it as much as I would like to. Always a good sit. I'll see deer, turkey, bear, and coyotes all in the same sit. Sometimes bobcat or grouse.


I guess I have gotten lazy and I don't "get after it". When I do that it's out west.

 

[fatlander]

I think it has a lot to do with the ease of access to quality whitetail habitat. The national forest doesn’t provide the food for deer like mixed crop land and properly rotated timber. It’s very easy to gain access or lease access in Virginia compared to many parts of the country. I spent my college years in the Shenandoah valley but I’m from the other side of the mountains. I’ve seen more game in one day many times over back home than my entire four years in the valley.


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[Shupe88]

Public land in Virginia has changed a lot in the last 20 years. National Forest used to be covered with camps during hunting season. Lots of things have changed. The Forests are ageing and don't have the year round habitat and food like they used to.

Some decent hunting on public land here. I don't hunt it as much as I would like to. Always a good sit. I'll see deer, turkey, bear, and coyotes all in the same sit. Sometimes bobcat or grouse.


I guess I have gotten lazy and I don't "get after it". When I do that it's out west.

My dad and his brothers would go camp for a week back in the day. In a area around Covington. Said there where tons of other hunters camping. Always seemed to see game and fill a few tags. One of them usually killed a decent buck each year. Wish I could have been old enough at the time to go. Can’t really find anyone that is willing to travel to new locations and camp. Most of my buddy’s hunt private land. It just feels more rewarding to kill even a decent buck on NF. Especially with a bow. IMO anyways.


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[Billy Goat]

I was out driving through National Forest south of Covington today.

My dad and his brothers would go camp for a week back in the day. In a area around Covington. Said there where tons of other hunters camping. Always seemed to see game and fill a few tags. One of them usually killed a decent buck each year. Wish I could have been old enough at the time to go. Can’t really find anyone that is willing to travel to new locations and camp. Most of my buddy’s hunt private land. It just feels more rewarding to kill even a decent buck on NF. Especially with a bow. IMO anyways.


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I farm so I actually have a fair amount of private land to hunt as is. Kinda spoiled. Still go out on public a couple of days a year. I have some friends that use to spend weeks out there.

 

[m2md6]

Virginia is for lovers

 

[AlleghenyMountain]

I'm new here but saw this Virginia thread and thought I might add a few things. I hunted private land in Highland County almost exclusively for 20 years. Family dynamics changed and I didn't hunt there last year. I'm hoping to get to spend some time there going forward, but I hunted the little I got to go on National Forest last year. I was only a mile and a half or so from where I'd been going and I intentionally tried to find a place close to some cleared private land. I found sign in the area but didn't kill anything. I'm looking forward to trying that spot again this year and maybe some more remote areas I hunted many years ago. As far as pressure goes, 20 years ago you saw a lot of campers and tents set up on the roads adjoining NF, very little of that in the last few years, and really not as many vehicles parked in places to access private property either.

 

[Glendon Mullins]

Hey I am from Highland County, where do you hunt up this way? you can PM me if you like

 

[AlleghenyMountain]

Hey I am from Highland County, where do you hunt up this way? you can PM me if you like

I couldn't figure out how to start a PM, do you have to have a certain number of posts? I hunted the Palo Alto area for years, if you're familiar with the name of that area. The post office closed there in 1941, so a lot of people don't know that's what it's called.

 

[traviswdalton]

Hunted George Washington National forest in bath county along pads creek most of my life.


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