Answers to a couple of your questions are
here
My sons ex-father in law hunted two years ago and shot a 7x7 if I remember right, a very big bull that made the papers. I`ve also talked to a couple guys at work that hunted in the past and were successful. None hunted public lands that I know of. They used farmers as guides and were helped by the DNR in finding land access I believe. The odds get better the more often you enter the draw.