By Nick Simonson

I enjoy hunting public land, be it those acres of private land opened to public access through programs such as North Dakota’s PLOTS system or those Walk-In Access (WIA) acres in Minnesota, or the great state and federal Wildlife Management Areas (WMA), Waterfowl Production Areas (WPA) or national forests and grasslands.  The challenges and rewards on these areas can both be great, especially during deer season, but here in the final weekend of the firearms hunting phase of our fall, these spaces have provided some of the best lessons in sticking it out, sometimes right through the final hours of the last day.

All Day Long

Hunting public-access parcels for me is and all-day thing.  First in time, first in right (in most instances) means if you’re there early, parked in the designated parking area, and in your spot by the start of legal light, there’s a good chance you’ll keep that position all day with little interference, at least from like-minded hunters who know better than to push in when they see a space already occupied.  This means all-day hunts are in order, and these often produce ample deer sightings and opportunities to fill a tag.  With the rut in full swing, sticking out a full day sit produces chances during the mid-day hours, as bucks are more active and deer are moving around more.  Don’t just focus on the morning and evening, hold out for a full day hunt, pack a lunch, and you just might be packing a deer out by the time afternoon rolls around.

Listen and Look

As previously mentioned, deer movement is heightened at this point in the breeding season and in the calm of dawn and dusk, or even those quieter afternoons where the wind isn’t too strong, paying attention to your surroundings for every possible second is key in converting on your tag in the final days of the firearms fortnight. Thus, relying on what you’re hearing – footsteps, scampers, even downright sprints – can prepare you for the shot that is to follow when a deer comes bounding into view.  On those breezier days, keep a sharp eye as well for deer movement, as the auditory cues can be diminished. This means foregoing killing the slow hours with some time spent on a phone or reading a book.  Take in the sights and sounds of the natural world while waiting; it’s likely that amidst the migrating waterfowl, soaring eagles and skittering squirrels, the sudden appearance of a buck or a doe can make that extra attention to the sounds and sights well worth it.

You Gotta Believe

Finally, as we enter the holiday season, that old topic of belief should be front of mind.  Not just in Santa Claus and the goodness of all people, but that at any moment a deer is going to wander into view.  Take a minute every hour to identify those trails leading into and out of an area and visualize a buck or doe coming into view via those corridors.  How will the shot set up?  What obstructions give you a chance to raise your gun? Where will you position your reticle to get the best opportunity? Will you make a grunt or a bleat to slow them down if they come in fast?  Plan for the possibilities and steady yourself against the thrill that even an imagined scenario can produce, and you’ll be prepared for that moment.  While such positive and preparatory  thinking hasn’t immediately manifested a deer in my final weekend hunts, I’ve been more than ready to take the shot when it has happened a couple hours later in the places I’ve predicted.  Stay positive, stay prepared, and believe it’s going to happen, and you are halfway home with a full truck bed.

The final weekend of firearms deer season is a great time to try your luck on public land.  The pressure is down, deer are more active, and there’s always a buck or two filtering through, no matter how many may have been tagged in and around those public-access spaces.  Commit to a full day, stay focused with your senses, keep the faith that an opportunity will come, and you can close the season out with success.

Simonson is the lead writer and editor of Dakota Edge Outdoors.

Featured Photo: At the End.  The author tagged this whitetail in the final weekend of the 2020 firearms deer season. Simonson Photo.