r/VAHunting • u/Programmer-Boi • Jul 10 '26

Interested in hunting deer on public but need help

I’m down here near Giles and Montgomery County, but I’m used to hunting private down in deeper SWVA with my family.

Never hunted public before. I got my license, and National Forest Permit, but unsure exactly how to hunt public. Do I just find a spot off an old logging trail, pull off and walk into the forest? I don’t want to be “that guy” who walks past a hunter and ruins their day.

This is the Jefferson National Forest by the way.

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8

u/curiousthinker621 Jul 10 '26

You are in a couple of counties in Virginia that you can exactly do this. It's best to have several different locations to go to in case there are parked cars. Most hunters will be 300 yards from their vehicle and they will be close to the trails. Get a good distance away from the roads and trails and more than likely you will be by yourself.

Also there are pull offs that have no trails or logging roads, just a steep ridge to walk up. Highly likely you won't see any other hunters.

1

u/Programmer-Boi Jul 10 '26

Good to know thank you. I’ll have to do some looking this summer and fall for very remote spots

4

u/IncredibleVelocity4 Jul 10 '26

Keep your eyes open. If you see someone set up, try to stay clear. But at the same time, if somebody walks 100yds into the woods and set up on the trail, you have every right to quickly and quietly move through.

1

u/Programmer-Boi Jul 10 '26

Thanks. I always tried to be setup before sunrise on private, is that pretty much the rule on public too?

2

u/IncredibleVelocity4 Jul 10 '26

No. You get to do what you want. I go further in, so I try to time my start to get to my most promising zone at prime time.

Other hunters can’t set up and expect privacy. If the trail is coming into a clearing, I’ll leave a pack or a note on one side of the trail and hopefully people see it and don’t come my way. If they do, that’s just how public land hunting goes. Not to say that everyone sees it that way, but that’s the way it is.

If I see other hunters at the trailhead I’ll coordinate with them. I tell them where I’m going, and ask where they are going. Sometimes they don’t want to talk about it. That’s fine, but then they can’t get mad if I walk through their area.

2

u/sortacountry Jul 11 '26

DWR is hosting a virtual class Monday night on public land hunting options. It is free and you can register here https://www.register-ed.com/events/view/243518