There are many differences between hunting private vs. public lands, particularly with such items as comfortable permanent stands vs. not; hunting with less potential to be "disturbed" by another hunter; the use of cell cams vs. not, etc., etc., etc.
But let's just focus mainly on the odds of a 2 1/2 to 3 1/2-yr-old above-average antlered buck surviving until the next year's hunting season.
. . . . . if that deer is on public he won't see the end of the season imo.
Interestingly, I've found many perceptions about public vs private lands in TN to be more like ole wives' tales than reality. Sure, many public lands, just like many private lands, are heavily hunted, and few people will give a pass to a top-end 2 1/2-yr-old buck.
But, those average public land hunters may also be less inclined to encounter any 2 1/2 or older buck? On average, are they as experienced with hunting success as most private land deer hunters? I've found many public land hunters will immediately shoot the first antler buck encountered, which is most often a 1 1/2-yr-old buck. Those 2 1/2's & older bucks tend to come along behind the younger bucks, and never seen by the hunter who kill the 1st buck they see.
By the way, I cannot tell much about this buck's age just from that summertime pic, but 2 1/2 just happens to be my "guess". But can tell you, if you don't give a pass to most 2 1/2 & 3 1/2-yr-old bucks, you'll almost never ever see a 4 1/2 yr-old buck while you're hunting, in large part because older bucks tend to follow along behind younger bucks. But also because you're killing them before they can live to become 4 1/2.
I've found the odds of a top-end 2 1/2 or 3 1/2 surviving another year are often higher on many public lands than many private lands.
There are different dynamics, often different reasons, but still often this way. On many private lands, especially hunting leases & hunt clubs, high-grading of the best antlered 2 1/2 & 3 1/2-yr-old bucks is often far worse than on on most public hunting lands.
Truth is, especially when it comes to poaching, such as killing deer during archery with a rifle, killing deer with a rifle a day or two before the season opens, illegal baiting, you'll find more of this on most private lands than public lands. What's more, it's often more targeted at those high-end 2 1/2 & 3 1/2 yr-old bucks, often habitually feeding at someone's backyard feeder, making it an easy shot from the back porch.
Many public lands are comprised of thousands of contiguous acres. Most private lands are smaller acreage. Commonly, you'll have a 200-acre tract, surrounded by many 1 to 5-acre tracts, many of which have backyard feeders, and the home occupants deer hunt right behind their homes on their 5 acres, or less.
So when you account in all those people living & hunting inside a typical 500-acre private lands area, you may have more deer "hunting" on many private lands than many public lands.
And, I'm seeing far more illegal deer poaching on private lands than public lands, and this poaching is a big part of the deer annual "harvest" especially regarding above-average bucks.
Good luck to everyone this season. It's coming up!!!!!
