Hunts on Federal Land

[Toklat1]

Just to put the word out in case some of you are unaware.  If you have no place to hunt in your state or have not drawn a tag through your state, Look up hunts through the federal govt. There are some out there. You just have to do the research. Last year here in Texas I found the Aransas NWR (National Wildlife refuge) and also the Lower Rio Grande Valley NWR have Archery hunts on them. There is also the Hagerman NWR which many of you Texans know about already. Some of these are draw, and some are just "over the counter" I know for a fact the Aransas NWR doesn't even fill up all of their archey slots and this is first come first serve, "NO DRAW". Its only a $75 fee but you will need a trpod stand in most instances. You can take all the hogs you want. The whitetails down there are impressive to say the least but it is a difficult hunt. It is still a place to go though. At the Lower Rio Grande Valley NWR, The whitetail hunts also includes Nilgai "all you can take". They want them gone! There are also state archery hunts here in Texas which the odds are very good at drawing out. Sit down and do the research. I am not directing this to Texas residents only but to all you trad gangers out there whichever state you reside in. I just thought I would throw this information out and let you do what you may with it.  Good luck!  

[flatlander37]

Good info for those of us that aren't blessed with living there.  Mark

[Dave2old]

Ah yes, technically NWRs, BLM, forest service, designated wilderness, and more, all are "administered" (and in recent years, seriously abused) by the Feds ... yet I prefer to call all such Public Lands, which keeps it more in perspective. In a survey of western hunters and anglers by TU 3 years ago, nearly half didn't even know it is legal to hunt and fish in designated wilderness! Now, I'd be against wilderness too, if that were true. Public lands are the future of serious, democratic, Rooseveltian hunting in America. Protecting these places from escalating industrial invasion, redundant roading, and the attempted takever by folks whose legs have turned to wheels and whose heartgs pump gasoline, is THE most important issue in protecting quality hunting for Everyman. So thanks, Toklat. Let's advertise and USE these Public places, celebrate and protect them from our own misguided government. I am visiting my 5 year old grandson in MN at the moment, and I want him and his children to enjoy the same democratic hunting proviliges I always have known. The wide open free private lands access of my youth is gone already for most of us. Public lands are where it's at! dave

[J-dog]

Well said Dave,

While here I don't have to worry about drawing my tags. If I were to move to any western state that would be something I seriously studied!

I listen to folks talk, and complain, about it I do not quite understand the draw thing. Do some states if you do not draw a tag is there still a a way to hunt?

J

[CowTown CJ]

Originally posted by Toklat1:
At the Lower Rio Grande Valley NWR, The whitetail hunts also includes Nilgai "all you can take". They want them gone!    

I would love to hunt Nilgai but the price at a hunting ranch is a couple K. I heard a while back that some NF/NWR had a population you could hunt but I forgot which one it was, thanks for sharing this info. To bad I'm in the middle of school and too far North for a weekend trip.  :(  

Military bases are another good place to hunt if you are looking for a place. By law the bases have to be open to civilians for hunting purposes. Cost I think is around $100 for the entire season, though this could be different at different bases. They can have some pretty bigh areas for hunting and they control the number of hunters. Also several of them have exotics; Ft. Hood as Axis deer and Blackbuck antelope, Ft Bullis has Axis, several others in Texas have Axis as well I believe, and White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico has Gemsbok (a few hundered of which have wander off the base where you can also hunt them if you draw a tag).

[Roadkill]

J-Dog if we don't draw we hunt small game and yotes.  There were 56000 applicants this year in NV-at least that's what the guys in the archery shop were saying.
Part of the problem here is that vast tracts belong to someone who may not let you pass on tot he public ground.  then there are the wild horses-which stake out all available water and chase antelope and deer from them.
Hot and very dry this year and our season-for those who drew-starts in 5 days.  Not fun hunting in 100 degrees and very hard if you hit an animal just at sundown-yotes get all but teh antlers-velvet antlers.  I hunted NC for years and although there are sspectacular animals out here, the realization that you only get a tag every few years amkes me wish i could go tot the local hardware and buy tags over the counter like in NC and VA.  NOt all bad!

[GingivitisKahn]

What about places like the Great Smokey Mountain National Park?  Every time I hear about stuff like this it makes me wonder but does anyone have a URL that lists what federal land is huntable?

[Toklat1]

Just google up Federal NWR or National Parks for your state. Thats what I did for the state of TX last year. It brought them up and then I looked each one up individually and lo and behold it listed hunting on the things to do there. Some were big game and others just had waterfowl etc.

[Toklat1]

I do not know of any National Parks that allow hunting. Go to this site.

 http://www.nps.gov/grsm/

Mark

[Toklat1]

Here is a URL of all the NWR's by state. Type in the URL and after the equal sign, type the initials for your state. I hope this helps.

   

 http://www.fws.gov/refuges/profiles/ByState.cfm?state=TX

[Dave2old]

Toklat -- In CO and parts of ID, at least, you can buy over the counter elk tags, no limit and no drawing. Just show up with a hunter safety or bowhunter card and a bunch of money, and you're in, will millions of acres of public lands to hunt on. Only trick is getting away from the mobs, which is why God gave us legs and lungs. d

[Toklat1]

Yes it is the same way in Alaska. The problem was trying to find a legal Moose/Sheep by the definition of fish & game dept where everyone else was hunting as well. The U.S. Fish & wildlife usually limits the number of hunters on its refuges

[GingivitisKahn]

Great info Toklat1 - thanks!

[Toklat1]

Your Welcome. There are some states in which you have to go through the "State" Fish & Game Depts to get permits to hunt these. The State of Oklahoma is one of these. Here in Texas you do not. I just wanted pass on some more options to all the tradgangers.