Southern Wisco Public Land

This is the first time in years I will not be hunting private during the 9 day gun...My question is how packed does it really get? I've never really hunted public hard and am a bit nervous that I will see people all day long....If anyone has any tips or areas that dont see a lot of pressure please post or if you would prefer to message me. thx for any help/advice

Oh, I forgot to add, my experience is that is there are more than about 1 hunter for every 20 acres, it gets pretty crowded. I figure an average of 2 hunters per vehicle, so every vehicle covers about 40 acres of land - just something I take note of when coming or going. I also forgot - good luck, stay safe, and have fun!

Don't expect to pick a spot and have it to yourself. That might happen, in which case you get to be overjoyed, but just as likely, someone else will either be there when you get there or set up nearby. My advice is to get to know the land as well as you can beforehand, which is almost too late now for this year, but possibly not. If it is a 1000 acres or more, there will be places where most hunters don't spend the energy it takes to get there. Those places can be great, especially around mid-day on the opener and Sunday morning. If it is a smaller chunk, you are almost certainly going to have to hunt escape corridors. I look for thickets through more open areas, or landforms such as creeks and valleys. Try to figure the best place to intercept deer coming off the private land if they are rousted. If there is a swamp, I'd plan to get into it - the drawback being visibility is limited in swamps. If you can find a way to haul a ladder stand or set up a climber in the swamp without clanging around for an hour, it might be worth it. Once you are set up, it will only take a short time to settle the area down, and you might be rewarded by seeing some deer a little later. Of course, you have to remove the stand at the end of the day. The nice thing is, I don't think you have to be the first guy out there on public. Let everybody fight over where to get set up, and then go where there are no other hunters. Try to keep a respectful distance when going in, though. It's always frustrating to have people marching through your set up all day.

It can go either way. I hunt public and private. Variety is a good thing. I see a lot of cars or a pumkin patch ... on to plan B ... or plan C ... or ... Good luck! Be safe!