Public Land Lessons – #2 : Pressure Isn’t Random
Opening Sit
One thing I used to believe was that hunting pressure was kind of random. Some days the woods felt busy, other days they didn’t, and I chalked it up to luck. Over time, public land showed me that pressure follows patterns — and deer respond to it the same way every year. I just wasn’t paying attention early on.
What I Started Noticing
It didn’t take many seasons to realize certain things always lined up:
Same parking spots filling up
Same access trails getting pounded
Same stands popping up in the same trees
And right along with that, deer started:
Avoiding daylight movement in those areas
Shifting just far enough to stay alive
Using terrain I walked past without thinking
Pressure wasn’t everywhere — it was concentrated.
Deer Don’t Leave, They Slide
One of the biggest lessons for me was realizing deer rarely abandon an area completely. They
just slide.
They move:
Off the tops
Off the main trails
Slightly downwind
Slightly downhill
Sometimes only 50–100 yards makes all the difference. I’ve seen good sign go cold in one spot and light up just off of it, simply because that’s where the pressure stopped.
What I Do Differently Now
Now when I hunt public land, I try to:
Identify where pressure starts
Figure out where it likely ends
Set up in between
I don’t need untouched woods. I just need woods where deer feel like they’ve got the advantage.
Final Thought
Pressure isn’t bad. It’s predictable. Once you stop fighting it and start hunting around it, public land makes a lot more sense. Lesson learned. On to the next one. P.S. Deer don't like the smell of Old Spice… 😤
