Wisconsin is home to one of the most productive white-tailed deer herds in North America.

County, state and federal lands in Wisconsin account for more than 6 million acres of whitetail bowhunting opportunity. Photo by Ron Sinfelt.

It's also home to a lot of public-hunting opportunities.

Few states can match the more than 6 million acres of public land available to deer hunters. That number swells deep into the 7 million-plus range when you add in private lands enrolled in forest tax law programs that require the owner to allow public access.

No matter where you live, chances are there's quality public hunting land a short drive away. While much of the county and national forest land is in the northern half of the state, there are still hundreds of properties large and small open to public hunting in the south.

Locating these areas online is easy, or you can pick up a copy of a county plat book. Find out who the property manager is, and give him or her a call. Be courteous, and if they have time to talk, try to learn as much as they're willing to share. Ask about hunting pressure at various times, how the herd is doing and what the deer have for food sources.

After that, check out a topographic map and aerial images to pinpoint likely areas to scout, or simply get out and put some miles on your boots. Look for feeding and bedding areas and funnels or edge cover between them. Once sold on a spot, try to learn it intimately.

Thinking about where other hunters will park and hunt should also fit into your planning. Consider the time of day or day of the week, too. Many hunters sit only the first and last few hours of daylight, and many can only hunt weekends. Hunting mid- to late week -- and all day if it's the rut -- may be best for some heavily hunted properties.

Obviously, your scouting should include checking for tracks, droppings and trails. You might also spot last year's buck rubs. If the deer that made them survived the season, chances are pretty good that he might return to the same area. Consider prevailing winds when selecting trees for a portable stand or a spot in heavy cover for a ground blind.

If you want to avoid most hunters, try a remote-access approach, either by utilizing a waterway to get deep into a property or by gaining permission to walk a private property line to a backside parcel of public property. That's an even more desirable situation if the private property includes agricultural land where the deer are coming to feed. A wide berth around potential bedding areas and a slow, methodical approach to and from stands -- think sneak-and-peek hunting for the right speed -- will often net more sightings.

If those aren't options, sometimes just walking farther than others will do it. Of course, you then have to consider how you'll carry a deer out. Some hunters have enough help available. For others, it may mean investing in a commercial "deer dolly," a cart with big wheels to lighten the load.

It would be nice if trophy bucks lived in easily accessed habitat a short drag from the truck. The truth is that for most of the year, you'll have to work farther from the road than others or seek out thick, isolated sanctuary cover and work the edges.

As always, playing the wind and keeping your human scent to a minimum is a critical part of the hunt.

FIND NATURAL FUNNELS
Tom Rand of Neenah has been bowhunting for 32 years, most of it on public land. He's been strictly an archery hunter for the past two decades. His wife, Shirley, and his best friend, Jason Coleman, also take part in the adventures.

Dubbed "The Three Amigos" by someone in Rand's archery club, the group mainly works the far northwestern Wisconsin counties and the east-central part of the state, targeting acorn-producing oaks up north and a mix of acorns and trails leading to private farmland in central Wisconsin. Rand does not use bait.