Closer and closer on public lands

[Soonerlongbow]

I’ve been getting closer each time I get a chance to go hit up the WMA behind my house. They’ve been coming out into the field on the opposite side roughly 200 yards away and they would feed away into the wind, no dice. We finally get some cold weather and the winds shift to being out of the North but it’s also rifle season now as well. Luckily nobody else is in the parking spot so I made my way to the field(s), it’s actually one giant field separated by strip of CRP about 20yds wide.

I decided to sit in about the middle of the CRP strip in a cospe of sand plums as it provides a view of both fields. Well, they didn’t read the play book. Sure, they came out at the right spot and they sure angled like they would come right in for a nice close shot. But they veered off into the to the exact spot I normally sit.

 

That evening I had 12-15 deer in the two fields and, several directly downwind including a mature buck and the mature doe he was chasing. They were inside of 40yds, just not within my comfort range.

Tonight there was a pickup at the parking spot. Now this area is archery only so I didn’t have to worry about a gun hunter. As I turned down the trail into the area there he is in a tree not 200yds inside, his bright orange like a becon. Now this did concern me a bit because it’s only a requirement to be in full vest & hat if you’re hunting with a long gun or are using a rifle tag.

I pass by and made it too my usual spot. The winds are light and variable but mostly out of the north just as it was Sunday. I should probably say that my spot is in the hedge row of trees bordering the edge and there are two scrapes less than 10’ apart. I’m tucked in right behind them. The hope being that the owner(s) will skirt the edge to scent check the field.

They came out again in the opposite side but walked directly through the CRP strip EXACTLY where I was two nights ago.       But a bit later a small forky comes out right where I wanted him to at the NW corner right next to me. But he also saw the girls at the end of pasture and away he went.  Just before darkness another group of does enters from the other corner, this being the NE corner and these girls are doing precisely what I need them too: ignoring the rest of the deer in the field and feeding right along the edge straight to me. Then it happens.

I hear loud walking back to the west and so do the does that are now 40ish yards away with a lot of tree limbs between us. That sound? Oh, it’s also got a light attached to it as the orange clad blob walks out of the woods. There goes THAT!!!

So I packed it all in shortly afterwards. It’s getting closer.

[awry]

Keep at it and keep us posted
Will probably be joining the public lands crowd soon.

[Bill Turner]

Not sure which WMA your hunting in OK but most are closed to any type of hunting during the first 9 days of deer gun season,  which started this past Saturday.There are a few exceptions I understand. Good luck, be safe and be sure your legal.

[Soonerlongbow]

Waurika Lake. Closed during the draw muzzle loader hunt, closed to rifle and regular season muzzle loader, but the archery is still open the entire season.

[Texoma]

Not sure which WMA your hunting in OK but most are closed to any type of hunting during the first 9 days of deer gun season,  which started this past Saturday.There are a few exceptions I understand. Good luck, be safe and be sure your legal.

If you hunt OK. WMA's you might want to read the regs again. I did a check and 50 are open Oct 1st-Jan 15th for archery. 21 are closed the first nine days of gun.

[Dave Lay]

Good luck .. i Hunt public 90% of the time. I’ve had to alter my set up several times due to other hunters . I used a game camera for the first time this year and got almost as many hunters as deer on it..

[Soonerlongbow]

Lil closer tonight. Was watching two does in the tree line through my binos when I heard a loud blow so close i almost thought it was in my ear! Two more does had snuck up by me between the two fields. They didn’t know what I was or exactly where I was, they’d just seen some movement they didn’t care for. Then a crash and grunts came from feed behind me as the small forky I’d seen the other night went to greet the two girls.

He took them away, which was good I guess because was able to move again. This let me make a small adjustment to a standing position inside the plum thicket. I’d seen a large reddish hog at the far end of the south field but it had gotten into the thicket between another field. While the two original does were still inside the trees feeding at their leisure with no apparent interest in coming into the field. About this time a sounder approached from the east not far from the two does, the lead sow almost provided a shot, close enough but just trotting faster than I thought I could make the shot. The piglets with her were tea cup sized.

They trotted off but milled around about 50yds away. With darkness fast approaching and the two does to my east not budging, I gathered my hip quiver off the ground in front of my and slipped through the tall grass towards them. Unfortunately they had already moved out to he adjoining field.

But another group was working the edge of the field south of me. Slowly I made my way to them through the CRP as they fed on the winter wheat the Wildlife Dept. had planted. The original reddish hog came out of the brush about 40yd away and stared me down but couldn’t figure me out in the fading light. Several offered shots within 15-20yds but were either moving too quickly or alert to my presence. This included the jet black boar that I’d estimate between 225-250lbs. He stepped into the brush briefly but re-emerged making something almost like a bluff charge or flinch, all the while trying to work his way down wind of me. Eventually he busted out across the pasture.

The three remaining pigs, all about 70lbs give-or-take looked on as if he’d lost his mind and kept feeding towards me. The lead eatin’ size oinker stopped perfectly broadside at about 18-20yd and I loosed an arrow. The shot felt GREAT!!! But I watched it sail harmlessly just across his back. All three scurried off into the brush with the others and about 20 more of those tea cup piglets. I retrieved my arrow and stepped up to the brush hoping for a last minute shot as I could still see them moving the cane and sumacs single digit yards away. But alas, it was not to be.

So, off to work I go for another two weeks. I might have a slim chance to hunt Sunday evening as work has me taking a class locally and I’ll have to come home.

Anyway, good luck to all y’all!

[2madjacks]

Not sure which WMA your hunting in OK but most are closed to any type of hunting during the first 9 days of deer gun season,  which started this past Saturday.There are a few exceptions I understand. Good luck, be safe and be sure your legal.

If you hunt OK. WMA's you might want to read the regs again. I did a check and 50 are open Oct 1st-Jan 15th for archery. 21 are closed the first nine days of gun.

Waurika WMA is open for archery during the full season with the exception of being closed Nov 12-14.  Closed for all firearms and BP. 

Keep after em and keep us all posted of your success!!

[Soonerlongbow]

Plan is to go back at it as soon as I get off work. Sad part is that’s not till December 5th. Haven’t decided if I’ll move closer to where they stage, or maybe just to the opposite side of my plum patch (10ish yds) and use my Ghost Blind to help shield me from the prying eyes to that side. (That’s the same side as the primary staging area.) what I’ve found interesting has been their general lack of care for human scent. There are houses within 300-400yds due north & east including my own. While I do a decent job of reducing my odor, I’ve had several times where they were straight down wind and really didn’t care too much.

[Fattony77]

Keep at 'em! I know how hard the public land is in my neck of the OK woods (since that's all I have to hunt), so I'll continue to wish you good luck. I haven't been able to make it happen yet either, but I keep holding out hope. Working 6 days a week & anywhere from 8 - 16 hrs. (sometimes more)/day doesn't help either.

Keep posting. I enjoy reading about your quest, sir.

[Soonerlongbow]

Thanks. I don’t get to post much about my successes. I do find it interesting that everyone overlooks Oklahoma as a place to hunt. Fine with me! Less crowds!

[okcaveman]

Thanks. I don’t get to post much about my successes. I do find it interesting that everyone overlooks Oklahoma as a place to hunt. Fine with me! Less crowds!

It's getting more and more crowded as these hunting shows showcase it more. and more big bucks are being killed here. 32 I believe last year that grossed over 200"...

I hunt public almost exclusively, only on the opposite side of the state from you. Mountains and mature timber, its tough but I love it. I take more satisfaction from having success on public by far.
Good luck dealing the deal!

[pavan]

One of the best ways to thin the herd of hunters on a WMA is to tell others about the absolute giant, probably new state record, buck on a different WMA that is a few miles down the road.