Going to Land Between the Lakes WMA....Leaving on Monday AM!

[ishoot4thrills]

Three friends of mine(two of whom are members here, Ky Double Lung and Two Wolves) and I are planning a short stay at LBL WMA in western KY right after Christmas. We will be bowhunting for whitetail deer. We all live in central KY and I for one am the only one of us that hasn't ever hunted there before(I think). I am getting very excited about the trip. We are only gonna be staying for two nights so I'm gonna have to get after it once we get there. We're all taking climbing stands but I intend to try some ground hunting from natural "blinds" if I can find some good concealment close to a likely looking area.

Anyone else here ever hunted LBL before?

[KentuckyTJ]

I have Doug, but it was in the early season. Don't let me get you down but gonna be tough this time of year brother. With that said there are some good deer there. I'll email you some picts of a couple bucks that were killed there this season with wheelies. Get online on maps.google.com or the like and find the nut flats in your chosen area. They will be the big clusters of darker green trees.

[ishoot4thrills]

Thanks for the heads-up, Tom. Yes, we're planning to hunt the food areas mostly. At least at this time of year maybe we'll have the place mostly to ourselves, I hope.

[Biggie Hoffman]

I've hunted there a bunch in past years. Like TJ said it's kinda tough late season. We always concentrated around cornfields even though they've long ben picked. Don't be afraid to walk in away from the roads. Good Luck!

[ishoot4thrills]

Originally posted by Biggie Hoffman:
.....Don't be afraid to walk in away from the roads. Good Luck!

Yes, I plan on walking my legs off! But, hey, that's public land hunting. And one reason I may leave the climbing stand behind, at least sometimes.

[wapiti792]

I second what TJ said. Tough hunting after rifle season quota hunts. However, I had good luck on the North End around the Hillman Ferry Campground this time of year. The campground is closed for the season I believe but backcountry camping will be allowed. Deer move into there later in the year as there are some great Oak flats. Also check area near Energy Lake. There are some restricted areas there but some areas you can hunt too.

Now that information is old 'cause it has been 10 years since I have been there hunting. I did my undergrad work at Murray State near there and nearly flunked out trying to hunt that place and fish all the rivers/lakes around    I went back for years because it is just a cool place. Check out the elk and bison prarie they have. It is a neat santuary. Good luck!!!

[ishoot4thrills]

Thanks guys. Keep it coming.

We are gonna be hunting the south end, but still in KY.

[bluegrassbowhunter]

At least you won't have to worry about ticks with this weather....lol..I went & hunted it for a couple of days back earlier..."I have a GPS with all the good spots marked in area's 2,6 & 10 if ya wanna borrow it"..    It's tuff hunting but a load of fun...take plenty of pictures....

[Robert Honaker]

Huge bucks in there.

[e alexander]

Doug, the south end gets quit a bit of horse traffic, and maybe even a few horseback squirrel hunters (not sure when the "gun" squirrel season opens).  Regardless, a great place to spend a weekend. I plan on getting down there in Jan. this year.

I was down there in Nov, and there was plenty of acorns.  Take a turkey call, you should see a few.

[wildgame]

had a buddy to pull a 158inch ten point out of there in nov!! i dont know if true but i heard they make you use your state wide tag now! so i guess that means you cant get a extra tag for lbl no more?

[TSHOOTER]

LBL is still a bonus buck.  It's federal land.  State owned WMA's do not have bonus bucks this year.  Still have bonus bucks on LBL and Military Reservations.  I've not bow hunted LBL much but would also recommend the area around Hillman's Ferry.  It opens to deer hunting only during the late bow season.  Good luck

[KentuckyTJ]

Originally posted by bluegrassbowhunter:
[qb] At least you won't have to worry about ticks with this weather....lol.

   LOL Marks glass is half full. I like it.

[Huntschool]

Last time I was there late was two years ago.  We hunted the very north and down around the KY/TN line.

Saw quite a few deer but I was hunting horns so passed on three that might have well made someone else real happy. I like the place alot.  The diversity is huge from the creeks down in the bottoms to the oaks and in between.

What TJ said is exactly right.  Biggie's corn field thing is right also.  The biggest deer I had close to me was just off of a corn field.  He was about a 150".  Just out of range.

You will need to walk a good bit and the terrain can be pretty rough. At least to this ole man.

Its a great place.  Good luck and enjoy yourself.  Let us know how your hunt goes.

[Timbuck2]

Yep, I've hunted jenny ridge ( area 7) and area 8 & 10 south of U.S. 68 highway.

Good luck on your hunt.

[Canyon]

That is some really nice country. I only had a brief visit this past spring. My son Jason who is stationed at Fort Campbell wants to get out and hunt it but deployments and training schedules keep getting in the way. Maybe next year. Meanwhile we'll sit back and enjoy all your stories.

[bad arrow]

Wish I could offer some advice on your upcoming trip but never hunted it, just fished the lakes. Had a biologist 20yrs.ago swear he spotted a brown panther there so maybe it'll give you something else to arrow. Good luck....Phil

[eddings220]

Hey Doug,

LBL is a great place to enjoy, I echo what others have said in previous posts. I live fairly close to LBL (about 45 min.) find their food source and you'll find the deer, and as someone said, you may find a turkey as well. Also, a buddie of mine just called and said they are starting to catch sauger off the dam at Ky. Lake.

[randy grider]

Doug, we hunt there every year, at least twice. I've been twice this year allready, and plan a Jan hunt. It can be tough, but there is soooo much of it ! 107,000 acres in KY alone. The acorns are plentifull this year, which makes it even tougher. My experience with a heavy mast crop is forget the corn, they want the nuts instead. Geen field will yeild, (wheat,food plot plantings) or hunt saddles of oak ridges. Hunt the terrain..., when mast is plentifull they have food everywhere, so hunt pinch points of easy travel on those steep ridges, low ridges,2-3 ridges coming together, and lots of times back in deep, where most guys won't bother to walk to. The food plots by major roads get hammered with hunting pressure, and usually get nocturnal visits only. Think limited access, and strap on some comfortable walking shoes. Good luck!

[Friend]

Hi Doug,

I used to hunt there every year until 20 years after the Fallows became off limits.

Also had a run in with a big kittie down there 20+ years ago. The critter was less than 10 yards away. I guessed her at 70# and buckskin colored. She was not near as large as one would have thought. I won't turn one of those sitings in again. The game department ran me from 8:00 to 3:00, back and forth between Ky & Tenn. After seven hours of being told there were no big kitties on LBL, they finally told that I she had been sited in that specific area for the previous 10 years and that they did not want it publicized. They also told me she was an eastern cougar and much smaller than her western cousins.

Good luck hunting a LBL.