Parking lots are a pressure map in real time. A full lot tells you which access points are hot and where hunters are likely walking. An empty lot can signal a low-pressure window, especially on weekdays or during weather that keeps casual hunters home. Use that information to decide whether to move deeper or hunt a less obvious area.
Pick your entry and exit based on what the lot tells you. If every truck is parked at one access, shift to a different entrance or hunt the back side of that same parcel where pressure is lower. Deer often move away from the most active trails, which can create predictable daylight routes along the opposite side of the property.
Keep notes on parking activity across the season. Over time you will see patterns that help you plan sits on low-pressure days. Public land rewards hunters who treat parking lots like scouting tools instead of just a place to unload gear.
On public land, the details that seem small add up fast. Mark the conditions you saw, how deer reacted, and how other hunters used the area. Those notes let you build a repeatable plan instead of relying on luck. If a spot produced but access was marginal, adjust your route next time. The goal is to learn faster than the pressure changes, and to stack small improvements over the season. That mindset keeps you ahead of the average hunter and in sync with how deer adapt.