Hello there, I have gotten back into hunting the past two years after a 20 year wait, i have a friend with private access next to farm land, he invites me a few time but other than that i’m on my own. I was wondering how to find good public land to hunt being most of them are heavily traveled. I live in townsend and have been trying the town forest with no luck. Is it better to find private land or keep searching public land?
Public lands
- Thread starter Nick
- Start date
longbow
Administrator
On public land you have to do your homework and get back into spots others don't want to go. Always keep your eyes open for private spots, even very small pieces, (maybe a friend who has only a couple acres), can be really good. Good luck.
Go to the MassFishHunt website, there is a link to a public lands viewer. I looked and there’s quite a bit that looks to be within an hour of you. If you click on a parcel in the map a link to a fact sheet pops up that shows acreage, species and a general description of the terrain. If you zoom in on the map it shows roads, trails, parking, etc.
Yes i have looked at the maps a few times and found a few good spots but i think there is to much pressure and contamination from bow season. I have been looking at a few private lots but don’t know if i should look near farm land or deep woods
Like longbow said, seek out the spots on public land no one else goes. Thick, steep, wet, that’s where the deer will be!
Pine-lock
Well-known member
I've hunted some of those same public spots before. Usually the last couple weeks of December. It does seem pretty well pressured. Going deeper isn't really an option as it's smaller blocks of woods. Deer pressured on some of those public spots have no worries about going to hide up tight to yards and houses to stay safe.
JJM6
Active member
From my experience, late season tucked up behind houses in small parcels is very often the case. My dad lives in an over 55 condo complex (single family homes on top of each other). He has about two acres behind his house and its surrounded by condo roads and homes. You wouldn't believe some of the racks he's got on camera every year and often.
